INFO 202-12
Information Retrieval System Design
Fall 2016 Syllabus
Nancy MacKay, MLIS
Berkeley, California
E-mail
| Syllabus Sections Prerequisites Requirements Assignments Workload Expectations CLOs Competencies Textbooks |
iSchool Resources Canvas Login and Tutorials eBookstore |
INFO 202 Resources WebData Pro Tutorials |
Canvas Information
Courses will be available beginning August 24th, 6 am PDT unless you are taking an intensive or a one unit or two unit class that starts on a different day. In that case the class will open on the first day that the class meets.
You will be enrolled into the Canvas site automatically.
Class begins on August 24, the first day of the semester.
Course Description
This course covers the design, querying, and evaluation of information retrieval systems, from web hierarchies to controlled vocabularies.
Section Description
The principles of information organization and retrieval apply to almost every aspect of library and information science, as well to modern life. This section takes a practical approach to the subject, emphasizing the application of principles to students’ jobs and everyday lives, as well as to library and information science.
Lessons are delivered weekly through Canvas. The week cycle runs from Monday through Sunday, with the lesson for the upcoming week posted on the week-end. Coursework consists of readings, lectures/viewings, discussions, exercises and larger assignments. Active student participation is expected.
Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due on Sunday evenings by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time of the designated due date. Late submissions are generally not accepted, but considered at the discretion of the instructor and only by prior arrangement, and if accepted points will be deducted. Incomplete or incorrect upload of assigments will be considered late and treated as above.
Students are assigned to a group at the beginning of the semester and will stay with the group throughout the class for support and collegiality. Group work is required for one assignment and optional for remaining assignments.
There will be three live Collaborate meetings. Though meetings will be recorded and archived for access throughout the semester, live attendance is strongly encouraged. Meeting dates:
- Sunday, August 28, 5 p.m. PT, Course orientation
- Sunday, October 9, 5 p.m. PT, Midterm review
- Sunday, December 11, 5 p.m. PT, Semester wrap-up (tentative)
Course Requirements
Complete INFO 203 Online Social Networking: Technology and Tools.
This is a mandatory 1 unit course that introduces students to the various e-learning tools used in the iSchool program. For more information, see: http://ischool.sjsu.edu/current-students/courses/core-courses-and-electives
Technology Requirements
- Have the minimal home or work computing environment:
http://ischool.sjsu.edu/current-students/technology-support/home-computing-environment - Meet the School of Information's Technology Literacy requirements:
http://ischool.sjsu.edu/prospective-students/admissions/technology-literacy-requirements - INFO 202 students will use WebData Pro, a web-based database management and information retrieval system, to create databases, manage database structures and records, and create a web-based interface for searching the database. WebData Pro is compatible with current browsers for Windows, Mac OS X, and iOS.
Students are expected to be proficient in the technology used in the class or to consult the iSchool's technical support team. The instructor does not offer technical support.
Assignments and Course Content
Assignments
| Assignment | Learning Objectives | Portion of Grade |
Exercises and Discussions
|
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 15% |
Larger Assignments
|
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | 75% |
|
Midterm quiz |
1, 2, 4, 7 | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
Course Calendar
A course calendar is available from the course site at the start of the semester.
Textbooks & Readings
Most reading assignments are from the two required textbooks listed below. The Tucker reader is the primary textbook and is available as eBook and/or print. Students often find that having both formats is helpful. Additional readings assignments are available electronically.
Writing Requirement
If the instructor finds that a student's writing is unacceptable, the instructor will require the student to sign up for online writing tutoring. The student will ask the tutor to confirm with the instructor that he/she is attending sessions.
Course Topics
These topics will be covered over the sixteen week semester, with some topics spanning multiple lessons.
| Lesson | Topics |
| 1 | Introduction to the course & Overview of course concepts:
|
| 2 | Introduction to information retrieval systems and system design issues:
|
| 3 | Designing for search:
|
| 4 | Design processes:
|
| 5 | User research:
|
| 6 | Searching:
|
| 7 | Evaluation:
|
| 8 | Designing for navigation:
|
| 9 | New developments & trends:
|
Course Workload Expectations
Success in this course is based on the expectation that students will spend, for each unit of credit, a minimum of forty-five hours over the length of the course (normally 3 hours per unit per week with 1 of the hours used for lecture) for instruction or preparation/studying or course related activities including but not limited to internships, labs, clinical practica. Other course structures will have equivalent workload expectations as described in the syllabus.
Instructional time may include but is not limited to:
Working on posted modules or lessons prepared by the instructor; discussion forum interactions with the instructor and/or other students; making presentations and getting feedback from the instructor; attending office hours or other synchronous sessions with the instructor.
Student time outside of class:
In any seven-day period, a student is expected to be academically engaged through submitting an academic assignment; taking an exam or an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction; building websites, blogs, databases, social media presentations; attending a study group;contributing to an academic online discussion; writing papers; reading articles; conducting research; engaging in small group work.
Course Prerequisites
INFO 202 has no prequisite requirements.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Design two major kinds of information retrieval systems: metadata and web hierarchies.
- Understand the basic vocabulary and concepts of information retrieval (IR), and use them in class discussions and analyses of IR design projects; understand the concepts, principles, challenges, and work embodied in the assignments as representative of concepts, principles, challenges, and work described in course content.
- Identify standards and best practices for metadata, classification schema and hierarchies, and apply them in assignments.
- Identify an appropriate user group for an IR product, assess their information needs, conduct user research, and design an information retrieval system to meet those needs.
- Explain and apply basic design principles for usability, focused on the content and organization of information for retrieval.
- Use Boolean logic and other methods to query the databases created as class assignments with effective searches in both natural language and controlled vocabulary fields; navigate hierarchies efficiently.
- Evaluate a database information retrieval system, including its vocabularies, using standard measures such as recall and precision; evaluate interfaces for information retrieval using basic principles of interface design.
Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)
INFO 202 supports the following core competencies:
- E Design, query, and evaluate information retrieval systems.
- G Demonstrate understanding of basic principles and standards involved in organizing information such as classification and controlled vocabulary systems, cataloging systems, metadata schemas or other systems for making information accessible to a particular clientele.
Textbooks
Required Textbooks:
- Tucker, V.M. (Ed.). (2018). Information retrieval system design: Principles & practice (edition 5.1). AcademicPub/XanEdu. Available as eBook, softcover, or spiralbound; see ordering instructions.
- Weinberger, D. (2008). Everything is miscellaneous: the power of the new digital disorder. Holt Paperbacks. Available through Amazon: 0805088113.
Grading Scale
The standard SJSU School of Information Grading Scale is utilized for all iSchool courses:
| 97 to 100 | A |
| 94 to 96 | A minus |
| 91 to 93 | B plus |
| 88 to 90 | B |
| 85 to 87 | B minus |
| 82 to 84 | C plus |
| 79 to 81 | C |
| 76 to 78 | C minus |
| 73 to 75 | D plus |
| 70 to 72 | D |
| 67 to 69 | D minus |
| Below 67 | F |
In order to provide consistent guidelines for assessment for graduate level work in the School, these terms are applied to letter grades:
- C represents Adequate work; a grade of "C" counts for credit for the course;
- B represents Good work; a grade of "B" clearly meets the standards for graduate level work or undergraduate (for BS-ISDA);
For core courses in the MLIS program (not MARA, Informatics, BS-ISDA) — INFO 200, INFO 202, INFO 204 — the iSchool requires that students earn a B in the course. If the grade is less than B (B- or lower) after the first attempt you will be placed on administrative probation. You must repeat the class if you wish to stay in the program. If - on the second attempt - you do not pass the class with a grade of B or better (not B- but B) you will be disqualified. - A represents Exceptional work; a grade of "A" will be assigned for outstanding work only.
Graduate Students are advised that it is their responsibility to maintain a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).
University Policies
Per University Policy S16-9, university-wide policy information relevant to all courses, such as academic integrity, accommodations, etc. will be available on Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs' Syllabus Information web page at: https://www.sjsu.edu/curriculum/courses/syllabus-info.php. Make sure to visit this page, review and be familiar with these university policies and resources.
In order to request an accommodation in a class please contact the Accessible Education Center and register via the MyAEC portal.
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