Living in the IT Era
Bulacan State University
San Rafael Campus
This page contains lecture notes, exercises, and supplementary material for Living in the IT Era, prepared primarily for the first-year BS Biology students whom I teach. The course is not intended to turn students into computer technicians or make them memorise catalogues of devices, inventors, and fashionable technologies. Its purpose is to provide enough working knowledge to make better decisions about computers, internet services, software, privacy, security, online conduct, AI, and other technologies that students encounter in ordinary life and scientific work.
Much of the subject will already be familiar in fragments. A student may know one part from using a phone, another from connecting to Wi-Fi, and another from hearing about online scams or AI. The course brings those pieces together, fills important gaps, and explains how they are related. Examples are drawn whenever practicable from biology, health, research, and Philippine digital life.
The ten-chapter plan is my working interpretation of the course’s assigned scope, adapted for biology students and current technological concerns. The notes will be developed as the course proceeds and may change in response to students’ questions, suggestions, and practical needs.
Logistics
Course title: Living in the IT Era
Course number: MST 101d
Term: First Semester, A.Y. 2026–2027
Instructor’s name: Rey Joseph Nieto
Email: rj (at) rjnieto (dot) com (for questions or inquiries related to the course)
Rooms, consultation arrangements, and any changes to the schedule below are communicated through official class channels.
Course schedule
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| 12 September 2026 | Midterm Revision |
| 19 September 2026 | Midterm Exam |
| 26 September 2026 | Software, Cloud Services, and Digital Work |
| 3 October 2026 | Digital Platforms, Information, and Online Life |
| 10 October 2026 | Security, Identity, Privacy, and Cybercrime |
| 17 October 2026 | Artificial Intelligence: How It Works and Fails |
| 24 October 2026 | Responsible AI and the Future of Computing |
| 31 October 2026 | Finals Revision |
| 7 November 2026 | Final Exam |
Printable lecture notes
The current release contains the Introduction and Chapters 1–5. Further chapters will be added as the course progresses.
Open the MST 101d lecture notes
Current version: 21 September 2026
Problem Sheets
How classes will work
We shall use a flipped-classroom approach. Students first encounter the assigned material by reading the announced pages or sections before class. Class meetings will provide a bird’s-eye view of the chapter and concentrate on questions, discussion, examples, and practical applications rather than repeat the notes line by line.
The assigned reading will not usually be terribly long, and students are not expected to master it before class. They are, however, expected to read the assigned sections carefully rather than skim only the headings and examples. They should arrive familiar with the main ideas and ready to say what was clear, what was confusing, and what deserves further discussion. Reading before class is part of the course rather than optional preparation for it.
Course policies
Please refer to the approved course syllabus and applicable university guidelines for policies on attendance, assessment, classroom conduct, academic integrity, and related matters. Course-specific arrangements and updates will be communicated through official class channels.