Course Offerings

In this class we'll use history and readings to not only understand the current state of the information field, but how we got here. Seeing that, students will understand that they have the power to shape and improve the information field. Students will also work in in-class teams to cement ideas and connect to other students in the class. We work to answer the question of why UX designers, archivists, AI ethicists, and librarians are all in the same graduate program. Ultimately the goal is to connect, understand, and inspire.

As the culminating experience of the MSIS program, INF 388L allows every student to apply their unique skillsets and learnings to a professional project that is focused on a real-world problem or initiative. The course is designed to support your capstone journey throughout the semester as you work on your project with your project Field Supervisor. As an asynchronous course, students and instructors communicate via Canvas and various discussion prompts. Progress in the course is measured through updates and documents submitted directly to Canvas. During the semester, time is allotted for 1-on-1 meetings between student and instructor, and for small group meetings, as needed. 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.

In this course, you will gain exposure to legal reference questions and the reference interview, investigate legal research sources, and beome familiar with the methods and strategies for conducting legal reference and basic legal research.

Examine inquiry models and information-seeking theories relevant to K-12 teaching and learning. Explore tools and resources for student learning and strategies for teaching specific information literacy skills within the context of a research-based inquiry.

History and ongoing evolution of instruction in library and information service settings; conceptions of information literacy; learning theories and pedagogical approaches; instructional design principles, including backward design; and reflective teaching practice.

The purpose of this course is to provide theoretical and practical foundations for information professionals who wish to design and evaluate search systems and services, taking user-centered approaches. This course explores search user interfaces, search behavior, search interaction, search user experience, search as learning, search for creativity, and research methods for understanding information behavior and evaluating search systems. Students will learn search behavior across various contexts, including academic and professional settings, everyday life, and digital learning environments. Students will gain insights into how people interact with, use, and evaluate information in a variety of application areas, such as web search engines, domain-specific search systems, digital libraries, social search platforms, and generative AI-based systems.

Designed for students pursuing Texas Education Agency (TEA) certification in school librarianship. Examine the philosophy, objectives, and management of the school library with an emphasis on standards and competencies, and the roles of the school librari

Designed for students pursuing Texas Education Agency (TEA) certification in school librarianship. Examine the philosophy, objectives, standards, and management of the school library with an emphasis on the roles of the school librarian as an instructiona

This course will develop your skills to effectively manage a library, or information organization. We’ll be looking at problems faced by many types of libraries: public, academic, school, special. We’ll examine staffing, budget, collection development, patron behavior, and managing the expectations of users.

Designed for students pursuing Texas Education Agency (TEA) certification in school librarianship. 160 hours of field work in varied school library settings under the supervision of a qualified field supervisor and site supervisor.