Fall 2022

SI 699 – User Experience Research & Design (syllabus)

The UX Research and Design mastery course prepares students to demonstrate mastery of applying design theories, concepts, and principles to defining valid problems; uncovering user needs; articulating service requirements; documenting UX research results; proposing, refining, and prototyping design solutions; and communicating with stakeholders effectively.

UMSI Mastery courses are special types of courses that allow students to demonstrate synthesis of the major theories, methods, and approaches to inquiry and/or schools of practice necessary for entry into a particular career in the information professions.

Students have opportunities to integrate methods and theories about user experience design in this course by engaging in the whole process, from identifying design issues to developing design solutions. Students work on a single project end-to-end during the semester in small groups. Most projects are chosen and designed by students from scratch, motivated by instructor-selected topic areas.

Winter 2023

SI 430 – Information Technology & Global Society

In this course, students will examine recent and current global events featuring information technology, and through both discussion and introspection, construct their own personal hypotheses of technology and society. Along the way, students will hear about the way in which information technology is touching the remotest places in the world, gain an introduction to formal theories of technology and society, and stress-test their critical thinking skills.