Graduate School of Library and Information Studies
Summer 2009
LSC544--Visual
Information Science
Dr. Yan Ma, Professor
Tel.: 401-874-2819 (O) 401-419-8487 (Cell)
Email: yanma@uri.edu
Office: Rodman Hall Suite #4
Classroom: WebCT
Instruction
for Assignments:
|
Assignments (Click here: Instruction for Assignments) |
% | Post before 6:30 p.m. on | Individual |
| What is Information? | 5% | May 28 (Week 2) | x |
| What is Visual Information? | 10% | June 4 (Week 3) | x |
| Mode of Information report | 15% | June 18 (Week 5) | x |
| #1 Response to the Readings on visual information seeking | 5% | June 18 (Week 5) | x |
| #2 Response to the Readings on interface design | 5% | June 26 (Week 6) | x |
| #3 Response to the Readings on organizing visual information | 5% | July 2 (Week 7) | x |
| #4 Response to the Readings on communication theory, perception, perceptual aesthetics | 5% | July 9 (Week 8) | x |
| #5 Response to the Readings on visual cognition | 5% | July 9 (Week 8) | x |
| #6 Response to the Readings on meaning and interpretation of visual information, cultural, social, and … of visual information | 5% | July 16 (Week 9) | x |
| #7 Response to the Readings on visualization of information, information design | 5% | July 16 (Week 9) | x |
| Final project | 25% | July 23 (Week 10) | x |
| Presentation and Discussion | 10 | Every Week | x |
Submission: Please send me your assignment through WebCT “Discussion” box. It is better for all of you to share your Responses to the Readings. Please first type and save Responses a Word file and then use copy and paste functions to post your papers the Discussion box in WebCT using the subject title “Response #1.” For example, Response to Readings #1 needs to be posted in the Topic box labeled as "Response #1." Post your ideas, thoughts, and other discussion responses to the appropriate Topic box in WebCT "Discussion" box. For example, submit your discussion responses for Week 2 in the Topic box labeled as "Discussions--Week 2" Tip: you may hold on “Ctrl” and “V” key together to paste the text to the mail message box. If you send an attachment with visuals, please SCAN your file before posting it to WebCT.
All graded papers and postings will go to WebCT Discussion Tool. It is an open class to share ideas and creative thoughts. The instruction will respond to you privately with comments or openly to the Discussion Tool.
Discussion Questions: For each week, a list of questions are provided for discussions. You can choose to answer ONE of listed questions. These questions are our professional challenges and they invite your innovative and creative responses. Although they are not graded individually, your contribution to the weekly discussions will contribute to the 10% of the grade of "Presentation and Discussion." These questions are designed to help you engaged in the process of learning visual information and solving problems facing of profession. These questions also provide suggestions to narrow down your choice for your final project.
1. Two Definition Papers: The first exercise should focus on concepts that have come to be associated with information, knowledge, recorded knowledge, data, facts, and others that you think are relevant. The second exercise should focus in the concepts of visual information, visual literacy, visual communication, and others that you think are relevant. Summarize as succinctly as possible some of differences between these terms in one or two pages. In preference to definitions in encyclopedias and dictionaries, which can be used and which may be of use as leads to other sources, seek usage or explanations in books, journals, magazines, and newspapers.
Submission: Please send me your assignment through WebCT “Discussion” box. Please first type and save your answers in a Word file and then use copy and paste functions to post your papers to the message box in WebCT “Discussion” using the subject title “What is Information?--Your Name.” Tip: you may hold on “Ctrl” and “V” key together to paste the text to the mail message box. If you send an attachment with visuals, please SCAN your file before posting it to WebCT.
Record your choice of stage of mode of information with me as early as
possible to avoid conflicts. In
your research of the mode of information of your choice, the following aspects
may be considered for your analysis, critique, and comparison: information
storage and retrieval; information seeking behavior; information needs;
information use patterns; learning styles; information policy; and information
representation in different mode of information.
For example, the structure of a book and the meaning
that the author is trying to communicate to the readers.
For
example:
In
this example, TI=title, TC=table of contents, PR=preface, CH=chapter heading,
QU=quotation, SE1=first level section heading, TX=text, FN=footnote,
SE2=second level section heading, NO=notes.
This example shows that chapter begins with a quote, has two levels of
hierarchy and that the book has notes at the end of chapters rather than end
of book.
2).
Could your scheme be automated (automatically tagged)?
3).
If the book were an electronic book, list TWO new features/capabilities that
could be added. What tags would
you assign to these new features?
Can you do the structure of a TV program, a video,
a Web site, or cell phone and demonstrate how meaning is constructed and communicated?
Submission: Please send me your
assignment through WebCT “Discussion” box.
Please first type and save your answers in a Word file and then use copy and
paste functions to post your papers to the message box in WebCT “Discussion” using the subject title
“Mode of Information--Your Name.” Tip: you may hold on “Ctrl” and “V” key
together to paste the text to the mail message box. If you send an attachment
with visuals, please SCAN your file before posting it to WebCT.
3. Short Response Papers: Write your short papers no more than 600 words each as instructed in the specific weekly instruction. They need to be posted to WebCT on time. They will be graded with full points if they are not individually criticized or graded with special attention with comments sent privately to the student(s) by the instructor.
4. Final Project: Write a paper of no less than 15 pages to explore one of the following topics that we have discussed in class. If you choose a topics not listed below, a short conference about your proposed topics is required.
Or, you can a project that enables us to visualize information better, to
improve the present information system, to solve a problem by using the
theories and principles learned in class.
1. How visual information has played a role in this information age? In what aspects?
2. Visual communication theory or model(s)
3. Information policy or intellectual property rights for visual information
4. Visual information rich or poor. Or, visual information literate vs. illiterate.
6.
7. Visual vs. textual information storage and retrieval
8. Can traditional cataloging and indexing principles still be used to process/organize visual information? How?
9.
10.
11. Meaning construction and visual information
12. Information design and visual information
13. Digital libraries and visual information
14. Digital museums and visual information
For all papers:
Write clearly, using good grammar and spelling;
Adopt one reference style and be consistent.
Sample style manuals:
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations. Fifth edition.
Type or word-process the paper (double spaced);