This is a survey course covering the basics of the informatics professions. We cover some history of informatics as an academic discipline and profession, review some of the significant concepts that students can expect to cover later in the Informatics major and minor, and review the different concentrations available to Informatics students. Assessment in this course is conducted through weekly quizzes and discussion questions; a short, persuasive, group presentation; and a longer-term persuasive essay project with both individual and group components.

This class offers students hands-on practice with Canvas and other digital tools in order to scaffold success in the informatics program. Students will conduct an independent, iterative research project including the following steps: crafting a research question, finding and evaluating sources, and presenting information.

Survey the ethical foundations for informatics, incorporating non-Western and feminist perspectives. Apply these ethical foundations to contemporary problems in informatics. Examine the confrontation of ethical dilemmas in the workplace, including recognizing value trade-offs, affected stakeholders, and potential solutions. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. This course carries the Writing Flag and the Ethics flag Ethics courses are designed to equip students with skills that are necessary for making ethical decisions in their adult and professional lives. Students should therefore expect a substantial portion of their grade to come from assignments involving ethical issues and the process of applying ethical reasoning to real-life situations.

Introduction to computer programming for those without any prior knowledge or experience in computer programming. We will introduce four broad areas related to success in computer programming: language, software engineering concepts, programming environment, and practical know-how.

In this age of information, we repeatedly hear the phrase “Do your research!”, but what does that mean? And more importantly, why does it matter? This course is broken into two parts designed to provide a foundation to begin answering these questions: 1. The first half of the course is an introduction to research, exploring what research is, what research can look like within the field of Informatics, and how Informatics research can be leveraged for social good. 2. The second half of the course dives deeper into “research methodology,” how research is done and some of the most common tools we use to explore the field’s most burning questions. Students will learn about the functions of qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as how the pieces of the research process fit together to explore challenges and potential solutions by applying human-centered values to the intersections of information, people, and technology. This course is held in-person and rather than exams, assignments are designed to encourage students to apply course concepts to their own interests. Students will leave this course empowered as citizens to critically evaluate research in terms of process, ethics, and equity.

We will describe data using visual and numerical descriptions (visualization and summary statistics). We will learn to make predictions and draw inferences using simple and multiple linear regression. We will learn classification using logistic regression. We will learn how to interpret diagnostic plots that accompany linear models. We will practice all these things using R and RStudio, which will be taught as part of the class. Some math and programming is not required but will be helpful in reducing the workload in the class. A statistics course is required but other statistics courses can be substituted for this one. This course counts for the Quantitative Reasoning flag, starting in Fall 2024.

This course is designed to help set students majoring in Informatics up for career success post-graduation. What does career success look like? Well, philosophically many things depending on context. This course, however, focuses on the transition between the last year of college and the first year of a career. The semester is broken into three units as a foundation to begin answering these questions: 1. The Landscape: What opportunities exist for graduates with my skillsets and interests? What do different job titles actually mean? How do I know which path is right for me? How do I find jobs and opportunities I’m interested in and qualified for? 2. The Application & Interview Process: After Unit 1, I know the kinds of positions and career paths I’m interested in post-graduation, but how I do actually get the job/position or accepted to my program of interest? In a sea of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of applicants, how do I show I’m a good fit in an application and an interview? Once I have options, how do I choose what’s right for me? 3. The First Year: How do I make sure my first year is successful? How do I navigate a new professional space? How do I set myself up to build relationships and perform well? How do I apply what I’ve learned in the Informatics Major and at UT to grow as an ethical, equitable leader and information professional? This course is held in-person and rather than exams, assignments are built as concrete materials students can use in their career searches and professional endeavors. Students will leave this course empowered to successfully navigate the Informatics-related job market and professional opportunities

As the culminating experience of the undergraduate Informatics Program, I 379C allows every student to apply their unique skillsets and learnings to a "degree-capping" project that is focused on a real-world problem or initiative. Informatics Capstone projects can take many forms, but typically involve aligning on a specific project and plan with an industry or faculty project sponsor, and then completing the project over the course of the semester. This course is designed to support your capstone journey throughout the semester as you work on your project with your Field Supervisor. Progress in the course is measured through weekly updates and documents submitted directly to Canvas. During the semester, the course meets once per week, and during these sessions we'll focus on items and issues relevant to your capstone experience. You'll have an opportunity to present your work also, through class presentations and the final poster session where your sponsors, faculty, and other students can meet you and discuss your project. Summary of Course Goals 1. Deliver a professional-level project/solution to showcase your knowledge, skills, and abilities. 2. Take direction and feedback from a supervisor working in your applied field of study. 3. Strengthen communication and presentation skills. 4. Manage expectations around project goals, schedule, and deliverables.

This course explores the life cycle of a digital library/collection through various critical lenses and hands-on experiences. The objective of the course is for students to obtain a solid understanding of the theoretical frameworks, technical processes, and technologies needed to build meaningful, ethical, and reusable digital libraries.

This course examines key issues, challenges, and opportunities in the creation, management, and leadership of nonprofit organizations. Attention is given both to internal organizational issues and to nonprofits’ relationships with key external constituencies. Among the topics to be considered are nonprofit creation, mission management, organizational leadership, funding strategies, partnerships, and the impact of the public policy environment. Readings and discussion will examine nonprofits in varied fields of activity (such as human services and culture). Assignments and exercises will be employed to help develop presentation and grant writing skills. The course is organized in a seminar format and will employ exercises and cases to translate broad themes to practical issues related to nonprofit strategy and management. Guest speakers will periodically join us to share their own experiences building and running nonprofits (additional speakers may be added).

Disaster events, like floods and fires, can cause severe damage and loss in cultural heritage collections. How will you respond when disaster strikes? This course introduces students to the fundamental preservation concepts, planning strategies, and applied response techniques that make a difference. The class will evaluate the physical impact of fire, water, soot, mold, and insects on varied media, including books, flat paper, audiovisual materials, and other items. Disaster planning exercises model proactive methods to minimize damage. Hands-on response drills enable students to practice salvage techniques, and to triage and prioritize impacted materials.

In this class, we will explore different strategies for including games in collections across libraries, archives, and museums using case studies of specific institutions. We will also address unique qualities of digital and board games that make them challenging to existing practice in the field. Students will have hands-on experience with games through the semester.

Learning key data wrangling maneuvers in abstract and implementations in SQL, Excel, R Tidyverse, and Python Pandas. Maneuvers in data transformations include Nest, Pivot, Mutate (inc. separate/unite), Group/Summarize and Rectangling. Projects include working with "wild caught" data datasets (usually CSV or JSON) and computational notebook environments (e.g., iPython, Jupyter, Rmarkdown, Quarto). Fall 2024 has changes from previous syllabus now that we have Database Design and Introduction to Programming. Nonetheless, the previous syllabus is still useful as it links to course materials that show the teaching approach and type of assignments. http://howisonlab.github.io/datawrangling/#Schedule_of_classes

Exhibits are a powerful way for libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions to engage the public with their collections. This course offers students the opportunity to plan and install an exhibit, focusing on objectives such as: crafting a narrative around physical objects; drafting exhibit text; accommodating media preservation issues; building basic display supports; and publicizing the exhibit. Students will learn about the historical origins of modern-day exhibit practices and will visit and evaluate current exhibits on campus and in the Austin area.

Records Management is the “field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use, and disposition of records…” (ISO 15489). This course introduces the principles and practices involved in managing physical and digital records and information in private and public sector organizations.

This course will introduce students to contemporary issues in archival studies through readings, research, writing, group discussion, and visits from leaders in the archival studies field.

Management of specific preservation strategies for the cultural record, with an emphasis on assessing preservation needs of a collection and grant writing.

Examines the permanent archiving of digital information. Covers media refreshment, emulation, migration, and electronic records repository construction and administration. Case study projects involving campus repositories and off-campus institutions. Students use legacy hardware and software and digital forensics tools to preprocess digital collections for repository storage. Also explores issues in long-term electronic records preservation

Study of audio recording through a chronological examination of the development of recording; basic care and preservation of recordings; Preservation of audio archives; and stability concerns of audiovisual media.

Ever wondered how libraries and archives safeguard historical materials for future generations? Preservation is the answer. In this course, students learn collections care strategies that enable today’s information stewards to protect our growing cultural record. Scientific foundations and practical exercises will address common preservation challenges, such as environmental control, mold, insects, pollutants, and light damage. Modern topics in health, safety, and sustainability will highlight the developing nature of the field. Students will evaluate preservation risks for books, paper, electronic media, and other collections materials.

Moving images have emerged in the 20th century as one of the dominant methods of conveying history, communications, and entertainment. The earliest films date back to the 1880s and paved the way for major technological and artistic developments, resulting in a modern-day media landscape including analog video, born-digital video, and even AI. Despite the recency of these inventions, moving images are rapidly degrading and their playback technologies are fading into obsolescence. The Library of Congress estimates that 70% of silent films from the United States are permanently lost, either due to lack of preservation, fire, or disposal. Films that do remain may succumb to vinegar syndrome, plasticizer decay, and poor housing conditions, rendering them unviewable despite being less than 150 years old. We see similar issues with analog video formats, many of which are struggling with sticky shed syndrome, scarcity in video decks for playback, and proprietary engineering. This course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of moving image technologies and their preservation, ranging from film to video to born-digital files, in order to prepare emerging archivists for future encounters with these formats when working in the field.