Digital Disruption Exam 1 (24.9.

2021)
Rasmus Paavola

Question 1.

Explain differences between structured and unstructured data.

There are a few key differences between structured and unstructured data. First of all,
structured data is quantative and unstructured data s qualitative. Structured data is easier to
understand for everyone, while instructed data takes more work to process and understand it.
This is as structured data can come in the clear form of numbers and text as unstructured data
is in its native format. Various insights can often be extracted from Qualitative data
(unstructured) with different analytics technics, from survey or interview data.

Name two different kinds of data that can be found in mycourses. Structured and
unstructured.

An introduction text posted right on the main course page, would be an example of structured
data, while an audio file uploaded by a professor for a listening comprehension exam would
be an example of an unstructured data.

Question 2.

What is an algorithm?

Algorithms can vary from simple to highly complex ones. Simply said, they are a set of rules
that are to be followed in some problem-solving operation, usually by a computer.
Algorithms often combine different sets and sources of data to generate some result.
Algorithms are behind most of our digital world, for example MyCourses and Sisu.

What does Black-Boxed algorithms mean?

Blackboxing means when an algorithm takes a large number of data points and turns it into
specific wanted data features as an output, an impenetrable system. A black-boxed algorithm
is an algorithm which input and output is known, but the inner workings of the algorithm are
not visible or known.

Example of an algorithm Mycourses or sisu likely has and explain what it does?

There are many examples of algorithms in MyCourses and Sisu. For example, there is a
mathematical algorithm calculating the average course percentage according to the different
grades a student has gotten from different tasks during the course. It takes the given grade %
of each task as well as their calculated weight on the final grade of the course to calculate the
final grade %.
Question 3.

Name two different kinds of AI Applications that could be implemented in MyCourses and
explain how these applications could be used by students.

1. AI Chatbots on both of the websites. AI chatbots are becoming more and more
popular on websites as AI technology is getting more sophisticated. An AI chatbot
could be used on both MyCourses and Sisu to, in the beginning, at least answer to
some of the simpler questions, as where to find certain courses for example, or what
grade was given from a course etc. Later on this chatbot could advance to be able to
do more intelligent tasks, such as course enrollments etc. The chatbot could even
learn the behaviors of each individual and be able to answer to each individuals
questions more according to their wants and needs. This would also free up a lot of
the staff, as they would not have to reply to as many emails about various problems
on the sites.
2. A second, maybe a little bit more advanced use of AI on MyCourses, could be an
individualized learning program for each course. Everyone learns differently and this
is why the learning experience students get in many universities varies. This is
especially notable in the fast paced BSCBA Program in Aalto University. Using AI,
we could try to make the learning experience better for everyone, by having student
specific individualized learning tasks such as homework or small learning programs
during the courses. Instead of using the same tasks and questions for everyone, AI
could help to adjust the learning on the basis of some specific requirements. The AI
could also be used to give feedback, freeing the time of professors to concentrate
more on some individual students needing more help for example.

Question 4.

Explain what an API is.

An API or application program interface is code that allows to pieces of software to talk to
each other.

What does the API do and why is it useful (between sisu and MyCourses)?

Between Sisu and MyCourses, there are a lot of things that are likely to be connected via
API. When a student enrolls for a course on Sisu, this information of the course registration is
then communicated to the MyCourses platform that then knows to make that specific course
visible for the student. This is useful, because now this task does not have to be done
manually, saving a lot of time and effort.

Another API Sisu or Mycourses could have

Another API MyCourses could have is the student email. It could be imbedded on the front
page of MyCourses, to make accessing and seeing your emails easier. This could then be
programmed to show each course’s professor’s email separately under each course in
MyCourses. Currently the professors have the option to either send an email to their students
or write a message via MyCourses, but this could be all combined with the use of API.
Question 5.

Is MyCourses a digital platform? Justify your answer

MyCourses is a digital platform, because it is a PaaS platform that facilitates interactions

between people in a digital form.

Would you say it is a transaction platform or an innovation platform and why?

MyCourses is a transaction platform because of a few reasons. Firstly, it matches users with
and user groups with each other, allows transaction/exchange between them. Innovation
platforms are platforms like Microsoft or IOS that mainly targets application developers and
people alike. MyCourses is not interested in connecting developers, but more in connecting
students with professors and the school system.

What kind of network effects there might be?

The different kinds of network effects that are present can be divided into three groups.

Direct network effects: The number of users on the platform affects the value of the platform.
MyCourses only become valuable when both teachers and students both use it. If one of the
parties was to not use it, it would be useless to everyone.

Indirect network effects: More users from one group benefits another group. This might
slightly be visible in MyCourses, where schools also collect data of the professors
performances using surveys, as the more the school gets data from various professors, the
better professors, and therefor education, they can provide their students.

Would you say MyCourses is likely to suffer from Chicken and Egg problem?

I do not believe MyCourses is likely to suffer from the chicken and egg problem as the school
program requires all the wanted users to use the platform. A professor for example cannot use
another platform with the students, as there are regulations that have been se to prohibit this.

Question 6.

Can Sisu be seen as the type of information system that is able to produce situations that
Baskerville et al. (2020) describes as “digital first”? Justify your answer.

Baskerville et al describes “digital first” situations as situations that begin in digital form and
end up a physical reality. All human activities are slowly becoming computed. In this sense
Sisu can be seen as the type of information system that represents this “digital first” idea.
Before going to class, whether it is opening their laptop to enter a zoom lecture or walking to
campus and going into a classroom, a student must digitally enroll to a course on the Sisu
platform. Here what is first a digital reality on the Sisu platform only becomes physical
reality when the student physically starts the lecture.