MIT - Course Requirements

Course requirements

Attendance (10%) and participation (10%) = 20%
This course is about ideas that profoundly affect us all, both individually and as members of a technology-infused (and some would say technology-driven) society. We expect you to participate actively in the community of our classroom. This means preparing readings in advance of each class, asking questions and sharing your thoughts and convictions, respecting the viewpoints of others, and engaging actively in the positive give-and-take of academic debate. Attendance is mandatory: completing the readings will not substitute for being here as we will not regurgitate the readings in class. Class discussion will relate to the readings, but will assume the background that they impart as the baseline for classroom activities. Get ready to talk the talk.

Technology component (15%)
Attached to this syllabus you will find a description of two short small-lab technology classes that are a requirement for successful completion of this course. Because this is the introductory course to the TAM and MAT Programs, we expect you to achieve a baseline skill level with us before you proceed to hands-on projects classes. It also is a good idea for you to experience from the start the frustrations, exhilaration, and time investment that are involved in technology production. In case you are an advanced TAM or MAT student, we have arranged a further level of skill enhancement that you may substitute for the introductory web class. All students will attend two lab sessions, each of which counts as 5% of your final grade. These sessions are: (1) E-mail for Thinkers (everyone needs this one), and (2) either Basic Dream Weaver web page creation or An Evening of Flash. Further skills classes will be offered throughout the semester to TAM and MAT students; as members of this class, you have the opportunity to attend these on a voluntary basis. Beginning technology students will be allowed to attend the advanced Flash classes if they have already completed Basic Dream Weaver. You will each produce a final multimedia website that demonstrates your comfort with basic or advanced coding and web design. Thus grading is as follows: each of the two short lab classes count 5% each of the final course grade, and your website counts as 5% of the final course grade. Please see the end of this syllabus for course descriptions, available session times, and grading criteria.

Timed reaction papers in class (15 minutes each) (25%)
We will end five classes early during the semester for you to write a 15 minute (1-2 page) reaction to a burning issue. We are not looking for a “right” answer, but rather for an informed, thoughtful and well-argued answer to the question. Again, preparing readings for each day of class will assist you in preparing for these assignments. A sample reaction paper question and answer will be provided to you before the first assignment.

Exams (40%)
There will be a Midterm and a Final Exam in this course, consisting of (hopefully) thoughtful essays. We have designed the exams to make you think --not cram--, so there are no multiple choice or short answer questions. The Midterm, scheduled for October 28th, will cover the first half of the course. You will be given six thought questions on October 14th and you will have almost two weeks to read up, think, and organize your responses. Two of the six questions will comprise the in-class midterm examination. Do not bring a bluebook; we will supply the paper. The Final exam, scheduled from 4:30-7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 12th, will likewise require you to answer two questions of the six questions that you will have received in advance (on December 2nd). As with the timed reaction papers, we are not looking for a “right” answer, but rather for an informed, thoughtful and well-argued answer to the questions.

Deadlines:
Writing assignments, tests, etc., are carefully scheduled as stages toward the fulfillment of the course's goals and cannot be indefinitely deferred without frustrating those goals. Brief extensions for good reasons may be permissible with the instructor's prior approval; otherwise, late assignments will be penalized and may result in their not being accepted for credit.

Intellectual honesty:
All work is assumed to be the student's own and produced exclusively for the course in which it is submitted. Papers written for one course, even if revised, are not to be submitted in another without the instructor's prior approval. Borrowing of ideas or language from other sources (including published material, other student papers, the Internet or other electronic resources, etc.) must be carefully documented. Cases of suspected plagiarism will be referred to the University, and the student if convicted will receive a grade of F in the course in addition to sanctions assigned by the University. Carelessness in documenting sources, even if not technically plagiarism, win be penalized as the instructor deems appropriate. If you are uncertain about how or whether to document sources, consult your teacher.

Technology short courses

Two short small-lab technology classes are required for successful completion of this course. All students will attend two classes (each counts for 5% of the final grade):

· E-mail for Thinkers (everyone)
· either Dream Weaver (beginning) or An Evening of Flash (advanced)

All students will produce a final multimedia website that demonstrates your comfort with basic/advanced coding and web design. Attendance at each lab session counts as 5% of your final grade (2 sessions = 10%), production and quality of your web site for an additional 5% of the final grade. Beginning technology students will be allowed to attend the advanced Flash classes if they have already completed Dream Weaver. Sign up sheets available in class now.

E-mail for Thinkers (all students)
This class starts with web mail basics, moving quickly into the mechanics of how and why e-mail/web-mail work. You will learn about privacy and security concerns like mail viruses, cookies and spam, and you will understand what is really happening when your e-mail software interacts with a mail server. Meetings are in the Stadium 350 laboratory, which seats 18 at one time. The dates and times for these short courses are:
Monday September 8th 1-3pm
Thursday September 11th 10-noon
Friday September 19th 10-noon
Monday September 29th 1-3pm
Tuesday September 30th 10-noon

Creating a Web Page I (Basic skill level)
All the basics, with no prior knowledge expected. In this class you will learn how to:
create a homepage with Dream Weaver MX; enter, format and edit text; add graphics to the page; create external links; publish your web site - "go live." You will also learn where--exactly--that web site goes when you publish it. Note: You will need to have a "place" to store your web page. Check with the IT Service Center 303.735.HELP (4357) to verify that you are set up with this. ***Please bring a CD-R and your e-mail login name and password with you*** These classes will be held in the TAM Lab (MCDB A2B07).

An Evening of Flash
Introductory and more advanced sessions on use of Macromedia Flash MX for Web production and design. These classes will be held in the TAM Lab (MCDB A2B07).

The dates and times for these short courses will be announced in class and sign-up sheets will be provided. We will wait to assess the optimal scheduling for you before we set these dates and times. There will be 4 options.

Final Web assignment
The Meaning of Information Technology
Some guidelines for a well-designed web presence:

Remember that your web site is your dominant physical presence on the Internet (and in fact, it is perhaps the only aspect of your cyber-identity that you can control completely). Carefully consider how you wish to appear to others, what first impression you want to convey, and how you can use good design to enhance this message. It is entirely your choice, for example, whether you want an image of yourself or not, or other images that communicate who you are. By the last day of this course, December 12th (One month from today), you will turn in the attached information sheet with your web site URL and a brief explanation of your design and content choices.

Key design tips from the experts at Web Pages That Suck:

1. Check the alignment. Remember, this doesn't mean everything is aligned on one edge--you might have three columns, but they should all be left-aligned (not two left-aligned and one centered, for instance), or maybe they're all centered under a centered head. Just don't mix alignments. Does everything on the page have some visual connection with something else on the page? Can you draw a straight line from the edge of each item, such as a block of text, to the edge of another?

2. Group similar elements into closer proximity. Make sure headlines are closer to their related body copy than to the text or graphics above them. If a headline is two lines, make sure the lines are close to each other. Make sure captions are close to their photos. Make sure subheads have more space above than below them. Make sure there is enough space between elements that are not similar. Make sure the spatial arrangements provide a visitor with instant visual clues as to the hierarchy of information. Be sure that it is easy and intuitive to navigate your site unless you want to make navigation intentionally difficult.

3. Create repetitive elements/a unified theme. Especially if your web page is part of a web site (which it probably is), create repetitive elements that will let a reader know instantly that this page is part of the complete site. The repetition might be as simple as a color scheme, a consistent background pattern, an arrangement of elements, graphic headlines, a navigation bar, etc. Even if your entire web "site" is only one page, that page could probably use some repetitive elements to unify the various pieces. Find something you're using already, such as bullets, and make them interesting (but not big) bullets--those can be your repeating element.

4. Create contrast in appropriate places. Avoid a flat, gray page. Use a background that contrasts with the text and graphics. If there isn't one already, establish a hierarchy of information so the reader can easily skim to the section they need. Use contrast of size and weight (boldness) to create the hierarchy. Pick up a color from your color scheme and use it in headlines and important words. Try to make your site accessible to people whose vision is less-than-perfect.

The Meaning of Information Technology personal web site

Your name: E-mail: _____

Your web site URL:

Your web site is your dominant physical presence on the Internet (and in fact, it is perhaps the only aspect of your cyber-identity that you can control completely). Now that you have created your site, please explain your creative choices below. This written explanation will help us to evaluate the success of your project based on your creative goals. If you would rather answer the following questions on your web site itself (this is entirely optional and will not affect your grade), you are welcome to do so. Just fill out the information above so that we can find your site and indicate where on your site you have placed your answers to these questions. This sheet is due on the last day of class, December 12th 2002.

1. Explain why you chose the design elements (color, font, spacing, theme, navigation, images, background) that you did. How do they create a satisfactory virtual presence for you on the web?

2. Do you consider this page to be very personal/moderately personal/ impersonal? That is, how much of you do you reveal on this site? How much do you choose to conceal? Explain these choices.

3. If your technological ability were limitless, what else would you want to do with this web site? How would it look, what features would it have? How would it communicate better who you are and/or what you believe in?

4. Find one other web site that you admire and provide the URL. What specific elements do you think are admirable about the site (Design? Content? Layout? Overall impression? Cool technology?)