ATLAS | MS-ICTD Technology Course List

ATLS 5210: Global Development I
Introduces students to the history of development, the major theories of development studies, and the policies and institutions that have shaped development as it exists today. The course will examine the role of multilateral agencies, foundations, aid organizations, corporate entities and academia in development as both an industry and a research field. The course will focus on development movements and their outcomes, the inter-related nature of development and its effect on policies and programs, and alternative development strategies.

ATLS 5220: Global Development II
Explores the impact of economic, geographical and social/cultural conditions on development outcomes through standalone course components taught by subject matter experts. Components may include, but are not limited to, development economics, environmental sustainability, public health, climate change, globalization and migration, religion, and gender as these broad themes relate to development. Builds upon Global Development 1, offering a practical, holistic study of the development applications and trends that have emerged from development policies and frameworks.

ATLS 5230: Case Studies in ICTD
Serves as a foundation course for the MS-ICTD program. Students will read and evaluate case studies in ICTD across a wide range of technologies, applications and development domains. Emphasis on tenets of good ICTD program design, deployment and evaluation will be introduced, as will current projects in ICTD practice and research. Students will learn how to create and leverage technologies in order to serve human and environmental needs, be introduced to the seminal work and leaders in the field, and discuss the future of ICTD as an emerging area of academic and agency focus.

ATLS 5240: ICTD Project Laboratory
Prepares students for the semester-long practicum. Students work in teams to design ICTD interventions that address unique socio-economic and environmental development issues. Teams will design a variety of ICTD interventions, including telehealth and distance education programs, communication networks, and pro-development ICTD policies. Topics will be chosen by teams and guided by program faculty and external domain experts.

ATLS 5250: Practitioner Fieldwork Methods
Introduces the methods and models that can be employed in ICTD program development and deployment. Examines the applications of participatory research, value-centric design, program scale, cross-disciplinary work, and appropriate monitoring and evaluation. Course topics include the identification and use of development indicators, qualitative and quantitative approaches to project appraisal, practical issues of data gathering and analysis, as well as funding and sustainability. A goal of this course is to build student confidence around existing evaluation toolkits and methods, while advancing multi-method approaches to designing and analyzing ICTD initiatives.

ATLS 6910: MS-ICTD Practicum
Students work in the field to apply what they have learned in the previous three semesters to a specific ICTD initiative. Practicum assignments are arranged under the supervision of the MS-ICTD Program Director and include work with a non-governmental organization, development agency or similar technology/policy entity, or with an emerging market corporate organization. Students may focus on ICTD design, deployment, monitoring and evaluation, or research. Students will stay in close contact with program faculty to ensure that practicum educational objectives are met, and will write a final report summarizing their practicum work.

For further information, download the program description or email Dr. Revi Sterling,
program director, at revi.sterling@colorado.edu, or Ruscha Cohen, graduate program
adviser, at ruscha.cohen@colorado.edu.

Master's Degree: Core Courses

Master of Science in Information and Communication Technology for Development (MS-ICTD)