INFO 246-15
Information Architecture
Spring 2020 Syllabus
| Syllabus Links Competencies Prerequisites Textbooks CLOs |
Resources Canvas Login and Tutorials iSchool eBookstore |
Canvas Information: Courses will be available beginning Thursday, January 23, 6 am PT unless you are taking an intensive or a one- 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 in the Canvas site automatically. Be sure to logon to the Canvas site by the second day of the semester and begin coursework.
Orientation seminars: A Kick-off orientation seminar will be held Thursday, January 23, 6-7 pm PT. In addition, a seminar orienting students to the course project will be held Wednesday, February 19, 6-7 pm PT. Both sessions will be held via Zoom web-conferencing; logon information will be on the course site. Students must participate in the seminars or watch the recordings.
Project seminar: As announced in the Class Schedules, students will participate in a mandatory synchronous seminar via Zoom during which they give presentations on their projects. Two dates are available: April 22 and 23 (Wednesday and Thursday), 6 to 8 pm PT. See further information below about the project seminars.
Course Description
INFO 246 Information Architecture covers core concepts and methods for designing knowledge structures for the Web environment. Students will design and develop information structures and create project documents for the design lifecycle, including proposal, user research, prototyping, and communicating with stakeholders.
This course prepares students with the knowledge and skills needed in the information architecture and user-centered design professions. Students will design and develop user-centered knowledge structures for the Web environment and create project documents for the stages of planning, designing, prototyping, and informing stakeholders about a content-rich product. Core topics are: problems addressed by effective IA; how to design for findability and understanding; user research; best practices of information architects; methods for organizing, labeling, and structuring navigation systems; creating client documents and deliverables for IA projects.
Course Prerequisites
INFO 202. Recommended: INFO 200.
Course Requirements
General Requirements
- Keep up with assigned readings and recordings, complete assignments to the best of your ability, and engage thoughtfully in the discussions.
- Check the course site daily for announcements and discussion posts.
- Submit all assignments by the due date. Late assignments are not accepted except in cases of serious sudden illness or family emergency.
Required Textbooks
Be sure to purchase correct editions of the required textbooks, described below. Readings in addition to the required textbooks will be available on the course site.
Assignments
- Website Critique (15% of course grade)
Students evaluate an existing website using IA best practices and principles as criteria, then submit a written summary and summarize findings in small-group discussion.
Assignment deliverables due: February 9, 13, 16.
Supports CLOs 1, 3, and Competencies G, J, N.
- Project Focus and Proposal (15% of course grade)
The Project Proposal is the initial phase of the main course project assignment. Students choose a focus and work with a partner on the course Project, with the option available to work solo.
Assignment deliverables due: February 23, March 15.
Supports CLOs 1, 5, and Competencies G, H, M.
- Project Seminar Participation (10% of course grade)
Students present on their projects in a seminar setting (small groups of colleagues in the class), giving an overview of the project, the preliminary recommendations, and eliciting feedback to improve the final deliverables. Students work with a partner on the course Project and presentation, with the option available to work solo.
Assignment deliverables due: refer to seminar dates above; slide sets are due two days before your seminar date.
Supports CLO 5 and Competency M.
- Project Report (50% of course grade)
The project report has 8 to 10 components, ranging from the project objectives and executive summary, user personas, and scenarios, to the site model and recommendations. Students work with a partner on the course Project, with the option available to work solo.
Assignment deliverables due: April 12, May 13.
Supports CLO 1, 2, 3, 4, and Competencies G, H, J, M, and N.
- Discussion Participation (10% of course grade)
Participation in discussions is an important component of the course. Posts need not be lengthy but must be timely, constructive, and address the questions posed.
Supports CLOs 1, 3, 5, and Competencies G, J, M.
Course Calendar
A detailed calendar will be available on the course site on the first day of the semester.
Course Topics
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Part 1: IA Fundamentals |
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| 1 |
Course introduction
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| 2 |
Solving problems with IA
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| 3 |
IA design principles, part 1: Understanding content
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| 4 |
IA design principles, part 2: Understanding users
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| Part 2: Doing IA | |
| 5 |
IA design processes
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| 6 |
IA design documents, part 1: Developing the proposal
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| 7 |
IA design documents, part 2: Designing for the user experience
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| 8 |
User research tools
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| 9 |
Research and design tools
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Part 3: Communicating IA |
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| 10 |
Communicating to stakeholders
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| 11 |
Communicating within teams
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| 12 |
IA Project management
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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 246 has no prequisite requirements.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand and apply best practices in information architecture (IA) for content structuring, organization, labelling, and navigation.
- Learn methods for eliciting user requirements and information needs for specific user communities.
- Evaluate websites according to principles of effective IA, usability heuristics for content-rich sites, and concepts of information-seeking behaviors.
- Evaluate and use appropriate tools to create IA design deliverables.
- Communicate cogently in IA design deliverables to project stakeholders.
Core Competencies (Program Learning Outcomes)
INFO 246 supports the following core competencies:
- 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.
- H Demonstrate proficiency in identifying, using, and evaluating current and emerging information and communication technologies.
- J Describe the fundamental concepts of information-seeking behaviors and how they should be considered when connecting individuals or groups with accurate, relevant and appropriate information.
- M Demonstrate professional leadership and communication skills.
- N Evaluate programs and services using measurable criteria.
Textbooks
Required Textbooks:
- Rosenfeld, L., Morville, P., & Arango, J. (2015). Information architecture: For the web and beyond (4th ed.). O'Reilly Media. Available through Amazon: 1491911689
- Unger, R., & Chandler, C. (2012). A project guide to UX design: For user experience designers in the field or in the making (2nd ed.). New Riders. Available through Amazon: 0321815386
Recommended Textbooks:
- Brown, D. (2010). Communicating Design (2nd ed.). New Riders. Available through Amazon: 0321712463
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.
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