Teaching

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them" – Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book II, p.91

COURSES TAUGHT

ICT 605: Introduction to Human Computer Interaction

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary field that brings together computer scientists, engineers, psychologists, social scientists, and design professionals to address real-world challenges in the design and use of technology. The aim of HCI is to make computer-based systems more effective and easier to use for individuals and organizations, recognizing that ease of use and effectiveness are essential to the success of systems ranging from software applications to household devices and industrial tools. This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the field of HCI, with a particular emphasis on its relevance to managers, technology leaders, and professionals who engage with human-computer interfaces. Students will explore the cognitive, social, emotional, and ethical aspects of how people interact with technology; learn key HCI principles such as usability, affordances, direct manipulation, and interaction design heuristics; and gain hands-on experience with the user-centered design process, including need finding, data analysis, sketching, prototyping, and evaluation. Special attention will be given to the value that HCI methods and specialists bring to software design and development teams.

ICT 695: Navigating Data Worlds: A Critical Ethnographic Perspective

In a society where language, discourse, and culture are increasingly datafied, it is essential to critically examine the conditions and contexts from which data emerges, as well as the narratives it constructs. To navigate this landscape, we must become critical data practitioners who not only work competently with data but also question the dominant myths that shape our understanding of a data-driven world.  This involves closely examining data practices, including how they reshape institutions, influence business models, and give rise to new forms of governance and civic engagement. This course is designed to cultivate your ability to ask meaningful, critical questions of data and to recognize and resist persuasive rhetoric or misleading narratives. These capabilities are essential not only for information professionals, but for anyone interacting with data and information in everyday life. The primary goal of this course is to equip you with the theories, methods, and critical frameworks necessary to collect, interpret, and represent information for diverse audiences. We will explore ethnographic practices that help us gather contextual data, enabling deeper analysis and understanding. In doing so, this course will serve as a complement to more quantitatively focused or rule-based approaches to data analysis.

ICT 301: Introduction to Databases

This course is intended to introduce students to the basics of database driven web applications, with a focus on PHP and relational database management systems. The course covers the basics of server-side programing and includes topics like data modeling, database design theory, data definition and manipulation languages, storage and indexing techniques, query processing and optimization, and database programming interfaces.

ICT 202: Technologies for Information Services

This course is designed to teach the fundamental concepts of information technology in ways relevant to professional practice in informatics and the information professions. It explores applications of computers and networks to information problems. Included are features of hardware, types of software, commercial systems, and search engines.