Overview of this Unit

Unit 2 is about understanding that government digital systems are made up from components, and that the choice of which components to use is critical. It also lays out the idea of 'Government as a Platform'.

This material, developed by 'Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age', has been prepared to help university faculty to add digital era skills to the teaching of Masters in Public Policy and Masters in Public Administration programs. All these materials are based on our eight Digital Era Competencies - this unit corresponds mostly closely to Competency 8.

This unit is one of eight units that make up a full semester course. The units have also been designed to be used by educators independently, without students taking the rest of the course. This unit can be taught in either one or two classes.

This Unit's Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome 1

By the end of Unit 2 students will be able to explain that digital systems are made of components which are connected together to solve problems. This means understanding that:

There are many kinds of components that do different things
These components are connected together to solve problems

Learning Outcome 2

By the end of Unit 2 students will be able to understand that components are of different qualities and maturities, and that governments and public servants have to make choices about which ones to deploy. This means understanding that:

Components are of different quality and change over time
It is often very difficult to change components, especially the components that make up 'legacy' systems.

Learning Outcome 3

By the end of Unit 2 students will be able to outline a vision of Government as a platform. This means understanding that:

Governments have produced shared, reusable infrastructure for millennia, which is often re-used in ways that governments don't anticipate.
Duplication of systems has been a historic norm in government IT delivery