Technology Waves and Social Impact

This unit examines the historical progression of computing (from mainframes through the seven waves) alongside contemporary case studies — including Deere’s agtech work, climate solutions, and generative AI — to frame technology’s societal and environmental impacts. Students will build ethical frameworks and collaborative strategies (public/private) for embedding ‘tech for good’ and forecast near-term trends to prepare for deeper technical work in later units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the historical progression of computing by summarizing the defining features of the Mainframe era and each of the Seven Waves, and explain how these shifts influenced data science practices and infrastructures
• Evaluate real-world case studies (Deere, climate change solutions, and generative AI) to assess societal, environmental, and economic impacts, citing at least three evidence-based examples and potential ethical trade-offs
• Apply principles of ‘tech for good’ and public–private collaboration to design a concise organizational strategy that embeds ethical AI, data governance, and sustainability into a data-driven project plan
• Demonstrate foresight by forecasting one near-term trend in data science or AI and proposing measurable preparation steps (including stakeholder engagement, policy considerations, and technical readiness) for students or organizations