Course on Digital Citizen Participation Platforms
Online course of 300 hours in digital citizen participation platforms: 6 modules covering participatory democracy, platforms such as Decidim and CONSUL Democracy, process design, technical safeguards and impact evaluation, with an assigned technical tutor.
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Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Understand the theoretical and legal foundations of citizen participation.
Compare digital participation platforms such as Decidim and CONSUL.
Design participatory processes that combine digital and face-to-face channels.
Ensure the privacy, security and accessibility of digital processes.
Evaluate the representativeness and impact of participation.
Manage feedback to citizens and the sustainability of platforms.
Design a digital citizen participation platform project.
Who it's for
- Citizen participation officers in local government.
- Open government managers seeking a solid grounding in digital tools.
- Democratic innovation consultants.
- Facilitators of participatory processes.
- Public policy analysts.
- Managers of municipal digital platforms.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to move into local government.
What you'll work with
- Ley 39/2015 (Spanish common administrative procedure law)
- Ley 19/2013 (Spanish transparency and access to public information law)
- Ley 7/1985 (Bases del Régimen Local) (Spanish local government framework law)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) (EU General Data Protection Regulation)
- Real Decreto 1112/2018 (Spanish accessibility of public-sector websites and apps)
- UNE-EN 301549 (accessibility requirements for ICT products and services)
- Regulation (EU) 910/2014 (eIDAS) (electronic identification and trust services)
- ISO 37106 (guidance on smart city operating models)
- Decidim
- CONSUL Democracy
- Pol.is
- LimeSurvey
- QGIS
6 modules
1.1Participation theory and Arnstein's ladder1.2Representative, participatory and deliberative democracy1.3Legal framework for local participation1.4Municipal participation regulations1.5Open government: transparency, participation, collaboration1.6The Open Government Partnership1.7Leading international experiences1.8Risks: tokenistic participation and capture1.9Advantages of digital and its limits1.10Case study: participatory diagnosis of a municipality
2.1Decidim: architecture and components2.2CONSUL Democracy and its modules2.3Proposal and voting platforms2.4Digital participatory budgeting2.5Public consultations and regulatory processes2.6Online deliberation and moderation2.7Collaborative maps and incident reporting2.8Mobile participation apps2.9Comparison of open-source and commercial platforms2.10Lab: configuring a process in Decidim
3.1Defining objectives and scope3.2Mapping stakeholders and audiences3.3Phases of a participatory process3.4Combining face-to-face and digital channels3.5Ground rules and commitments3.6Citizens' assemblies by sortition3.7Communication and engagement3.8Feedback to citizens3.9Evaluating process quality3.10Workshop: designing a participatory budgeting process
4.1Electronic identification and census verification4.2Participant data protection4.3Security and prevention of manipulation4.4Accessibility under UNE-EN 3015494.5Transparency of algorithms and vote counts4.6Open source and auditability4.7Interoperability with municipal systems4.8Content moderation and freedom of expression4.9Preservation and archiving of processes4.10Practical exercise: requirements analysis for a local electronic vote
5.1Participation and inclusion indicators5.2Representativeness and participant bias5.3Analysing proposals with language processing5.4Impact on public decisions5.5Assessing institutional trust5.6Platform sustainability5.7Change management in public administration5.8Lessons from Madrid, Barcelona and Taiwan5.9Trends: AI in deliberation5.10Case study: evaluating a participatory budgeting process
6.1Process context and objectives6.2Platform selection6.3Design of phases and channels6.4Legal and privacy requirements6.5Accessibility and inclusion plan6.6Communication strategy6.7Evaluation indicator system6.8Feedback and follow-up plan6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
The course is taught 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable materials, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original regulations and applied exercises. You work with Decidim, CONSUL Democracy, Pol.is, LimeSurvey and QGIS, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Exercises are based on real procedures: configuring a participatory process in Decidim, designing digital participatory budgeting and assessing the representativeness of a process. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final capstone project.
Standards covered: Ley 39/2015, Ley 19/2013, Ley 7/1985 (Bases del Régimen Local), Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Real Decreto 1112/2018, UNE-EN 301549, Regulation (EU) 910/2014 (eIDAS), ISO 37106.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- Internet connection and a computer able to run the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with Decidim, CONSUL Democracy, Pol.is, LimeSurvey and QGIS, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
No prior qualification is required; you need a computer with an internet connection and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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