Research Project : Digital Transition

The course Research Project: Digital Transition is an integrated teaching unit (unité d’enseignement intégrée). It follows the progression of competences targeted by the learning by doing projects: to observe (bloc 1), to explain (bloc 2), to act (bloc 3). The project aims at providing students with the fundamental methodological, analytical, and theoretical tools to observe media practices. Through the project, students acquire the ability to build a research problematic about the digital transition of our society, defining a research question, conducting a literature review, collecting relevant data, analyzing these data and discussing their hypothesis.

The teaching method combines the added-value of lectures (introducing students to fundamental concepts and theories of digital transition and media practices) with empirical and theoretical analyses of real case-studies conducted by the students. Students apply concepts and theoretical models to an empirical analysis of their choice (in coordination with the teacher, teaching assistants, and professional experts). Regular meetings are organized with the teacher and teaching assistants to receive comprehensive feedback throughout both semesters, before the final jury and the submission of their research paper.

Consequently, the organization of the course largely relies on students’ regular participation and commitment to field work (including the development of data collection tools, such as interviews, questionnaires or participatory observation).