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: Critical Ethnography in a Data Intensive Society

In our data-driven world, language, culture, and everyday life are increasingly transformed into data. This course helps students navigate that landscape by treating data not as neutral but as shaped by social, political, and cultural forces. Students will learn to question the myths and assumptions behind data practices, recognize persuasive or misleading narratives, and develop strategies for more ethical and contextualized use of information. Blending theory and practice, the course introduces qualitative and ethnographic approaches that complement quantitative methods. Students will experiment with ways of representing information, create visual artifacts, and evaluate them from multiple perspectives. Readings draw from information design, data visualization, and critical design within Information Science. By semester’s end, students will be able to design, interpret, and communicate data in ways that are both analytically rigorous and responsive to the needs of diverse audiences.

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.