Interactive Visualization Syllabus

(1) Syllabus Heading

• Course title
   
• Date
• Day/Hours/Classroom 
   
• Instructor name
• Instructor email
• Office hours 
   
• Structure intro

Example: The module takes place over 6 weeks, including a reading week (5), from Tuesday to Friday, 9.30-17.00, March 28 - May 5. 
Class sessions include lectures, discussions, mentoring sessions, in-class exercises, assignments and independent study blocks.
Projects are conducted in groups of 4 students.

• Course title: Interactive Visualization
• Dates: 
• Days:
• Hours:
• Classroom: 
• Instructor name:
• Instructor email: 
• Office hours:

The module takes place over 6 weeks, including a reading week (5), from Tuesday to Friday, 9.30-17.00, March 28 - May 5. 
Class sessions include lectures, discussions, mentoring sessions, in-class exercises, assignments and independent study blocks.
Projects are conducted in groups of 4 students.

(2) Overview and Objectives

Topic summary (a paragraph explaining the topic of the course)

Objectives set for the students: learning outcomes and expected deliverables

(3) Course Outline

Brief structure of the course or module over the semester (how the module is organised week by week or if the course is designed in 3 parts, etc)

(4) Expectations and Grading

See Example below:

Grades will be based on group presentations, class participation, home assignments, documentation (journal) and final work. 
Contributing to constructive group feedback is an essential aspect of class participation. 
Regular attendance is required. Two or more unexcused absences will affect the final grade. Arriving late on more than one occasion will also affect the grade.

Final essay 30% 

Group presentations 20% 

Journal Documentation 20% 

Class participation 10% 

Any assignment that remains unfulfilled receives a failing grade.  

(5) Deliverables

See Example below:

• Oral presentations

Students must independently prepare lectures on selected texts from the week. These can be presented in different formats. 
Possible presentation formats are:

• • Live sketching
  • Demo with prototyping
  • Slides presentation
  • etc.

The presentation should include a 3-pages written discussion, made available to the class and instructor by Friday 9am, prior to the day of the class to insure a general discussion.

The paper should include title, author, date, context, summary, bibliography.

Additional sources can be added to inform the discussion if necessary.

• Final Essay

The essay is a final 2500-words essay with a diversity of sources and bibliography (classified by genre: book, book chapter, journal article, conference article, academic thesis, newspaper article, web article, etc). 

The topic of the essay is chosen by the student and proposed by Week 8 in the form of a short paragraph (100 words) explaining the topic and the questions at stake. I will inform the student if the topic is accepted in that week. The final essay has to be submitted by Week 12.

The paper should be written in English.

• Journal/Blog

A separate 'Journal' is developed by each student that reflects on learnings from the seminar. It should be in the form of an online blog (ie. WordPress, Tumblr or other):

• The journal should be structured in a generally comprehensible manner
• The lecture notes, including annotations, are stored
• Notes, sketches for each lesson should be included as well
  

(6) Course Materials

Indicating the main readings or sources used for the course

Link or location for full list of materials covered in the course

(7) Calendar

Content week by week or module calendar. See examples below:
 

Example 1

Week 1 - 20.02.17 Deconstructing Interaction Design

The focus of this introductory lesson is a discussion on the term "Interaction Design". 

From your short experience as design students in the first semester and your various experience as customers and users, we’ll uncover the variety of meanings of interaction design.

We’ll also look at the syllabus and go through the lectures to prepare.

Reading: 

Löwgren, J. & Stolterman, E. (2007). Thoughtful Interaction Design. The Process (15­-41). 

Week 2 - 27.02.17 Perspectives of design

Historical outline and introduction of design methods theories. Highlighting the notion of design, technology and human experience.

Lecture : “Perspectives of Interaction Design”

Readings: 

Carroll, J. M. (2000). Making Use: Scenario-­Based Design of Human­Computer Interactions. The MIT Press. 

Dreyfuss, H. S. (1955). Designing for People. (26-­43). 

Dubberly, H. ­(2004). How do you design? Dubberly Design Office.

Kolko, J. (2011). Exposing the Magic of Design: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Methods and Theory of Synthesis (Oxford Series in Human­Technology Interaction) (1 ed.). Oxford University Press, USA. 

Additional readings:

Dreyfuss, H. S. The designer’s role (sketch).

Kolko, J. (2007). Thoughts on Interaction Design. Brown Bear LLC. (Chapter 3) 

Week 3 - 06.03.2017 Design in the everyday context

etc..

Example 2

JB: Joëlle Bitton, NF: Nicole Foesterl