7.5 credits

Course goals

The course serves as a broad introduction to the research field of the graduate school. It provides doctoral students with common ground for understanding work environment and wellbeing in the context of a digitalised school sector.

Digitalisation is here understood in a broad sense, including traditional digitalisation, future automation, and the use of AI systems. The course focuses on definitions of the work environment, basic requirements, roles and responsibilities, laws and regulations, and their effects on work efficiency, health, wellbeing, safety, sustainability, and preventive work. Active student participation is required through seminars and assignments.

This is a basic course, aimed at doctoral students in subjects relevant to the LärA-AI graduate school.

After completing the course, the doctoral student should be able to:

  • Describe central concepts, regulations, actors, and responsibilities related to work environment and occupational health.
  • Discuss physical, social and organisational, cognitive, and digital dimensions of work environment.
  • Analyse how digitalisation, automation, and AI may affect work organisation, wellbeing, professional autonomy, trust, ethics, and sustainability in the school sector.
  • Relate work environment issues to relevant research literature.
  • Formulate research questions concerning work environment and wellbeing in a digitalised or AI-transformed school sector.

Course contents

Seminars, including the following topics:

  • What is the work environment and occupational health?
    • Definitions, laws, regulations, actors, responsibilities, etc.
  • What is a digital work environment?
  • Physical work environment
  • Social and organizational work environment
  • Cognitive work environment
  • Stress, health and wellbeing
  • Effects of digitalization and automation
  • Usability and user experiences
  • Equal opportunities and gender
  • Engagement, motivation, work satisfaction, autonomy, trust, ethics
  • What is new/different when it comes to AI vs. “traditional digitalization”?
  • Development models for healthy, sustainable work
  • Methods for the evaluation of the work environment
  • Systematic Work Environment Management (SAM, SWEM)

Assignment:

The examination consists of active seminar participation and a written orienting essay.  In the essay, the doctoral students select a work environment issue relevant to the digitalized or AI-transformed school sector, motivate its relevance, relate it to selected course literature, and formulate possible research questions for further study.

Course schedule

The course will take place from September to November 2026. Some seminars will take place on campus, while others will be offered in hybrid or online format. The course start will be a two-day event on campus, on September 14-15. Exact dates for all seminars will be announced later.

Literature

Relevant literature, including books, scientific articles and reports will be specified as reading material for each seminar.

Course responsible:
Bengt Sandblad and Viktoria Rubin
Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University
bengt.sandblad@it.uu.se

To register, please email Bengt Sandblad no later than 25 August 2026. The course has a maximum of 20 participants. Doctoral students from other universities are warmly welcome to apply.

Image by Rodolfo_Sanchez from Pixabay