Time Schedule:
Elisabeth Jones
INFO 200
Seattle Campus
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.
Class description
Informatics is the study of information and information technology to meet people's needs. All these elements are essential - people, information, and information technology - but the magic happens in the interplay among the three.
This course focuses on the foundations of the informatics field and is divided into four major sections:
I. Information - Nature and scope - History - Structured and unstructured ---Search ---Knowledge organization II. User-Centered Approaches - Information Architecture - Information behavior ---Information Seeking ---Information Literacy -Human-computer interaction III. Societal Issues - Intellectual property - Privacy - Security - Digital government IV. Systems - Online communities & Social networking - Mainstream vs. Cutting-edge - Entrepreneurship
We begin by considering just what "information" is. The term information is used imprecisely in our society, so it is important that we establish a firm base and understanding. This topic segues into looking at how information is organized and used in systems - both structured database and unstructured search systems. The second section brings in the unique user-focus on informatics in terms of design, user behavior, information management by individuals and organizations, and the changing nature of human-computer interaction. This sets us up for the last two sections: key societal issues such intellectual property, privacy, and security, and the development of cutting edge technologies. The course concludes by bringing the four sections together to reflect on informatics opportunities for success, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
Reading Responses (6 of 7) 24% (4% each, +1% extra credit for turning in all 7); Group Presentation/Participation 15% ; Labs (8) 24% (3% each); Quizzes 1, 2, & 3 21% (7% each); Final Quiz 16%
