Module 1: Civic Tech Foundations
Introduces the field of civic technology, core ideas of public good, and how values become embedded in design decisions for public interest technology.
Civic Tech & Algorithms for Social Good
I designed and am teaching a course Civic Technology & Algorithms for Social Good, which introduces students to normative, technical, and evaluative foundations for design and impact assessment of public interest tech.
The course grew directly out of my experience as a tech person in NYC's local government and the World Bank. Technology is used more and more in shaping our lives, often through algorithmic decision-making systems, non-profit tools, or commercial projects. In this course, we slow that down and ask what "good" actually looks like, what trade-offs these systems create, and how we can assess their impact on society and democracy.
Course Modules
Module 2: Algorithms as Governing Systems
Explores how algorithmic decision systems operate in the public sector, where they fail, and how to reason about fairness, transparency, and structural risks.
Module 3: Evaluating Impact with Evidence
Focuses on evidence-building methods, from experiments and quasi-experiments to qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, to assess what works and why.
Module 4: Designing Democratic Civic Tech
Centers accountable and participatory design, including collective decision-making tools, public oversight, and practical strategies for civic innovation.
Student Final Project
Project task and deliverables:
Students complete a final project individually or in groups of 2-4. Each project should connect course concepts to a concrete civic technology challenge.
- A written proposal for a civic tech project with need justification, expected impact, and outcome metrics.
- An empirical research plan focused on a topic covered in class.
- An evaluation plan tied to a critical analysis of an existing public-sector technology tool.
Milestones:
- Midterm: project draft submission.
- Final: completed project submission and in-class presentation.
Taught at Bard College as part of Smolny Beyond Borders & Kronika education initiative.