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

The quote above perfectly sums up my philosophy on education. While there is much to take issue with Aristotle’s philosophy on the structure of society and who deserved to be educated, many scholars have built on his concept of learning by doing. We find strands of this idea in John Dewey’s experiential learning, in which he stresses the importance of the social and interactive processes of learning. These ideas, along with Seymore Papert’s constructionist philosophy in which students learn by creating and critiquing tangible artifacts appeal to the maker and educator in me. But when these theories fall short, especially within the racial and class based hegemonies in our society, I rely on Paulo Freire’s concept of critical pedagogy to contextualize students learning towards emancipatory outcomes. 

Teaching for emancipation is the idea that all student learning can and should be directed towards a critical understanding of the reality of the situation that questions existing power structures. One way to produce such learning outcomes is to contextualize the assignments within existing sociopolitical controversies and guide students in unpacking them. Being cognizant of the needs of others in your team, neighborhood, community or country and using your skills and training to meet them will produce the kind of service mentality that is characteristic of some of our greatest leaders. While achieving this ideal in all of my courses is not always possible, I look to incorporate these philosophies of teaching and learning in all of the courses I teach. 

COURSES TAUGHT

ICT 605: Introduction to Human Computer Interaction

Human computer interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary field in which computer scientists, engineers, psychologists, social scientists, and design professionals play important roles. The goal of HCI is to solve real problems in the design and use of technology, making computer-based systems easier to use and more effective for people and organizations. Ease of use and effectiveness are critical to the success of any systems that interact with people, including software systems, home, office and factory appliances, and web and phone applications. This course provides an overview and introduction to the field of human-computer interaction, with a focus on how it applies to managers, technology executives, and others who will work with human computer interfaces. Emphasis will be placed on what HCI methods and HCI-trained specialists can bring to software design and development teams.

ICT 695: Critical Design of Information

The goal of this course is to understand the different theories, processes, practices, and tools involved in representing information to an audience. We will do this by reading about the different ways in which information have been represented, creating our own visual representations, and critiquing them from multiple perspectives. Reading assignments for this class will be selected from textbooks and research articles about topics including but not limited to information design, data visualization, and critical design in the field of Information Science. These readings will guide our engagement in a semester long project, in which we will use the ‘Civic Data Guide’ to qualitatively and quantitatively unpack a dataset and the settings that they come from. This course will place equal emphasis on acquiring the aesthetic and technical skills needed for the visual representation of information, as well as developing the theoretical vocabulary needed to discuss them critically. By the end of the course, students will produce a visual artifact that is informed by one or more of the critical perspectives they read about in the course.

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.