Assignments and Grading/Course Policies

Assignments and Grading

Note: I may modify the weighting of the course assignments and add a limited number of extra readings and written assignments.

Exam #1 - 20%
Exam #2 - 20%
Prezi Design Project - 25%
Variations Project - 35%

Exams

Each of the exams will consist of approximately five questions to be answered by brief essay-style answers (no more than one page per question) The questions will cover the course readings and all class discussion. The exam will not cover our dialog on GoPost (the course bulletion board) unless the GoPost posts are discussed in class

Prezi Design Project

Prezi is a web-based "infinitive canvas" presentation tool. It is free and there is ample documentation. In contrast to the display constraints of standard slideware, Prezi presentations pan and zoom freely. After learning Prezi, students will design and build a Prezi presentation that reveals interesting characteristics of the infinite canvas. Your Prezi presentation can be effective or ineffective. The key point is that your design will embody design concepts that help us better understand Prezi, the infinitive canvas, and more broadly information design.

Variations Project

The course project is complex and it is necessary that you work on it throughout the quarter. It consists of these components:

Design Variations. Start by choosing a "base document." This should be a standard expository document (e.g., a typical academic paper, a report, etc.). Then, without greatly changing the content, create four variations on this document. You have great latitude in your choice of variations. These, for example, are all good options: STOP, QuikScan, a Knowledge Map, Prezi (infinitive canvas), a video. One of your variations can be hypothetical; that is, you can describe something you do not actually create—such as a VR environment.

The variations don’t need to improve the original document; your goals are to exercise the key course concepts, to engage in creative design activity, and to establish the foundation for a truly interesting reflection paper.

Variations Paper. The Variations Paper is a discussion of your base document and the four variations. Discuss the particular characteristics of your base document. How does it differ from other standard expository documents? Then discuss your variations drawing upon the concepts taught in the course. Also, explain the strengths and weaknesses of each variation.

Other Activities

There is no grade for class participation, but I may raise the final grade of students whose class participation and GoPost contributions are outstanding. Each student is required to contribute a weekly post to GoPost, excluding purely social posts (which are encouraged). Failure to post weekly to GoPost will result in a deduction from the course grade.

This is the URL for our GoPost bulletin board:
https://catalyst.uw.edu/gopost/board/farkas/23308/

Course Policies

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to work independently unless other instructions are given. Consult with the instructor if you think your work plan might constitute plagiarism. You should also acquaint yourself with the HCDE Plagiarism Policy.

Student Rights

Please read the HCDE statement on student rights.

Student Rights to Privacy: Emailing Assignments and Grades

There are Federal laws that protect every student's right to privacy. One important aspect of your right to privacy is your right not to have the grades I assign and the comments I provide made public. So, for example, grades would never be posted outside my office door. My preference is to email assignments with grades and comments to each student. However, it is conceivable that such emails might be intercepted, enabling someone to view what I have sent you. If you do not want to accept this risk, please let me know, and I will use an alternative means of returning graded assignments to you.

 

Last updated September 21, 2011.