Glossary
UW Bothell Course Descriptions
UW Tacoma Course Descriptions
Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for
To see the detailed Instructor Class Description, click on the underlined instructor name following the course description.
INFO 100 Fluency in Information Technology (5) QSR
Introduces skills, concepts, and capabilities necessary to effectively use information technology. Includes logical reasoning, managing complexity, operation of computers and networks, and contemporary applications such as effective web searching and database manipulation, ethical aspects, and social impacts of information technology. May not be taken for credit if credit earned in CSE 120. Offered: jointly with CSE 100.
INFO 101 Social Networking Technologies (5) I&S/NW
Explores today's most popular social networks, gaming applications, and messaging applications. Examines technologies, social implications, and information structure. Focuses on logic, databases, networked delivery, identity, access privacy, ecommerce, organization, and retrieval.
INFO 200 Intellectual Foundations of Informatics (5) I&S
Information as an object of study, including theories, concepts, and principles of information, information seeking, cognitive processing, knowledge representation and restructuring, and their relationships to physical and intellectual access to information. Development of information systems for storage, organization, and retrieval. Experience in the application of theories, concepts, and principles.
Instructor Course Description:
Michael. Eisenberg
INFO 240 Database Management Fundamentals I (5)
Covers database overview and history, the relational model, entity-relationship diagrams, database design and normalization, and Structured Query Language (SQL). Through labs, tests, and a project, students develop both theoretical and practical knowledge of relational database systems.
INFO 245 Database Management Fundamentals II (5)
Covers conceptual, logical, and physical database design: distributed databases; web technology and databases; advanced queries; and enterprise database administration. Through labs, tests, and a project, students develop both theoretical and practical knowledge of relational database systems. Prerequisite: INFO 240.
INFO 311 Information Assurance and Cybersecurity (5)
Provides a theoretical and practical introduction to information assurance and cyber-security (IAC). Includes methods and practices for securing information and information systems. Covers how vulnerabilities arise, recognizing evolving threats, and mitigating them. Explores the role of risk analysis, information privacy, accountability, and policy.
INFO 320 Information Needs, Searching, and Presentation (5)
Introduction to information needs, database and information organization and structure, web and database searching and browsing, and information presentation. Examination of underlying principles in knowledge representation, indexing, record structures, online search process, search strategies and tactics, assessment of user needs, reference interviewing, post-processing, organization and presentation of information.
INFO 330 Information Structures (5)
Introduction to the concepts and methods used to analyze, store, manage, and present information and navigation. Equal weight is given to understanding structures and implementing them. Topics include information analysis and organization methods, XML, and metadata concepts and application. Prerequiste: minimum grade of 2.0 in INFO 360.
INFO 340 Database Management and Information Retrieval (5) NW
Theories and models in system-centered approaches to information retrieval and database management. Information retrieval and database management systems include text and multimedia databases, web search engines, and digital libraries. Issues in system design, development and evaluation, and tools for searching, retrieval, user interfaces, and usability.
Instructor Course Description:
Kevin M. Fleming
INFO 341 Computer Networks and Distributed Applications (5) NW
Basic concepts of local and wide-area computer networking including an overview of services provided by networks, network topologies and hardware, packet switching, client/server architectures, network protocols, and network servers and applications. Also addresses management, security, authentication, and policy issues associated with distributed systems. Prerequisite: CSE 142.
INFO 343 Web Technologies (5)
Explores the best practices of usability and accessibility of design, styling of visual content and scripting to support interactivity including client-side protocols, markup, technologies and algorithms for building effective pages, sites, and web presentations. Prerequisite: CSE 142.
Instructor Course Description:
Jacob A Morris
INFO 344 Web Tools and Development (5)
Introduction to fundamental web technologies with an emphasis on scripting and programming. Includes both client and server technologies. Examines effective information architecture for websites, information presentation on web pages, privacy policies, and web security. Prerequisite: CSE 142; INFO 343.
INFO 360 Design Thinking (5) I&S
Introduces design methods for identifying user needs, devising new design concepts, prototyping these concepts, and evaluating their utility and usability. Introduces the theory and practice of user-centered design. Examines methods for identifying users' needs, understanding users' behaviors, envisioning and prototyping new systems, and evaluating the usability of systems. Emphasis on incorporating people in the design process from initial field observations to summative usability testing.
INFO 380 Information Systems Analysis and Management (5)
Examines the evolution of how information is defined and managed in order to add value to organizations. Views information management and the CIO as key facilitators in creating or improving relationships, processes, competitiveness, products, and services.
Instructor Course Description:
Gregory Thomas Hay
INFO 424 Information Visualization and Aesthetics (5) VLPA
Examines the visualization of information: the effects of human perception, the aesthetics of information design, the mechanics of visual display, and the semiotics of iconography. Examples may include census, epidemiological, crime, earth satellite, and medical data in the contexts of special computer applications, user populations, and cultures. Prerequisite: CSE 143.
Instructor Course Description:
Marilyn J Ostergren
INFO 430 Knowledge Organization and Representation (5)
Advanced study of knowledge organization using classificatory structures and creation of metadata element sets for representation. Conceptual and practical foundations for creating systems for information organization and representation. The creation, application, and use of a variety of systems and techniques for information organization and representation. Prerequisite: INFO 200; INFO 330.
INFO 431 Metadata Design (3)
Explores principles of metadata schema and application profile design and implementation using XML technologies. Examines syntactic and semantic interoperability among diverse schemas and application profiles. Prerequisite: INFO 330; INFO 340.
Instructor Course Description:
Stuart Sutton
INFO 432 Ontology Design (3)
Covers concepts and technologies supporting semantic interoperability among different metadata and ontologies including topic maps, RDF, schema, and Web Ontology Language (OWL). Includes advanced semantic modeling of complex data. Prerequisite: INFO 431.
INFO 444 Value-Sensitive Design (5)
Introduction to value-sensitive design (VSD), information system design that accounts for human values in a principled and comprehensive manner. Examination of existing systems from a VSD perspective. Explores VSD research methods including conceptual, technical, empirical investigations. Key values include accountability, autonomy, consent, privacy, property, trust, sustainability. Prerequisite: CSE 373.
INFO 445 Advanced Database Design, Management, and Maintenance (5)
Advanced perspectives on DBMS theory, architecture, and implementation. Conceptual, logical, physical modeling. Index structures, query optimization and performance tuning, relational algebra, transaction processing, and concurrency control. Operational databases, decision support systems, and data warehousing. Projects in database implementation and integration. Social implications of large distributed database systems. Prerequisite: INFO 340.
INFO 446 Advanced Search Engine Systems (5)
Focus on design, development, and evaluation of search engines. Theories and models in information retrieval for text and multimedia databases, web search engines, recommendation systems, and digital libraries. Topics include language issues, data-mining, machine learning, user-profiling, visualization, user interfaces, usability. Coursework involves analytical comparisons of search engines. Prerequisite INFO 340.
INFO 447 Computer Supported Cooperative Work (5) I&S
Focuses on design and use of collaboration technologies to communicate, share information, and coordinate activity. Emphasis on behavioral and social aspects of adopting and using these technologies. Topics include the history of work in this and related fields, collaboration support for teams, organizations, and communities.
INFO 450 Information Ethics and Policy (5) I&S
Provides a framework for analyzing the ethical, legal, economic, and socio-political issues surrounding information, information technologies, and the information industries. Explores policy and ethical issues of information access and control including; intellectual property, file sharing, free speech, privacy, and national security.
Instructor Course Description:
Adam Daniel Moore
INFO 454 Information Policy: Domestic and Global (5) I&S
National and international information policy: public and private sector policy in terms of privacy, access, and exploitation; technology infrastructures and policies supporting the information industries; digital convergence and the emerging mega-industries.
INFO 461 Cooperative Software Design (5)
Introduces the theory and practice of cooperative user-centered software design, applying fundamental theories and techniques from social psychology, computer-supported collaborative work, and software engineering. Prerequisite: INFO 360.
INFO 463 Input and Interaction (5)
Introduces input and interaction techniques for desktop, mobile, and other computing environments. Combines motor and perceptual psychology, interaction design, and input devices and software in the study of human-computer systems. Emphasizes using human performance models in inform the design of new interaction techniques. Prerequisite: INFO 360.
INFO 470 Research Methods in Informatics (5)
Introduction to the research methods used in informatics for understanding technology, information, and human behavior. Methods incorporate those from design, engineering, and social science. Topics include science and invention, research contribution types, research through design, theory, ethics, and qualitative/quantitative empirical methods. Prerequisite: either STAT 220, STAT 311, or QMETH 201.
INFO 481 Project Management in Informatics (4)
Introduces project management principles within the context of Informatics. Provides knowledge that managers need to implement information systems on time and within budget. Concentrates on methods and issues in organizing, planning, and controlling projects, and the use of computer-based project management tools.
INFO 490 Project Capstone I (4)
Student-driven team project including definition of an information problem, a method of investigation, creating of a project proposal, and completion of project deliverables. Prerequisite: INFO 360; INFO 470; INFO 481.
INFO 491 Project Capstone II (4)
Includes design and implementation of a system or development of a research question intended to solve an information problem. Incorporates stakeholder and peer feedback, creation of project deliverables, presentation of the project in a public forum, and final assessment. Prerequisite: INFO 490.
INFO 495 Internship in Informatics (1-5, max. 12)
Internship in the private or public sector, as approved by faculty member. Work jointly supervised by faculty member (or approved academic sponsor) and an on-site work supervisor.
INFO 498 Special Topics in Informatics (1-5, max. 15)
Various topics in informatics.
Instructor Course Description:
Randy J Hinrichs
James T. Farricker
INFO 499 Independent Study (1-5, max. 15)
Readings, design projects, or research under faculty supervision.
