Below is information about Fall 2020 courses offered for the IS major.
iSchool Course Catalog and the Campus Course Schedule provide additional information on our courses. Please make sure to read the section text in the Course Explorer Schedule under each section to find details on restrictions.
General Restriction Information:
- Many IS and INFO courses have restrictions until a certain date to allow for declared Information Science Majors to have priority registration into these courses. The majority of the courses will open (restrictions lifted) one week before classes begin in the Fall.
- Informatics (INFO) Minors will have access to some of the IS courses starting July 13 by noon. Please refer to your INFO Minor advisor for additional information.
- Undergraduate Sections: Students must register for the Undergraduate section for courses when relevant.
Questions may be sent to ischool-is@illinois.edu
Fall 2020 Course Format Updates
Fall 2020 BSIS Course Schedule Update Session Recording
PDF Presentation
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Course
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Title
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Format
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Notes
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IS 100
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Exploring the iSchool with a Human-Centered Lens
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On-campus (4 sections) or Online Synchronous/Asynchronous Parts
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Students may change over to the online section if they are unable to attend on-campus. Please hold one of the on-campus meeting times in your schedule if possible.
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IS 101
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Intro to Information Sciences
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Online- Synchronous
TR 12:30-1:50pm
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Classes will be held during class scheduled times. Professor will work with any students who are in different time zones if there are issues.
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IS 107
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Data Science Discovery
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Online- Asynchronous & Synchronous
Lecture Asynchronous (no arranged time) Discussions Synchronous Online (various)
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Different discussion times available.
Course is very full; Careful changing sections
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IS 202
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Social Aspects Info Tech
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Online- Synchronous
Lecture MW 10:00am-10:50pm
Discussions 8am, 9am, 10am, 2pm, 3pm, or 4pm
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All lectures and discussions synchronously, but to record every lecture to better accommodate students. For those who will view lectures asynchronously, I will ask them to communicate with me in advance, so that I can capture their "attendance" via Moodle, not Zoom. There are not asynchronous discussion options (students may work with instructor if they have a unique situation, but there are numerous discussion options for different time zones).
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IS 203
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Analytical Foundations of Info Problems
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Online- Synchronous
TR 11:00am-12:20pm
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Synchronous attendance; Will work with students individually if there are specific needs.
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IS 204
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Research Design Info Sciences
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Online- Synchronous
TR 2:00-3:20pm
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Synchronously. Students graded on participation, but may be able to get full credit without attending every class, although lower attendance will make it more difficult.
Lectures recorded, and a student could follow along. Will be challenging for a students to be fully asynchronous since the class will include discussion and in-class activities.
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IS 205
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Programming for Info Problems
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Online- Synchronous
TR 9:30am-10:50pm
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Synchronous. Students with unique situations unable to attend synchronously online should contact instructor to coordinate.
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IS 206
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Intro Database Concepts & Applications
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Online- Synchronous
MWF 12:00-12:50pm
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Synchronous. Currently, no additional information available, but students may wait for further instruction.
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IS 226
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Introduction to HCI
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Online- Synchronous
TR 11:00am-12:20pm
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Synchronous. Possibility for students to watch some recorded lectures, but there may be issues with the in-class exercises that can't be replicated asynchronously.
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IS 229
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Web Design Fundamentals
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Online- Synchronous
TR 3:30-4:50pm
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Synchronous. Currently, no additional information available, but students may wait for further instruction.
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IS 236
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User Research & Evaluation
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Online- Synchronous
TR 12:30-1:50pm
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Synchronous. Possibility for students to watch some recorded lectures, but there may be issues with the in-class exercises that can't be replicated asynchronously.
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IS/MACS 265
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Innovation Illinois: From Accessible Design to Supercomputing Cultures
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On-Campus
TR 11:00am-12:20pm
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In-person. Currently, no additional information available, but students may wait for further instruction.
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IS 308
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Race, Gender, and Information Tech
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Online- Synchronous
MW 3:30-4:50pm
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Synchronous. Difficult to complete entire course in other format, but student may work with instructor if there are a couple of conflicting times.
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IS 309
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Computers and Culture
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Online- Synchronous (some Asynchronous)
MW 2:00-3:20pm
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Only few required synchronous sessions, and that the majority of the coursework will be asynchronous.
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IS 324
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Social Network Analysis
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Online- Synchronous
TR 2:00-3:20pm
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Synchronous. Currently, no additional information available, but students may wait for further instruction.
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IS 400
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Colloquium
*New Course*
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On-campus (1 hr) or Online- Synchronous (0 hr)
W 1:00-1:50pm
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Synchronous. Students may either attend on-campus or online.
Venue for presentation and discussion of research and professional activities by faculty, students, staff, and guest speakers: To broaden knowledge of the field as a whole; To gain better understanding of cutting-edge research in the field; To develop discussion and reading skills
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IS 400s
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All IS 400-level courses (note: not all offer UG sections)
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Online- Synchronous
Various Times (start time the same)
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Synchronous. Students should assume synchronous attendance is required.
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INFO Courses:
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INFO 326
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Online- Synchronous
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INFO 345
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Online- Synchronous
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INFO 303
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Online – Synchronous
Same Course Times
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INFO 403
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Online – Synchronous
Same Course Times
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INFO 490 MH Intro to Prog for Data Science
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Online (Same)- Asynchronous
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INFO 490 MH2 Machines, Data and the Python
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Online (Same)- Asynchronous
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INFO 490 ALU Makerspace Intro
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On-campus/Online- The lecture sections (Fri at 11) are moving online; The labs (AB1, AB2, AB3) are In-person as scheduled (enrollment reduced to preserve social distancing in lab)
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INFO 490 ERU Escape Rooms
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On-campus. Same as scheduled in-person. (enrollment reduced to preserve social distancing)
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IS On-Campus/In-Person Options:
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IS 100
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Exploring the iSchool with a Human-Centered Lens
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Sections A, B, C, & D (same times)
*New* online section available
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126 iSchool
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IS/MACS 265
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Innovation Illinois: From Accessible Design to Supercomputing Cultures
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Currently scheduled on-campus (same times)
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126 iSchool
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IS 400
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Colloquium
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*New* (online section available)
More information in later slide
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126 iSchool
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IS 401
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Intro to Network Info Systems
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Currently on-campus
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53 iSchool
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These classes are specifically required within the IS degree.
IS & INFO ELECTIVE COURSES
Data Science Discovery is the intersection of statistics, computation, and real-world relevance. As a project-driven course, students perform hands-on-analysis of real-world datasets to analyze and discover the impact of the data. Throughout each experience, students reflect on the social issues surrounding data analysis such as privacy and design.
This course introduces students to fundamental theories and techniques in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This course presents basic tools and methods for creating, designing, prototyping, and evaluating user interfaces to computing applications and web sites. Students will explore course content by conducting individual and group hands-on projects. Assignments involving prototyping can be implemented by self-selected solutions, e.g. Axure, JavaScript. Students from all backgrounds are welcomed.
This course will teach students about building inclusive interactive systems. They will learn to gather and understand user requirements and needs for a wide range of user populations, especially those that are under-served (e.g., children, older adults, people with disabilities), apply inclusive design frameworks and principles, and design, develop, evaluate and improve interactive prototypes in an iterative manner.
This course introduces students to fundamental theories and techniques in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This course presents basic tools and methods for creating, designing, prototyping, and evaluating user interfaces to computing applications and web sites. Students will explore course content by conducting individual and group hands-on projects. Assignments involving prototyping can be implemented by self-selected solutions, e.g. Axure, JavaScript. Students from all backgrounds are welcomed.
. SeeInnovation Illinois introduces the histories of UIUC interdisciplinary innovations that brought together students and researchers in engineering, humanities, sciences and the arts. We will explore how local histories of Illinois innovations help us understand today’s innovation trends and processes, from the growth of new design centers on university campuses to contemporary accessibility design, online education, and electronic music. As part of a final research project, students will be introduced to the basics of video editing and will team produce a short-form video using various primary sources.
Explores use and application of technology to scholarly activity in the humanities, including projects that put classic texts on the web or create multimedia application on humanities topics.
This course provides a deep hands-on sociotechnical dive into technology including electronics, software, and networks culminating in a holistic understanding of networked information systems. The course also explores the methodological landscape of networked information systems including theoretical assumptions, research methods, and research techniques. Throughout, students will be introduced to, and make active use of, skillsets, frameworks, and standards employed by a wide range of information professionals in selecting, co-designing, appropriating, and innovating-in-use networked information systems.
Evaluation, selection and use of books and other resources for children (ages 0-14) in public libraries and school media centers; explores standard selection criteria for print and nonprint materials in all formats and develops the ability to evaluate and promote materials according to their various uses (personal and curricular) and according to children's various needs (intellectual, emotional, social and physical).
This course is designed as a foundation for students who are interested in learning how to design human-centered information technologies. Students will learn basic principles in human cognition and behavior, and how these principles influence how we interact with information technologies. The course will prepare students to translate theories in human cognition and behavior to analyze, evaluate and rethink everyday design examples.
This course introduces students to data science approaches that have emerged from recent advances in programming and computing technology. They will learn to collect and use data from a variety of sources, including the web, in a modern statistical inference and visualization paradigm. The course will be based in the programming language R, but will also use HTML, regular expressions, basic unix tools, XML, and SQL. Supervised and unsupervised statistical learning techniques made possible by recent advances in computing power will also be covered.
Fundamental principles of the art of storytelling including techniques of adaptation and presentation; content and sources of materials; methods of learning; practice in storytelling; planning the story hour for school and public libraries and other public information settings; and audio, video, and digital media.
Introduces students to a range of rapid prototyping techniques and methods to analyze needs, opportunities and design spaces. Students will work in teams to develop ideas for novel computational devices or applications to meet identified needs. Covers the interlinked entrepreneurial skills of identifying an unmet need, exploiting technological opportunities, exploring a design space to refine an idea, and communicating a design vision through demonstrations with prototypes and proofs of concept. This enables developers to show how their envisaged working interactive technology will be used productively in a particular real-life context. Communicating the vision of computational devices is a challenge because dynamic use in context is hard for people other than the device's developers to imagine. The ability to produce convincing, clear, powerful demonstrations even at the early stages of a project is a highly valuable entrepreneurial skill, and also highly applicable within an organization. Directed and supervised investigation of selected topics in information studies that may include among others the social, political, and historical contexts of information creation and dissemination; computers and culture; information policy; community information systems; production, retrieval and evaluation of knowledge; computer-mediated communication.
**Course was previously IS 490IT, and you may find additional information about this course, including a past syllabus, here.
Covers common data, document processing, and programming constructs and concepts. Focuses on problem solving and abstraction with a programming language. By the end of the course students will be able to design, develop and test a moderately complex computer program to manage full text, bibliographic records or multimedia. The course prepares students for working with applications in data analytics, data science, digital libraries, text mining and knowledge management. No prior programming background is assumed.
Data visualization is crucial to conveying information drawn from models, observations or investigations. This course will provide an overview of historical and modern techniques for visualizing data, drawing on quantitative, statistical, and network-focused datasets. Topics will include construction of communicative visualizations, the modern software ecosystem of visualization, and techniques for aggregation and interpretation of data through visualization. Particular attention will be paid to the Python ecosystem and multi-dimensional quantitative datasets.
We will focus on the identification and evaluation of African studies reference sources and library techniques as a foundation for in-depth research. Sources covered will be in all formats, including print, microform and electronic resources.
The course provides students with both theoretical and practical training in good database design. By the end of the course students will create a conceptual data model using entity-relationship diagrams, understand the importance of referential integrity and how to enforce data integrity constraints when creating a database. Students will be proficient in writing basic queries in the structured query language (SQL) and have a general understanding of relational database theory including normalization.
Introduces problems of document representation, information need specification, and query processing. Describes the theories, models, and current research aimed at solving those problems. Primary focus is on bibliographic, text, and multimedia records. Basic UNIX and basic HTML skills helpful.
An introduction to understanding data as a source for storytelling and to telling stories based on data. This process will include understanding and analyzing data sets to find informative aspects, changes, or contrasts that will provide the basic information for developing stories. Course participants will learn storytelling concepts, narrative theories, and performance techniques and develop stories in a collaborative workshop style. Students will work with data visualization toolkits, which will involve variable levels of coding and skill. By using storytelling techniques with data, students can develop, and tell well-evidenced stories, organizations can make better data-driven decisions.
Provides an introduction to learning theories and instructional methods used in a variety of information settings, including libraries, archives, museums, online, and educational environments. Includes an overview of theoretical and applied research and discusses relevant issues and concepts. Students will have an opportunity to design and present an instructional program.
Designing for Social Interactive Experience: From Facebook to TikTok, technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, technical solutions are designed to address real-world problems and to promote positive social change; on the other hand, technologies might have unwanted impacts on the society. This course covers theories, methods and state-of-the-art works in designing interactive technologies (e.g., conversational agents) for enhancing desirable social experiences. The course is taught with lecture, discussion, and *in-class studio participation (*when taught on-campus). Student will explore how to design conversational agents to mediate social interactions between different stakeholders (e.g., public service providers and community members) in a variety of contexts. The course prepares students to work as practitioners, academicians, or system designers in their future endeavors. Students in the 3-credit version of the course could choose to skip some of the assignments, e.g., programming tasks in the final project or paper reviews that are required in the 4-credit version of the course. Students can discuss with the instructor about which assignments to skip depending on their interests and background.
Requires Instructor approval, Email John Weible at jweible@illinois.edu. Database Administration & Scaling for IS. Prerequisite: IS 455 - Database Design & Prototyping. Involves database administration (DBA) broadly relevant to computational information science work. Explores several types of scalable database engines, using popular NOSQL and SQL products. Develops practical skills for managing reliable DBMS for production systems or to create analytically-focused NOSQL derivatives. Small student teams will experiment and present findings to the class, with student-directed inquiry encouraged. Readings, discussions, and situational problems drawn from real scenarios will involve managerial, ethical, and other aspects of the human side of professional DBA work. Some intro to virtual machines and cloud systems administration is included.
The ability to communicate effectively in multiple types of media is a crucial part of literacy in our society. In this course, students will explore the intersections of various media: print, film, images, sound, etc. Students will consider the ways in which writing--as an object and as a practice--is shaped by multimodal interactions. Also integrates practical activities with broader theoretical issues in order to provide effective strategies for designing multimedia presentations, projects, and texts that integrate photography, video, and sound.
Digital media is an immensely pervasive and powerful form of communication that despite its rapid growth has yet to reach most of the world's population. This lecture-based survey course for undergraduates traces the history and formation of personal computing and the Internet, the development of virtual communities and virtual worlds, evolving forms of digital representation and communication, digital visual cultures, features of new media industries, and the rise of participatory media. Evaluation and assessment is based on written exams, quizzes, class discussion in section, and practice-based assignments using new media technologies such as wikis, blogs, games, and digital video. Emphasis is on mastering key concepts of digital media through theory and history, and on critical discussion of distinctive features of digital media objects. Lectures and discussion sections are held in computer-equipped classrooms.
This interdisciplinary course uses the lens of gender critique and pairs it with social activism to provide students analytical tools to engage with, reshape, and create digital cultures. Examines recent research and public policies related to the gendered, raced, and classes dimensions of digital cultures and inequality; the broad range of labor issues embedded in the growing income disparity related to digital cultures; the various ways that digital inequality has been defined by public policy, sociologists, and activists, and real examples of collective activism and social change related to emerging technologies.
The emphasis of this course is on developing an understanding of top down video game design using the various design methodologies and tools introduced in class. Students will form small groups (4-6) and work on their own design within a selected genre (to be determined at the beginning of the semester). Areas of focus include high level design vision, audience evaluation, User Interface and its impact on the design, iteration of a series of design documents (high, medium and low level) and the team dynamics of communication, critique and integration. The goal of the class is to have the small teams use the concepts and the tools taught in class to create a complete design document that will be cataloged for later use.
- Makerspace Intro: Open Studio - This course introduces learners to a variety of rapid prototyping and fabrication techniques in collaboration with the CU Community Fab Lab. Weekly class lecture will introduce students to trends and ideas in Makerspaces, Peer-to-Peer learning, design processes, creativity, computational thinking, and practicing makers. Each week students will be provided a general project prompt and set to work with a tool area in response to a simple design exploration challenge. Over the course of the semester they will have an opportunity to become familiar with the basics of several advanced small-scale manufacturing tools, such as 3D printers, laser engravers, digital embroidery machines, graphic drawing tablets and small board electronics. There is no dedicated lab section time for the course, instead students will be expected to come into open hours (which extend throughout the week/weekend) at the Fab Lab to work on projects by seeking assistance from staff and one another, according to their own schedule each week. While there is no studio fee students will be expected to find, purchase, borrow or otherwise provide their own materials for several projects. The class will have both group and independent work and make use of Moodle for assignment hand-in and peer-feedback. Please note that this course will emphasize self-guided learning and time management, students will need to rely on online tutorials and information resources to explore methods and complete much of the work in a rapid-response fashion. Projects will be small and contained, in order to allow for exposure to several tools and mediums. Students who have taken a prior Makerspace course at the FabLab are eligible to participate in this class, but it is also not a requirement. This class is for undergraduate students only, at the sophomore level or higher. Graduate students should enroll in INFO 490 section ALG (CRN 68913).
- Makerspace: Escape Rooms - This course will explore the intersection of storytelling, interaction design and user experience through a focus on fabrication and computational thinking concepts relevant to the design of escape rooms. The combination of teamwork, immersive narratives, and engaging puzzles provides a friendly yet complex platform for students to learn about applied computing related to information studies. Over the course of 8 weeks, they will first rapidly design the narrative, script, props and setting and then move to focus substantially on puzzles and interfaces to be ultimately presented as a portable escape room, which will be exhibited for the public in a high profile venue. As part of the process, they will become familiarized with several manufacturing tools often available in makerspaces, such as laser cutters, 3D printers, graphic drawing tablets, and small board electronics. Much of the class will focus on introducing learners to relevant electronics hardware, code libraries and interface design concepts to create a series of interconnected internet of things devices to control or manipulate puzzles and progress through the room. Data collected from these devices will provide insight into user experience and aid in evaluation and reporting. Since the class is rapidly paced, students will rely on easy-to-deploy platforms like Micro:bits and arduinos so they can call upon existing code libraries and work at a higher level of abstraction. Additionally, this course will emphasize a degree of self-guided learning and time management, as students will leverage online tutorials and information resources to explore and troubleshoot. Class will meet in the CU Community Fab Lab in Art Annex II. Students who have taken a different makerspace class before are encouraged to enroll. Experience coding is not required but strongly recommended. This section is for undergraduate students at the sophomore level or higher. Graduate students should register for CRN 62221.
- Machines, Data and the Python - INFO 490 MH2: Machines, Data and the Python (https://uicourses.web.illinois.edu/info490mh2) continues where the INFO 490 MH tour (https://uicourses.web.illinois.edu/info490mh) left off. You will learn advanced techniques in data science and be introduced to machine learning algorithms. You will also continue to improve your Python knowledge as well as your software development skills including how to architect large scale data processing pipelines. Although this an an applied course (you will learn by doing), you'll also learn how and why something works. In many cases, you will first write a reduced implementation before using an established library. Mastering the ability to write software to gain insights from data will help drive your research and career. The last four weeks of the class will be spent on a data driven project that will give you a chance to work on your own interests and showcase your knowledge and skills. The class will be taught on-line and be scheduled asynchronously (you decide where it best fits in your week). Prerequisites • Junior/Senior/Graduate Standing • Taken INFO490 MH Intro to Prog for Data Sci OR have at least 2 years of programming experience using Python • Already comfortable with Numpy, Pandas, Matplotlib, NLTK • Voraciously willing to do the necessary work to fill in any knowledge gaps • Enjoy contributing and learning in an on-line environment • the ability to create a boolean expression for these prerequisites Contact the instructor (Mike Haberman, haberman@illinois.edu) if you want to be considered for one of the slots in this course. There are limited seats available and the instructor will use the following criteria to prioritize who gets to enroll: 1) Last semester seniors/grad students who either took INFO 490 MH or have the prereqs 2) Last year seniors/grads who either took INFO 490 MH or have the prereqs 3) Juniors who took INFO 490MH 4) Sophomores who took INFO 490MH 5)Juniors with the prereqs 6)Sophomores with the prereqs
- Intro to Prog for Data Science - NOTE: Students must be enrolled in this course by 12 pm on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019. Enrollment in this course will be shut down at that point and no new students will be allowed to enroll. Introduction to Programming for Data Science is for students who want to learn about solving problems common in data sciences but have little or no programming experience. The class is asynchronous (students can access material on-line but within specified timeframes) and taught online. Data Science lies at the intersection of statistics and computer science and focuses on extracting information from data. This class will immerse students on topics of software construction, design, programming paradigms and the semantic and syntax of the Python language and then focus on some of the necessary workflows to move raw data into information. The class will explore common Python modules (libraries) used in data science, natural language processing, statistics, mathematics, data management (acquiring, cleaning, reshaping, organizing, persisting) and visualizations. Sample course material can be viewed at: https://info490fa19.web.illinois.edu/ This is ONLINE and ASYNCHRONOUS (there is no regular meeting day/time). Students who have completed INFO 490 RB Foundations of Data Science or INFO 490 RB2 Advanced Data Science should not register for this course as it will be considered duplicate credit (which does not count towards graduation).
