Notes from the Chair: ICS 665: User Interfaces and Hypermedia

Aloha Students,

I wanted to let you know of another Spring 2008 ICS course, [ICS 665]: User Interfaces and Hypermedia. The class is being taught by Scott Robertson, a new ICS colleague, who has experience working with LIS students at Drexel's College of Information Science and Technology.

Dr. Robertson is waiving the official prerequisite ICS classes in most cases for our interested students. Please see the bottom of this e-mail.

Please contact Professor Robertson directly if you have any questions about the course.

Please contact your LIS adviser if you have any questions about making this an elective for your MLISc degree. Before contacting him/ her, do check your schedule as the MON + WED 4:30-5:45 conflicts with many of our classes.

Before any of you ask, it is not on the list of approved courses to meet the Information Technology requirement, but that is only a starting point. It should be a nice small flexible course, in a developing area which has a lot of relevance to the present and future of LIS.

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ICS 665: User Interfaces and Hypermedia

Spring 2008 (MW 4:30-5:45)

Hypermedia is a form of information organization which intertwines text with multimedia content to inform, educate, entertain, connect, and otherwise involve users as they engage in information-intensive activities. Hypermedia is becoming increasingly common on the world-wide web, in many software applications and documentation, in education, and in art. Like hypertext, hypermedia confounds content and navigation, creates large nonlinear information spaces, requires users to be active, and supports multiple experiences within an information space. It is increasingly produced and used by non-experts.

This seminar will examine the challenges of hypermedia for users, authors/designers, and information intermediaries. Topics may include (according to the interests of the class members):

User-centered design of hypermedia systems
Observing users of hypermedia systems
Indexing, maintaining, and archiving hypermedia
Evaluating the effectiveness of hypermedia
Adaptive hypermedia systems
Non-expert hypermedia collaboration spaces (e.g. MySpace)
Hypermedia and work (e.g. documentation, records, reference, training)
Hypermedia and formal education (e.g. classrooms, manuals)
Hypermedia and informal learning (e.g. museums, tours, help)
Hypermedia and storytelling
Hypermedia and social networking
The course will be best if it has a range of students from multiple disciplines including ICS, library science, art, social science, education, etc. Prerequisites are an interest in hypermedia systems and willingness to participate actively in a seminar format. There is a course prerequisite on the books, but ask about a waiver.