| I think that b/c we are used to the other design, it was difficult at first to use the LIS 540 site. I also think that we like to see things "neatly" organized. All of the information is on the site. and with some exploration, it all became evident by the second week. |
| I have to admit that I was frustrated by the web site's navigation design. I guess you get so accustomed to links and navigational tools being in one set place--usually on the left side of a page--that I was a little befuddled by having to figure out this new arrangement. |
| I liked the "site index" button. However, I definitely did feel some frustration at times navagating the site and would have appreciated a more logical, straightforward design broken up into weekly modules. I kept having to search around for the current week's "stuff" and often had trouble finding something that I knew I had read, but couldn't find again. In other words, sometimes I felt like I was searching for a needle in a haystack. However, the creative and innovative design kept things fresh and interesting, that's for sure. I never felt bored by the non-cookie cutter design of the website. Perhaps the website could stay the same, but with one page that broke up the weeks in a really logical format, i.e., WEEK ONE: here's what we are doing, reading, etc. WEEK TWO: and so on. I know it was sort of already like that, but still in a somewhat "abstract" manner. |
| I like the design. Right from the start this challenged us to think differently about things, which I think helps set the tone for the whole course. |
| I had no problems using a different design. My only concern: I am still a slave to print, and that "Site index" button pushed the page content off the right side of a portrait-formatted printed out page. But I adjusted: I printed out in landscape format. |
| Moment of truth, I never noticed the javascript button. I always worked my way through the links It is nice to have consistency in format for every class |
| I feel just fine-it is rather unconventional as far as iSchool protocol but I see it as very appropriate to illustrate the nature of information architecture and access. |
| I like it a lot. I felt that the website was extremely user-friendly -- rather than constant navigating from page to page to find the page I want, I can access the "Site Index" button and leap immediately to the correct page. I also like the creativity and "stream-lined" appearance of the site. I know a lot of instructors use the same template for the syllabus, but I do not consider that a benefit for the student. In my opinion, too much homogeneity stifles creativity and independent thought. I'd much prefer something different and unusual -- especially in a class about about the architecture and retrieval of information! |
| I love the clean, fresh look of Terry's web page. It isn't boring like all the others at the iSchool, although it did take a few tries to find everything. But it was like a great story, you keep reading, finding more and more to interest and entertain you. |
| fine |
| I like it. I'm comfortable with dealing with information in different designs and formats and am comfortable navigating the site. |
| I celebrate this design in the context of this course. I enjoy the clean look and the varied ways to approach the class content. I’m not certain I’d be happy if every distance class looked this way because it might not match the course content in the way this one does. |
| I prefer the other iSchool distance course sites with a standard layout of information. Who has time to learn a new information architecture/system just to get basic class information? I see the example of bad/unfamiliar/ambiguous design as teaching students about info. architecture, but still prefer the other model. While the List for the Busy student was OK, I prefer to have my course materials organized by week/module then by readings, assignments...etc. It is overwhelming to have that big list staring you in the face every time you start work! |
| It takes a few more clicks at times, but it's all right. |
| I like the button; however, I think commonly used links should be placed on the main page like the "blog" and "540 converse". It would takes less clicks of the mouse to get to these pages if they were on the main page. |
| Took me a while to figure out your "style", but it isn't that much more difficult, just different |
| I like the functionality of the button, but not the fact that it jumps like a mexican jumping bean on crack as you scroll... |
| I dislike it. I find the site index unintuitive, but in its placement on the page and in the labels given to different links. I had to spend a fair amount of time finding what I wanted when I first started the class. Because I don't like the navigation, I found myself unwilling to explore around within the pages. |
| It took a while to get used to clicking on "Site index." I often felt that I was missing some information. |
| At first I was a little dismayed because I had gotten so used to the other format and knew where everything was in it. But I have found over the quarter that the site design works just great. The site index is equally as useful as the navigation bars, I think. |
| I feel OK about it now, but it did take some getting used to. Like a lot of things in this class, I feel it was up to me to figure out a lot of these details that might have been pointed out at the residency. |
| Honestly, I hate it. For the first couple of weeks, I was so frustrated in trying to navigate the website that I avoided going to it. Instead I printed out every page and put them in an order that made sense to me. Truth be told, there were rumors among the students that you chose this design to show us how to create an unnavigable mess. |
| It just took a minor bit of brain adjustment, and it was just as easy to use. I actually found it refreshing to have a different design, and it was easy to use, so the format worked well for me. |
| It was a bit confusing at first. It was especially confusing before the residency for those of us who wanted to try to take a look at the site before hand and try to get an idea of what was going on. It wasn't really obvious how the class or site was structured. After the residency, I have been able to navigate it fine, though it is rather nice to have everything structured in a familar way. But perhaps that is the lesson of this class. |
| 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other---a refreshing variation |
| I prefer the standard navigation. I can structure my week around it with the other class that I am taking and I know what "Module" for both I should be working on. The content is fine, the architecture is confusing. |
| It's fine with me that the course website was set up completely differently than the other courses. On one hand, that standard iSchool course Website is comforting and familiar, and it's a decent template so that almost any class can be set up that way for ease of understanding and navigation. On the other hand, that doesn't mean that's the ONLY way to set up course information, and (especially since this is a class about how to structure, organize, access, receive, and retrieve information) it seems only right that the very structure of the course information be presented in a way that both demonstrates and challenges the core concepts of the class content. |
| It was a bad one. Yes, you are trying to stretch the way we think about information architecture, but it only means that I spend twice as long trying to find the place where X is. The button is not helpful. |
| It works for me. It worked better once the "busy student guide" was up and I could see an overview of the order that things were to be read/completed. |
| I like it on most levels, but occasionally it's difficult to find exactly the page I'm looking for. Having taken your 545 course, I was fairly familiar with your approach to course site structure. That made it a bit easier. The page I used more than any was the Guide for the Busy student - mainly because it acted as a sort of site map. Site maps are good. |
| I do not like the design of all readings. There is already a LOT of reading (weekly articles, web pages, additional readings for clarification, etc.). Lectures help to break up the readings, and provide a diffferent avenue of absorbing the information. |
| I like the weekly web page readings; however, it does seem to take away somewhat from the feeling that we are actually taking a course from a human being. (It's nice to hear your voice!) Many people are visual learners and so do well just to read the information, but for some of us hearing it would be helpful too. |
| I would have preferred lectures. |
| I would keep the web pages to read but a lecture every once in a while would be nice. Not only does it share your knowledge but it does help break the course up a bit. |
| I was surprised not to have any lecture, since that's how my whole first year of the dMLIS was delivered. However, the quality of lecture is so variable, from instructor to instructor, or even week to week, that I don't object to having the content delivered in web pages. The pages had interesting-enough design elements that I stayed involved. |
| The reading was fine and helpful. However, I did feel like there was a gap between what the learning expectations were and what I learned. I would have liked more explanations and more instruction. I felt like I had to do a lot of self-instruction and then hope I'd understood it correctly. |
| I feel fine about it-it works great-it is far more interactive and less tedious for sure! The lecture onsite was very titilating and made me want for more--but again it seems quite appropriate to engage the end users this way as it is a information systems, architecture and access course and the web page design very clearly demonstrates this process in a variety of lively and creative ways-very thought provoking and original! |
| I cannot convey through this evaluation the depth of gratitude I feel for this non-lecture format. I know that lectures have been the traditional basis for education for centuries, but in a distance format, they are a tremendous drag. Distance education simply cannot be "classroom education" delivered at home. I can attend to the on-line readings at lunch or on my break, and I print everything else, which means I can read it in the bathtub, on the bus, or in bed. I can highlight, underline, and annotate printed text. I can spread my attention out over several days if need be, in order to comprehend a text. To try and capture "fragments" of a lecture in a similar style is impossible. And I seldom have the luxury of three to four uninterrupted hours per week to dedicate to lectures alone. The uninterrupted time I do have is spent on projects, which I consider far more educational and gratifying. Lectures require concentration and note-taking (for me at least), and too much time is spent "off subject". I won't name names, but some faculty seem to have developed a habit of following pointless tangents or else forget what they're talking about in mid-lecture. I have been blissfully happy -- and none the worse -- attending classes without lectures. Note to administration: consider dropping the lectures, or "strongly suggesting" that faculty keep weekly lectures under 60 minutes. |
| Often, professors' lectures are so boringly repetitive that I have fallen asleep trying to even listen to them. Terry's always online with the eposts and responds ever so promptly to personal emails; I see no reason to have a bunch of lectures. He expects us to think, not regurgitate, so I don't see the need for the lectures. If he did do lectures, I would hope they'd be iMovies, or podcasts, not the stereotypical PowerPoint with streaming audios. The webpages make for entertaining reading, although I was often forced to seek more information online to understand everything presented. I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing, because it made me really stretch my brain. |
| I liked not having lectures |
| I like the organization, and I feel like you participation in the discussions has contributed as much as a lecture would. I personally think many of our courses have too many lectures, and less faculty participation. |
| As in question 1 – this format has worked for me in this class (professor personality comes thru loud and clear) and webpages are a MUCH better option than a series of powerpoint slides simply read aloud. However, if done well, a recorded lecture can convey meaning about the material in a different way than a webpage and it meets the needs of other learning styles. I enjoyed the lecture style at the residency and I think a mix of webpages and recorded lectures might add to this course. |
| Short, well done lectures are still valuable. (See Stuart Sutton) Interesting guest interviews are great. (See Emily Warren). Instructors who just read the PowerPoint slides should opt for no lectures. |
| Your design worked well. Sometimes lectures aren't all that helpful. |
| I liked this method because it gave me the flexibility to move at my own pace. I would have liked a "professor summary" at the end of each section to see if my thoughts about information architectures, systems and retrieval were on the right plane of what is being taught. At times I found that I could think about information in many different ways, but not all were in sync with the point the professor was trying to get across. |
| For the money, I guess I expected more "teaching". By reading, I was able to "learn" but could have just done that on my own. |
| i LOVE it! |
| I am somewhat ambivalent, but generally would prefer recorded lectures. While the lectures can sometimes be lengthy and boring, often they provide regular structure to the class and help bring out important points that an uninitiated student may not have gathered from the readings. I know that many disparage the "golden shovel" method;however, I still think there is something to be said to listening to the input of an expert in the field. This aspect was not totally missing from the written webpage, but was not as strong as if the lectures had been recorded. |
| Students learn information in all kinds of ways. I would have liked to hear your interpretations of some of the readings in a lecture format. I often felt like I was blindfolded and trying to find my way, hoping that what I was getting from the reading was the right interpretation. |
| I think this design decision works because you participate in discussions about the readings, answer questions, and are involved in the discussion forums. Lectures are basically there to provide another interpretation of readings and materials, and you accomplish this via discussion forums. It's the same I think as the difference between a lecture based class and a discussion based class (in person). I think it's more useful, usually, to be interactive, than to just talk at us. I know though that some people absorb information through the auditory mechanism better than through reading. I can see how some people might like to have the option of another format for material delivery. _I_ do just great with reading, though. So let me speak for myself alone and say, that was a great design decision. |
| Again, it's OK, just not intuitive. We weren't used to it, so it may have helped to point out the differences instead of taking a defensive stand when asked about them (which is what I perceive has happened). |
| This is the only class I've ever taken without lectures. I feel I would've learned more if there were lectures that tied the material together and kept a coherent flow. |
| I've listened to some lecturers that were HORRIBLE and made me want to pull my hair out, and some that were OK and some really good. I really like the fact that you have put the majority of the learning in our hands. (I may not have at the beginning, but I do now.) Also, I think I've learned just as much or more from the readings and discussion postings and your input than from a lecture. |
| Again, we are used to classes being structured in a certain way. I think the usefulness of recorded powerpoint lectures depends on how the particular professor puts them together. I did find your in-class lecture style very good and engaging, so I may have gotten something out of recorded lectures, but it is hard to know. However, I can say that my eyes and brain do start to hurt after looking at web pages for so long. It would be nice to have something different every once in awhile. |
| I'm flowing with the current design just fine; some evidence that the instructor indeed can speak and lecture would be nice--- |
| I like reading the web pages and can read them very quickly. It would be nice to have some additional content/context (supplied by lectures or other materials; books, etc.). The class just wasn't that challenging compared to other classes I have taken. |
| The weekly webpages were interesting and informative, especially with their inclusion of graphics, photos, illustrations, occasional interactive elements, and Terry's quirky brand of humor. That said, I would have like lectures, too. Or short lectures incorporated into the weekly webpages? This class had plenty of other required readings every week, usually interesting and always relevant, but when the "lectures" were also readings, it sometimes got a little monotonous. I guess I would have liked some audio "information architecture" to go with the text stuff. :) |
| It's fine. It feels like less instruction at times, however. |
| I preferred the happy medium that was the 545 course page. There you had the weekly pages, readings, etc., but intersperced were short voice-overs explaining various aspects of what we were seeing. Those comments helped me in a big way and I think the 540 site could benefit as well. In addition to just giving extra information, the voice-overs kept me engaged with the content of the page. Sometimes there's just so much on one of the 540 pages that it would be nice to have a little audio "rest stop" along the way! |
| I like them, as they serve as a reminder of what needs to get done for each week. |
| I like those emails very much. They let me know if I was on the right track with the readings and assignments. |
| Loved them. A HUGE help and a great way to stay on track. |
| These are great! These e-mails, along with the busy student guide, helps keep me on track. |
| I liked the weekly e-mails. It gave me a sense of progressing along with the whole class. It also gave me the feeling that something was happening in real time, instead of feeling that I was listening to a recording. |
| Weekly emails were good, nice to have the week broken down a little more clearly. |
| They are sweet-very Jimminy Criketesque! Not neccesary but a good way to gage where one is at with the general flow of things as it is so self regulated-appreciated-but not necessary to me. |
| I like them well enough. They are a friendly reminder that time is passing (i.e., a prompt to get busy!), and I sincerely appreciate Terry's cheerful mood. It really does make me feel part of a class. |
| I like them, and they helped me feel connected to Terry, even if I wasn't "listening" to him in a weekly lecture. |
| good, informative |
| They've been a good way for me to remember where I should be with the class. |
| I look forward to these emails as a reminder and as a sort of professor presence. They are more than a simple “here’s what we you do next,” they are personable, they cite current examples from the NYT, and make me excited to dig into the week. Nice touch! |
| They're OK. I think they could have gone in the blog. It would be nice to have all course info. in one place, rather than some on the website and some in email. |
| It's nice to get a cheery email, but I can pace myself through the course just as well. |
| I like the emails because it helped me get in sync with the upcoming week's work and what it is all about. |
| It was nice that you kept up with the group and were receptive to questions. |
| Great, though a bit long winded... |
| Positive - it is good to have the updates and to know where we're at in the quarter. |
| Glad to have them. It kept me focused and motivated, as well as on task. |
| They're helpful at reminding me that time is still moving by. Plus they make you seem more accessible and like you're really paying attention to what's going on. |
| They are good, but I have never felt caught up with them. It seems I'm always a week behind, but I am staying current with the suggested due dates on the deliverables, so I've been a little confused. |
| I love it. It helps me understand your expectations and gives me a guidepost in an otherwise self-paced course. |
| Love them. They keep me on track, and are cheery sanity in the midst of my chaos. |
| I am sort of neutral about them, I guess. Some of them had a bit of extra information, and it was nice to have some regular contact from you just to know you were still with us, and to remind us of what was going on. Ok, so maybe I am on the positive side of neutral. |
| They don't bother me; they're a bit out of step with the work-at-your-own-pace option, as they don't always refer to what's currently being worked on--- |
| Fine. |
| I liked the weekly emails. They prodded me to get back to work if I'd been slacking, and they gave me something to think about as we looked both back and forward. I think they got stronger as the course progressed; I liked when Terry rambled a little bit on current events or his reflections on student comments or whatever. It helped bring the course content into focus in yet one more way, a method that seemed a little more casual and bite-sized than the more formal readings and such. |
| I skim them. |
| They work fine. What I really like is that they often include new or recent examples. What I don't like is this material can easily get lost in an inbox. |
| Very good. Keeps the class in the forefront of my mind. As a distance student, it's very very easy to get off track if you don't have regular markers of progress. These emails are very helpful to me. |
| I would have rather seen a forum dedicated to General Class issues, rather than a blog, so that people could respond to the blogs. |
| The blog is a great tool as well. It helps to have a central place where student questions are answered, and we can read the questions posed by others (which are probably some of the same things I was wondering too). |
| Loved it! I really thought it was a great way of communicating, and I loved how you incorporated anonymous student e-mails that expressed concerns, questions, opinions, etc. |
| No problems with the blog, seems to be an effective communication tool. |
| I liked the blog, much better than the usual class list server. Having all the updates and clarifications in one place is superior to having to go through a folder full of e-mail messages. The blog entries also kept the subjects of the class fresh, as in today's newspaper. |
| I liked the blog. It was a good way to clarify information or respond to one person's email that might benefit the rest of the class as well. Thanks for keeping student emails annonymous when you did this. |
| I think the blog is a great way to communicate and update the entire class in a peck especially considering the focus of information architecture etc. to keep all interested parties posted on new developments and/or intersting tidbits without alarm, ie. extraneous emails and so on. |
| It is an excellent idea. I am a neat-freak when it comes to my inbox, and I purge everything routinely. It's nice to have a permanent record of the really "important" class dialogue -- and especially since it is what Terry thinks is important. It's also very convenient to access the blog directly from the class website, rather than opening my e-mail and scanning for relevant e-mails. |
| I thought this was great - every time I'd read it, I'd come up with new info. |
| good |
| I like the blog. It's similar to the class email lists that other faculty use, but it's nice because all the answers are in one place, rather than in email or yet another catalyst form. |
| Combined with the offer of emailing the professor at any time (either anonymously or with my name attached) this setup meets a similar niche that other classes have in an administration forum. I appreciate the control that this scenario offers – it is natural to be hesitant to post an administrative question in a form where every person in the class will read it, and a response just might be pertinent to the entire class. This structure gives the professor the opportunity to make that decision (or the student can request it). The blog is fantastic. |
| It's OK. |
| It worked fine--a lot better than a distlist that clutters up the inbox. |
| I like the blog since it answered many of my same concerns. |
| It was ok- nice to see some of my concerns echoed by others. I guess I would have liked to see the dates of each posting stay with the posting as it aged, instead of just the date of the latest posting. The blog concept was effective. |
| Good, but not always enough background on what you were responding to. |
| Positive - I prefer it to the listserv method of managing the class. |
| The blog was sometimes helpful as a place to turn to for stuff that came up that everyone should know. |
| I'm not sure it's very useful since we have e-mail and discussion forums and whatnot. I almost never look at it unless I get an e-mail that says, 'look at the blog!' Which is like, why didn't you just put the text in the e-mail? I think it would be cooler if your blog WAS more diary-esque, talking about different applications of the class material in your everyday academic life. The whole thing with information research, for example, would be cool to post about and update on the blog? |
| the idea is a good one, even though the comments aren't that clear. I'm just speaking for myself, but this stuff is not easy to understand, and some step by step examples would have been nice. |
| The blog is a great idea, but it's hard to remember to check it. Catalyst EPost boards have an option where you can have notifications sent when there are new posts. For busy students, that's a god-send. If you could incorporate something like that for the blog, it would be helpful. |
| I like it. It's informative, links us to others in the class, and gives pertinant information. |
| While it is nice to have questions about the course and new information collected in one place, I found that I personally would forget to check the blog a lot of the time. You had said you would send out an e-mail when the blog was updated, but I don't think that happened, if I am recalling correctly. I personally read blogs through an RSS Aggregator (XML!!!) which notifies me whenever the blogs I read are updated. It would be handy to have an RSS feed for that. But not everyone does that, so that wouldn't be the solution for everyone. |
| It's good for being alerted to emerging info |
| I like the blog. |
| It worked well for its purpose. That's the one part of the traditional iSchool course website that's easy for me to miss - the "announcements". Even though they are on the main page, they are usually infrequent enough to miss when there is a new one. I might have felt the same about the 540 blog, but Terry always alerted us when there were new entries. Perhaps this could have been done just as well through a thread on the EPost? Or maybe the blog (or whatever gets used for class managment issues) could be something/somewhere that gets seen every time one accesses the course webpage? |
| I feel neutrally about the blog. That information could just as easily go in the discussion forum. One-stop shopping! |
| Works for me. I don't really see it as any different than the announcements page. And it's much better than answering questions via the class list. |
| I thought the blog worked very well in LIS545, but not as well in this course. I'm not terribly sure why. Potentially it's because in 545 it was clear that the blog was being updated almost daily and that this was your primary mode of communication. The 540 blog didn't seem as critical to the communications for the class. One other thing - Catalyst has the WONDERFUL feature of regular notifications - the blog does not and I tend to forget to check it. |
| Hard to say as I have never used Access. |
| Well, on the one hand, since I have never used Access and have no clue as to how to design a DB, I would have liked to at least be given a brief introduction into what it is, how it functions, etc. I think once we learned a little bit about how the DB information architecture works, we would be better prepared to learn about other ways of "architecting" information. As it is, since I don't really know much about databases, it is hard for me to make comparisons between it and XML or other systems of design. There seems to be the assumption that many of us are like your student who made the inquiry about having to take 540--that we already have extensive database design knowledge. At least with me, that is definitely NOT the case. I would like to learn how to design just a very basic DB so I would know what the mechanics of it are. Then, from there, I could move on to learning about other systems and to ask the question, "Is the database all there is? Or is there not some other way to design IR systems?" |
| It's a little abstract, but I think good. Just focusing on one database system for the entire course would be a mistake in my opinion, especially since Access is probably not going to be around *forever* and we will need to learn and adjust to new applications in the future. However, perhaps an exercise or two on Access and how to use it would be a great addition, since so many jobs do require the use of this particular application. |
| I am more interested in your approach. If Access is needed then a class just on databases is in order. But for a core class dealing with theory, I believe this current approach would greatly help put that database course as well as other 540 series courses in a proper context. |
| I am so grateful this was not an Access database design course! I have taken Access training classes before, so I'm not afraid of it, but it would definitely have been a trees-instead-of-forest experience for me. Bravo for going after concepts instead of tasks. |
| Overall, I liked the idea. I do feel like more instruction would be helpful for those who do not have computer or database background. In some ways I still don't understand the difference between architecture and systems. |
| Well having no database building experince- I was frankly quite terrified to face the process--when I read the syllabus beginning with this is not a technical course I did not know what to expect... It is very educational, challenging and expansive--it is difficult to conceptualize these ideas but working on a database may not work at all as I would become completely hung up on some entirely technical process that probably will be made obsolete with the next new software anyway-also it would limit the perspective to relation tables as the only form of architecture in information systems and this would definitely affect my total view of access and retrieval. It may be good to have the database experience for sure-but is probably more appropriately given in a seperate elective course. I think this one better serves the purpose of a core as a broad and in depth analysis of theory and application with real world examples and exercises. |
| Let's examine this idea: 540 is a core class. According to iSchool ideology, the core classes teach theory. Electives within each set are intended to teach specific skills and specific applications. Rather than trying to justify Terry's teaching of this class, I'd like to see someone justify 5 to 7 years of teaching specific skills and applications in a general theory class. Bottom line: the curriculum that Terry has constructed is ideal for the goals of the class. The modular format (architecture first, then systems, then retrieval) is excellent. This curriculum should be used as a positive example for other core classes. |
| First, since I don't think Access is a particularly well-designed database program nor terribly useful for anything other than a business (and even that has problems!), I was delighted to learn we would not be using it in the class. Second, I thought we were supposed to learn about information architecture, information systems, and information retrieval. I feel I've done that. Of all the classes I have taken so far in the iSchool, this one class has helped me see so much more about technology and its applications to everything we do. And because of the way it is structured, I've felt such accomplishment when I've learned to work through another week's problem. At least some of the other required classes are all theory with no application to make any of the information stick. This information is going to stick! |
| fine |
| I already know how to use Access. I have found that the way this course challenges my thinking about information has been very beneficial. I feel like I'm getting a good grasp of information architecture, systems and retrieval as an overview. If I wanted to further my knowledge of Access I would take an Access class. |
| I would have pushed really hard to opt out of this class if it had focused on MS Access. I already know a great deal about MS Access. Though I use these skills often, and I’m always excited to learn new ways to build Access databases, as a core class, students should get a well rounded background before diving into a particular db application. Granted, I took the Access classes at a different institution, but having completed an advanced Access class and built Access databases for a living, this class still had a great deal to offer me because I didn’t have a well rounded background in database structures, architectures, and retrieval. |
| It's OK. I would have liked a little bit more about databases, since they are still part of today, even if someday they won't be. Maybe some more emphasis on what good information architecture is, general rules, principles...etc. |
| I understand this to be a theory class, which gives you the big picture and makes you think of things in new and different ways. What follows will be classes that provide the practical aspect where, if we're lucky, the light bulb will go on and we'll understand the connection. We'll have more pieces to the puzzle. |
| I feel we need more opportunities to learn Access, XML and SQL within the broader scope of the course subject. While theory is all good, real application is how we learn the concepts. Plus in preparation for the real world, Access and SQL are cited in many job requirements. |
| I have never used Access Database, so I really don't have a lot of useful relevant comments to add, but wish that this could be made more relevant to libraries! This course seemed much more geared to techies than to children's or reference librarians. Not sure (and the course isn't complete, so it may meld into relevance) that I'm understanding how it relates to what I want to do- be a librarian- and not a programmer. But as I mentioned, it may become clear before the end of the course. |
| I love the theory based approach to this class. I feel everything I've learned has positioned me to learn any database or program quickly and enable me to critically assess the same. |
| I was expecting to learn Access, so have been disappointed that we did not learn a particular tool. I find it easier to learn some of the theory that we have covered in class within the context of a particular project or tool. I feel that other than learning about XML, I have not learned much of substance in this class. I feel like I got your main points in the residency, and that I didn't need to spend the rest of the quarter trying to grasp the postmodern view of information. |
| This course has been very confusing for me. I felt I was struggling to make the linkages between concepts. Would have like more examples of practical applications at each juncture. |
| I _love_ it. I feel sooooo lucky that I got into this section of the class during this year. This is definitely my favorite class that I have taken so far - it's sooooo interesting, engaging, challenging, reallly cool. I love how we have to think about the higher-order abstract concepts and don't have to screw around worrying about the irrelevant technical details of ACCESS. |
| I wonder how this will serve me in the real library world. Actual work with a real live application might be more helpful. |
| I was really looking forward to taking a database class, but I can see why you chose this route. I think it's a good decision, but a theory-heavy class needs lectures so the professor can add depth to the readings. |
| Thank Goodness I'm taking this class now, rather than the access database course!! I would have died a 1000 deaths, slowly!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this "new" vision, which has taught me many new ways to look at, use and seek information. |
| I think I'd personally like something that was a bit of a happy medium between the two extremes. Obviously, as the core course in this area, it should be more of an overview and not just a class on one type of information system. But I do like a bit of practical learning in and among the theoretical stuff. We have done a bit of practical things with some of the deliverables, but a lot of it has been stuff that is interesting to think about, but I'm not sure how useful it will be down the road when I'm actually working. However, it might be too early for me to say that. I might discover as I move on to take other classes in the 540 decade that the lofty overview I got here is actually very useful when I finally get into the practicalities. I won't really know this until much later. |
| I'm confident that it makes for a broader, more interesting course; don't we learn about Access databases in 542 or something? |
| That was the right decision. Why on earth would you want to limit students to a single structure. The web has blown the lid of information architecture and retrieval and Access is not going to help us navigate in this new world. You are right on with the material, now it just needs to be refined. |
| I never took the class in its other form, but I've been very pleased with how this class is structured and presented. I doubt I will ever use Access in my life. However, I will certainly need to think about and understand how information is contructed, stored, and retrieved. I think this course in its current state did a really nice job of presenting the general concepts, issues, and difficulties of information architecture, systems, and retrieval. It seems to me that this is what a core class should do; present the crucial main concepts of that decade. If students want to know all the ins and outs of Access or any other information system, presumably there are other classes in the 540s that will help them learn those things, or at the very least, 540 will give them the foundational thinking to learn about any specific information system in a wiser and more sphisticated way. |
| I'm glad we are not limiting ourselves to a product that may not be in use in 5 years, but I still want practical skills at some point! |
| I'm glad we are not limiting ourselves to a product that may not be in use in 5 years, but I still want practical skills at some point! |
| I would probably die of boredom if I had to take (another) course on Access. That said, I would like to see this course deal just a little more in solid technical application than it did. In my opinion we get a ton of information theory and (too much) lofty discussion in the other LIS core courses. I think potentially this course was a bit too far in that direction. To use a political metaphor: If the "Access-style 540" is Pat Buchanon and the current class is Ralph Nader, I'd like to see something in the way of John McCain - balanced but leaning a bit more heavily on the technical application side. |
| At first I thought the information was juvenile, but after having done the assignments, I agree that it was a fun way to look at difficult information. |
| Yes, I feel that humor is great in a course. It is kind of a Zen thing. It takes you off guard and gets you to think in ways you might not otherwise have been inclined to think. |
| Sometimes I felt like it was a tad bit "childish," for lack of a better term, but at the same time, I really do think that once you looked past the playful veneer of these assignments, there was a whole lot more than what initially came across. The Dinosaur was kind of annoying though, since I found myself trying to read what was on the page and then, CRASH, this dinosaur comes along and, you know. I know it's supposed to be metaphorical or whatever, but it was a bit annoying. I thought the deliverables were great though, seriously. |
| Yes! Yes! |
| I think it's totally appropriate. It's a reflection of the instructor's personality. I prefer to feel that I'm getting my long-distance instruction from an individual, instead of receiving canned, committee-designed content. Distance learning is alienating enough without washing out any trace of humor as well. |
| I did enjoy humor. However, the assignments were hard to understand at times. Without understanding XML and never seeing it in action, it was hard to know where to begin. I spent a lot of time trying to find other resources and tools to help me understand XML and how it works. |
| YESSSSS!! It is hilarious and keeps me from becoming paralyzed with fear at unfamiliar territory and inspires me to forge on into the terrain in curiosity of what is around the corner-very engaging and fun- I love it and share with my husband and other interested parties-they think it sounds great. It is difficult material-the philosophy of this concept and a little light heartedness never hurt anyone-well not me anyway!@ |
| Humor is essential. It creates a positive environment, keeps a student's attention, and helps students assimilate information through unforgettable metaphors. Will I ever forget that information archicture is a cultural artifact? I doubt it! Please - don't lose your sense of humor! Please - don't be offended if I "creatively steal" some of your ideas for my own classes! |
| Unfortunately, graduate school is viewed as a "serious, no nonsense" experience. Why? I have loved this class for its humor, its whacky ways of forcing me to really think! Thinking is what all education should be about! Stretch the mind! |
| I felt that the assignments didn't quite match the "lectures" you wrote. I had to do a lot of self teaching to understand |
| After 4 quarters of seeing the same template over and over, I feel like your site offers a nice break from the routine. I think the way you've approached the assignments puts things in unique ways that for me has been helpful in relating the material to the rest of the world. |
| “'having fun' while you learn” I wish every distance class the iSchool offered had this goal. I view my education in much the same way – learning is fun – and I’m working hard and having a ball! This class simply fit my learning style better than most of the others. The creative nature of the assignments has inspired me to be more creative and spend more time in the material than I would have otherwise. There is no particular reason that structure, architecture and retrieval have to be boring, so why not present them in an interesting way. Humor helps! |
| It made things a bit more entertaining. I think keeping the assignments is fine, but I would like to see a bit more explanation about the point of the assignment. At times it was a bit difficult to make the connection. After the assignment you did explain the point and that was helpful. |
| I wouldn't have survived this class without the humor. |
| I think the assignments are very good in that they teach about the course concepts. I like the fun built into the assignments. |
| Humor is terrific! We all need more of it in our lives and it was a valued respite from some of the heavier coursework. |
| The jabberwocky of the course was greatly appreciated on my end. I tried to match it in my coursework. |
| Humor is fine. However, having some humor sprinkled in with a serious project of the caliber that I would have expected from a graduate level 5-credit class would have been more appreciated. |
| I enjoyed the humorous interludes. I would have liked, though, more feedback on the assignments as we went along. I often had no clue if I had done a credible job. |
| YES. I think that's what spurs creativity in thinking about how information can be constructed/organized. We need stimulating, out-of-the-box prompts in order to see that is ok to really think about this in a new and unexpected way. That's where the discovery happens. It's completely appropriate. You're a genius. Thank you. |
| Yes, I love it! But the work is still pretty difficult to understand, and while the settings are fun, I feel like I'm missing something. |
| I liked the humor in the assignments. I think humor is great, but you have to be careful that it's implemented in an appropriate way. It's easy to offend people or appear flippant, especially in the "flat" communication mode of the internet. My only concern is that you have sometimes come across as short in your communication with students (especially on the message boards and the blog) when you probably thought you were being funny instead. You gotta be careful about that. |
| Yes!!!!! The sea sponge world view was information candy to the brain. I've enjoyed the learning through "alternative modes" and feel as though my learning has dramatically increased, yet it hasn't been boring nor has it made my brain ache. I have done a tremendous amount of thinking and reflection - isn't that the purpose of learning? |
| I enjoy the humor very much. I like to know that my professor doesn't take everything so seriously and can try to make learning fun. However, sometimes I felt that the humor got in the way of the lesson. Sometimes I'd like to have the point of the thing spelled out in plain terms as well as in funny terms. I like funny, I really really do, and I mostly enjoyed it. But there were a few instances where I had to decode the funny to figure out the point of the lesson. |
| sure, why not? It's all really about the underlying concepts--humor allows for an easy relationship with these essentials |
| Very refreshing. |
| Amen! (Of course, I'm a junior high school teacher, so my world view is already somewhat skewed, and especially on the topic of teaching methods!) Humor - or at least a sense of fun and excitement about the content - is crucial to good teaching in my opinion. And especially in graduate education, where I hope we can presume that most professors and students are there because they actually want to learn this stuff; it's not just some requirement for some other goal or discipline. The assignments in this class were brilliant, because at first they seemed like fluffy, dumb little exercises designed to show off Terry's cultural awareness quotient or his attempt to look "cool." But after a few minutes - or hours - of thinking about them, it was clear that one couldn't do them without all that THINKING about the very concepts and ideas that formed the basis of that week's lesson. They are also the kinds of assignments that people are continuing to talk about and think about AFTER they are done. A great lesson goes on teaching even after it is over, and I think most of these weekly assignments did that, too. |
| Yes, but the yukyuks are a bit over the top at times. |
| It's about time I had fun in a class. I even overhead(read) someone compare you and the site to Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. |
| Absolutely positively. Humor is critical to learning. Aids in remembering the concepts. |
| Again, hard to say having never used Access. However, I had really hoped for some clarification on the essay, for example, how long it should be. I think I could have easily made my point in 2 pages, but I am now at 8 and feeling like I am being too wordy with no clear expectations. However, the ability to submit multiple drafts has helped. |
| Is this a loaded question? (LOL) I think the essay assignment is appropriate. But also I do feel that I am floundering a bit because I have very little knowledge of the "cult of the database." In other words, it is hard for me to make changes to the design world when I know so little about it in the first place. |
| Love the assignment. I love how it's sort of abstract and allows us to pretty much do, well, whatever we want. The lack of structure might be a problem for some people, but for me, it works fine. It sort of feels like an independent study. I could have lived with the table thing, but I honestly don't think I would have had to work as hard or have learned as much as with the essay. However, an exercise in Access would have been welcomed since I really have no clue how to use it and will pretty much have to train myself now. |
| No. I think I will be able to apply the concepts learned and used in the essay in more than just data classes, I can use them for many information classes and situations. |
| I don't think I'm a deep thinker, and I know I could be a better writer. But I think it's appropriate in this class to do some thinking about these confusing issues, and try to form an opinion and defend it. Designing a database would not, for me, have been that kind of challenge. |
| I hate ambiguity. While some students thrive with "no rules" for others it is very paralyzing. I think clearer guidelines would have helped a lot of students. I followed what few guidelines there were but I have no idea if I will get a good grade or not. Also, you eventually emailed everyone that we were aiming too high and that we should take a specific situation and discuss info is real, perc., art in that context. I think at the minimum you should include that in the assignment description. I spent time researching articles, interviewing people, and wrote a 7 page draft that ended up in the garbage. I felt a little frustrated that so much of my time and energy had been wasted when having clearer expectations in the beginning could have prevented me from spending all that time going in the wrong direction. In other classes it has been possible to look at the grading criteria and know if you did a good job or not before you got the grade. I have no clue in this class on how I"m doing. I could have 100% or I could be failing. All I know is that I've put a ton of time, energy, and thought into this class and I have no clue where I stand. |
| Yes-difficult---very brain building--and though I am struggling downt he path to a coherent argument for this matter I am learning so much about the nature of information that it almost doesn't matter what my grade is on the paper becuase I am learning tons! About topics I never even came near before--it is amazingly stimulating I can't stop thinking about it--- |
| Graduate school is supposed to challenge us to think. We are, after all, becoming "masters" in this subject. I wouldn't mind programming a large table in an elective class, or a small table in this class; but I find it far more appropriate for students to "think" about information. |
| NO, I would much prefer to write the paper. I would like to have heard class discussion during residency about the topics, even to grouping us and trying to put forth an argument (spur of the moment) to the other two groups. This would have helped me get started sooner on direction and even ideas to pursue. |
| I don't mind the essay, but more direction would been very helpful |
| I like the essay, I've found it challenging to think through and research. As I've said, I already know Access and I think training in applications that specific should be left to electives. I think the core classes, as they are for the most part, should be left to learning the concepts and reviewing the most current issues in whatever area is being taught rather than focusing on a specific skill. |
| I’d much rather discuss the philosophical groundwork - and as a core class 540 is the right place to do it. I do wish that the final paper wasn’t such a substantial part of my grade. While philosophy is very important, in terms of grade value, some of work I put into the other assignments might have been balanced differently. |
| The essay assignment is hard because it is so vague and so much rides on it, 55% of the class. An introduction to Access would have been great. Why can't you do both? |
| Yes, it is a difficult assignment. As long as I get some database knowledge in a follow-on class, I don't mind doing this essay. |
| Again, I think the assignments are very relevant. I would have like an assignment in Access relevant to the course which would give me exposure to this common application. |
| Again, I don't know Access Database, but the essay was confounding mostly because of a lack of clear direction given that the titles were chosen, but the directions, at least to me, were a little muddy. |
| I've always loved essay questions... |
| I would have much, much rather programmed a table. From my view point the essay is a fair sprinkling of b.s. combined with a research paper. I have already had experience with both of those formats and would have preferred something different. |
| I am befuddled by the essay assignment. It seems very nebulous and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to get out of it. More definitive guidelines might have been helpful. |
| I don't know how I feel about the assignment because I haven't finished it yet, but I think it's a good one. There's enough flexibility that a student can tailor their interests; it's also very challenging, which is ImPorTant. I like doing assignments and writing papers that I never thought I could do or write. The whole point of education is to finish ahead of where you started. |
| The final assignment is fine, but worth a whopping 55% of the grade???? I'm not sure that is fair. |
| Yes, I would've rather created a database, but that's because I like fiddling with that kind of thing. I would be happy about the final paper if the expectations were clearer. While I appreciate the flexibility in the assignment, it's daunting to have an assignment worth so much of your grade with so little guidelines. I do appreciate that you are willing to read drafts, which let's us know if we are meeting your expectations. |
| I'm finding it hard. But, there's nothing wrong with that. Hard is when I learn the most - hard is challenging. I believe I'm gaining far more applicable, real-life scenarios from this course, structured in this manner, than I ever would from learning Access. I can learn a database program later, if I need it. But is it applicable to all levels of Library Information Science? Information architecture is. |
| I don't know that I would have wanted to program an access database in particular, but I also don't especially want to write this paper either. I am a practical person and I like learning practical things. I really don't know how useful this paper is going to be for me in tying together this course and applying what I've learned. I'll certainly try, but I think this assignment is more geared towards the type of people who like to have long philosophical debates, and not the people who want to learn the practicalities of working with information systems, architecture and retrieval. I can't really think of a good suggestion for a replacement though. Again, perhaps something of a happy medium between the two extremes. |
| I do want to learn Access at some point, but my feeling is that an assignment of such an open-ended philosohical nature is right in step with the tackling of these broad concepts architecture, systems, and retrieval; these worlds are not limited to what is contained in an Access database. |
| I prefer the higher level thinking. I would rather contemplate why Access instead of X rather than how to use Access. Access is good for small personal or limited Internet use. Conceptually it just doesn't work in today's world. |
| Well, I like to write, and I like to think, so I'm quite happy with this version of a final assignment. There are probably some people who would have rather done a big Access assignment, but I'm guessing they will get to fulfill that need in one way or another in later 54x classes, and I will enjoy hearing all about it from a safe distance. In all seriousness, trying to decide what to write about, and then deciding how to write about it, was in itself a wonderful learning and review exercise. And the behind-the-scenes conversations going on - what is your paper about? how are you going to approach it? how do I know if I'm done? etc. - were pretty good learning/thinking experiences, too. |
| Yes. You have given us zilch as far as guidance for our papers and they are 50% of our grade. This is extraordinarily stressful. |
| No to the access database. I took 542 for that, or at least to learn how databases work. The assignment is hard but I think does help us learn the material better. I would suggest a list of possible, or at the very least example, topics at the beginning of the quarter. It would help make the essay requirements more clear. |
| Oh god no. When I first took your 545 course, I was thrown off course a bit because you clearly expect students to take learning into their own hands. It hurts while it's happening, but I can just feel the synapses joining. I appreciate being challenged to figure things out on my own and also appreciate that you often don't have a clear "this is right, that is wrong" outlook on things. There is so much grayness in the world of information, that I think this kind of intellectual floundering is critical in preparing graduate students for the world. As a personal note from corporate life - I've found that people who can form tables in access are a dime a dozen - and mostly working in India. People who can think out of the box and communicate concepts around information architecture, systems, and retrieval, however, are much much more rare and valuable. These are often the people telling the Access-table-builders what to do... |
| Actually, the best assignments for me were the XML and namespace ones - they were real world examples that made sense. |
| Though it was a difficult assignment, I liked the designing namespaces the best. It forced me to look at the myriad ways a simple four line conversation can be categorized and made me realize the magnitude of the task of organizing the web. |
| I liked the SpongeBob assignment the best! Also, the final essay... |
| No favorite. |
| I liked the assignments where I wrote a poem and thought about the crazy ways I could type it up, and where we saw what kind of wild and improbable connections are made among web pages. Terry and Madonna? Who knew? |
| I did enjoy SpongeBob. I also enjoyed the poem and the reader tool assignment. |
| Haven't finished them all yet but so far Sponge BOB was fun-my kids thought it quite funny that my school work included seeing things through the sponges eyes! Very creative-genius--truly.(: |
| SpongeBob was a great assignment; so was the poem. The Martha assignment was a bit difficult, since it requires us to understand XML well enough to recommend it to others. On the other hand, graduate school is supposed to challenge us. I can't think of another assignment at this point, but I would be happy to e-mail you in the future if I think of something (not sarcastic, I'm being serious). |
| I didn't have a favorite. I found each of them challenging and interesting, and when I finished, I felt I "knew" something more than before I'd started. |
| I enjoyed the spongebob one |
| I actually enjoyed the Martha assignment. I liked the way we had to approach the technology, because I think it's something we'll ultimately face in future employment. The only of info architechture type thing you could cover is maybe site maps. Getting people to "see" the architecture of a website using a flow diagram, etc. |
| I had the most fun with SpongeBob, but the Martha Stewart assignment added the most to my learning because it forced me to formulate my thoughts about what XML can and can’t do – and that forced me to learn how it works. I'm comfortable working in this way. Perhaps an assignment which compares various db building tools (like Access, SQL, etc. – don’t structure the whole course around these, I’m thinking a single assignment) would help those at the very beginning of the learning curve gain a perspective that they can use to evaluate the merits of XML. |
| SpongeBob was OK. 6 Degrees of Terry could have been accomplished with just a graphic of Touchgraph and an explanation. No need to spend so much time trying to make it work and documenting the six degrees. The assignments were very time consuming for the amount learned in doing them. Maybe you could cut them back a bit? |
| It's a three way tie between the poem, Spongebob, and common ground. |
| I enjoyed the car and diplomacy XML assignments. I think XML is highly valuable as a info arch and way to retrieve. |
| The poem was fun, too, but so were SB and 6 degrees. Googlewhacking was a challenge, but fun. |
| I enjoyed spongebob, personally. |
| Designing XML and the namespaces assignment. The steps involved in those assignments gave me a better handle on these tools and helped me understand how one would try to organize this kind of information effectively. |
| I most liked 6 Degrees of Terry. |
| My favorite was definitely spongebob, because it was like a brainteaser with no single right answer. It really allowed a lot of room for creativity and brainstorming. Googlewhack was fun too. I really like the ones where you get to visualize information and think about/build models. I am just SHOCKED at how much you actually learn from doing these assignments. It's sooooooooo cool. Six degrees of Terry was really fun because it involved seeing someone else's visual representation of the web and navigating through it. Come to think of it, Bush and Chirac was pretty fun too. The ones that I liked least were the 'write a memo' ones, although they weren't bad, they were the least exciting. Assignments like puzzles are the best. |
| I suppose I'd have to go with SpongeBob. I really did not like the TouchGraph thing. |
| I liked analyzing reader tools, but that's because I'm a reference librarian-type. I like looking at practical, user-centered services, like well-crafted webpages. Creating XML was hard, but in the end I think I learned a lot from it. I still don't know how these assignments are graded though. It's scary to be going into our final weeks and have no idea what my grade is in a 5 credit class. |
| I liked both Sponge Bob and Terry, and am looking forward to Wacking Google. I did learn a lot from having to justify XML for Martha. :) And, I liked the recipe! |
| I liked the assignments where I got to work with something real and practical. I liked the Namespaces assignment because I felt like I was learning something real and not some sort of theoretical concept. The other XML assignments were also really fun. I got frustrated in the XML design assignment because I know nothing about cars, but it was still fun to design a schema. Again, I am definitely a practical person who likes to get my hands dirty instead of talking about things. |
| I haven't done them all yet; the poem was fun, so was Martha--they're all good fun learning experiences-- |
| I liked Martha and Web Tools, I'm interested in Web Services, so I'm looking forward to it. An interesting assignment would be to create your own RSS feed on the students personal web page through the UW. It is done vairly easily and then the students task would be to harvest all of their fellow students links and to send RSS messages to each other. Cool |
| Hmm. I really enjoyed trying to write in the voice of Martha Stewart, and at the same time that assignment forced me to look at why XML could be such a powerful tool even if I didn't fully understand what XML is or how it worked. I think the SpongeBob assignment got people thinking and talking the most. I'm not sure I got a lot out of the Six Degrees assignment. It was a cool tool for helping to visualize the webbiness of the web, I guess. Isn't there a web browser that sort of works like this? I liked the namespace assignment a lot. |
| I liked the racecar xml assignment because I actually had to play with xml. Practical! |
| I liked the Reader Tools and Design XML. |
| Spongebob was fun - and mentally challenging - but I think that I liked the namespaces project the best. This may just be because I've been meaning to learn about that concept and it was great to finally understand it. I also liked the poem project. This was great for me as a search person - if only because I realized there's no freakin' way to ever make a search engine that can catch up to the changing pace of language in the digital age! |