1. Presentation - One of the skills necessary to live and work successfully in an age of information is the ability to process, organize, and present data. For this reason, the course offers you the opportunity to exercise, develop, and demonstrate this ability that has been and will continue to be an integral part of your educational experience. Each class meeting one or more seminar members will provide a formal presentation (approximately 20-30 minutes) of the texts/topics that are to be considered that class period. These presentations are not book reports. They must be critical engagements with the material that are designed to initiate and to structure seminar discussion. The manner of presentation is wide open, and you are encouraged to be creative and innovative. In presenting the material, each presenter is required to incorporate some mode of presentation technology. This may include video, overheads, web materials, PowerPoint graphics, etc. The presentations will be formally evaluated using the following evaluation rubric:

 

Presentation Evaluation Rubric

Sign-up Procedure - A sign-up sheet will be circulated during the second class meeting. You are encouraged to browse the course calendar to decide on a presentation topic and date. It is your responsibility to remember the date of your presentation and plan accordingly. Missing your presentation will constitute failure of the assignment.

Slide Share - After your presentation, please upload your presentation slides in order to make these materials available to the seminar. Slides may be uploaded (preferably in pdf format) to the Discuss/Share" space on the course Blackboard page.

2. Maker Exercises - Students will complete four "learn-by-doing" exercises designed to provide hands-on practical knowledge of communication technology and to assist in the development of basic computer/digital media skills. These exercises will be developed, executed, and evaluated during class meetings. Students who are absent for these sessions, will need to complete the work on their own outside class and present the results to the instructor no later than 1 week after the scheduled lab session.

• Code - Learn how computers are programmed and function by writing basic web applications.
• Remix - Use audio processing and editing tools to create an original digital remix.
• Chatbot - Create an interactive chatbot that can talk with you.
• Social Robot - Experiment and communicate with a socially interactive robot.

3. Research Paper - This activity offers you the opportunity to research, examine, and write about a particular problem or issue in the new field of communication and information technology. Early in the semester, seminar members will choose one of the topics addressed in the course to study and research. (The research topic may be the same as your presentation topic. Although this integration is not a requirement, it will help you consolidate and minimize your work.) These projects are designed to demonstrate your critical thinking and research skills, to provide original work for a growing data-base of information in communication technology, and to assist development of your MA thesis or project. At the end of the course, seminar members will present their research to the class for comment and discussion. Projects will be assessed and evaluated using the following evaluation rubric:

 

Research Paper Evaluation Rubric

The project must be delivered in both hardcopy form and as a pdf document for web distribution. The text should be prepared following the current guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) The projects are due on 30 April 2019 and will be formally presented to the seminar. A project proposal will be due on 20 February 2019. The proposal is an important and necessary step in the development of the project. It will provide you an opportunity to test your thesis and approach prior to committing any significant time to research and writing. The instructor will read the proposals and provide feedback and comments to assist your work. For this reason, the proposal (although not evaluated for a letter grade) is absolutely necessary.

 

Procedural Ecology

Ethical Approach to Drones

Influencing the Influencer

 

4. Examination - The course will conclude with a comprehensive final examination. The examination does not require pointless memorization and/or regurgitation. Rather, it is designed to assess your knowledge of and facility with communication technology. The examination will consist of four sections.

• Talk the Talk - Define technical terms and acronyms (i.e. URL, Hypertext, ARPANET).
• It's Who You Know - Identify major figures in the field of CMC (i.e. J. C. R. Licklider, Jaron Lanier, Donna Haraway).
• Short Answers - Provide brief responses to short answer questions (i.e. The Internet has been described as a "decentralized web of heterogeneous processors." What does this phrase mean?).
• Essay - Write an essay in response to a question. This part of the exam will be written on the computer and students may use both word processing tools (spell check) and Internet resources in constructing their responses.

Questions in the first three parts will be based on course materials and our investigation of these materials in seminar discussions. They will examine your understanding of terminology, people, and basic concepts that are necessary for a working knowledge of advanced communication technologies and computer-based systems. The essay question will provoke critical reflection on or assessment of a particular issue previously discussed in seminar meetings. It will assess your ability to reflect critically on a contended issue and your skill in communicating this assessment in writing. The essay part of the exam will be written on the computer and students may use both word processing applications and Internet resources in constructing their responses.

Several days before the examination, an on-line study guide will be published. The study guide will list all elements that need to be reviewed prior to the exam. The best way to prepare for the examination is to complete the study guide. And the only way to complete the study guide is to read the course material, to attend class, and to take notes during discussion. If you read the material and participate in class discussions, you should have no problem with the examination. If you do not read the material and are consistently absent, you should expect to have considerable trouble with the examination.

Evaluation Distribution (400 Total Points)

Presentation = 100 points

Exercises = 100 points (4 x 25 points per project)

Research Paper = 100 points

Examination = 100 points

Grade Scale

A = 369-400

A- = 360-368

B+ = 348-359

B = 334-347

B- = 320-333

C+ = 307-319

C = 280-306

D = 240-279

My Grades

Blackboard Login

Academic Integrity - Good academic work must be based on honesty. The attempt of any student to present as his or her own work that which he or she has not produced is regarded by the faculty and administration as a serious offense. Students are considered to have cheated if they copy the work of another during an examination or turn in a paper or an assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else. Students are responsible for plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material from books, magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging those sources or if they paraphrase ideas from such sources without acknowledging them. Students responsible for, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university.

Classroom Conduct - This course encourages students to form, express, and defend their own ideas. In order to ensure a fair and equitable environment for the open discussion of these ideas, students agree to be respectful and civil in their interactions with each other and with the instructor. Debate and criticism will be directed to ideas and the mode of their expression and not to the individual person who articulates it.

Accessibility - Northern Illinois University is committed to providing an accessible educational environment in collaboration with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). Any student requiring an academic accommodation due to a disability should let his or her faculty member know as soon as possible. Students who need academic accommodations based on the impact of a disability will be encouraged to contact the DRC if they have not done so already. The DRC is located on the 4th floor of the Health Services Building, and can be reached at 815-753-1303 or drc@niu.edu.

Terms & Conditions - The policies, procedures, and responsibilities articulated on this website are considered binding and in full force and effect for the entire academic semester during which a student is enrolled in the course. By registering for the course, students consent to these stipulations and affirm that they have read, understood, and agree to abide by everything contained herein. Only students who officially drop the course or withdraw from the university will be considered to be released of these responsibilities prior to the recording of final grades. Additionally, exceptions to and/or alterations in the policies, procedures, and responsibilities listed on this website will only be considered in situations of extreme hardship, documented learning disability, or medical emergency. In all cases, the instructor will be considered to be the final arbiter of any request for exception.