SLIS 5040 Human Information Behavior Syllabus INSTRUCTORS Yunfei Du, Ph.D. Department of Library and Information Sciences Email: Yunfei.du@unt.edu Web: http://courses.unt.edu/ydu/ Phone: 940-369-8093 Office time: By appointment. DESCRIPTION Catalog description Human cognitive behavior in seeking, searching for, browsing, evaluating, and using information. Concepts and contexts of types of knowledge and information need. Professional methods for and practice in user needs assessment, user profiling, and mediation processes for purposes of developing user-centered information systems and services. Goals and objectives The first goal is to introduce a variety of perspectives on human information behavior. The objectives are for you to understand: Major models of information need, seeking, searching, evaluation, and use User-centered approaches to developing and improving information services and systems Major research methods for collecting and analyzing data on information behavior The second goal is to encourage development of the skills in conducting literary and empirical research. The objectives are for you to be able to: Locate, assess, synthesize, and criticize research literature on a specific information behavior topic Develop an original professional project proposal including data-collection instruments Collect data on actual user behavior in a prescribed setting using established research methods
Course format This is a seminar course. You are expected to interact with the class from your own experiences, readings, and research. REQUIREMENTS Readings: The textbook is: Case, D. O. (2012). Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs, and behavior. New York: Academic Press. Additional readings are required; see list in course homepage. Counts for 35% of final grade. Personal observation: Description of your own information behavior in finding and giving information. Short paper and class discussion. Counts 10% of final grade. Public observation: Description of information behavior observed in a public place. Short paper and class discussion. Counts 15% of final grade. User group analysis: In-depth literature-based report on information behavior of a selected type of users. May be done with a partner. Counts 20% of final grade. Professional project proposal: Proposal for developing an information service or product with a focus on needs assessment and evaluation methods. Includes design and pilot testing of a data-collection instrument. Examples of instruments include surveys, interview questions, and observation check list. Paper may be done with a partner. Counts 20% of final grade, including 5% for instrument design. Bonus points: Students who attend at least one of Wimba Live Classrooms will be awarded an extra 2 points. Guest lecture dates will be announced when the information is available. See Blackboard course for details on assignments. GRADING Grading scale Grades per assignment are distributed as shown above. Grades for each assignment and the final course grade determined on a 100-point scale with 10 points per grade (90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, etc.). Ten points will be deducted each day for late assignments. If you do the user group analysis or professional project proposal assignment with a partner, the papers are expected to be longer, and both of you will receive the same grade based on the quality of the paper. The writing should be seamless; that is, the reader should not be able to tell which parts were contributed by whom. Grading criteria
Content: All topics must relate to human behavior. Technology topics such as those related to computer interface design are welcome, but must be approached from a user perspective. Completeness: Assignments are detailed. Avoid losing points for incompleteness or failure to follow instructions. If you do not understand the assignment, ask for help prior to the deadline. Writing: Both substantive content and quality of writing are considered. Substantive content includes demonstrated knowledge of appropriate concepts, strong supporting material, reasonable conclusions or solutions, and completeness. Quality of writing covers organization and clarity of expression, appropriate use of references, and correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling. References must be in APA style. Grade options Extra credit: Assignments for extra credit will not be made under any circumstances. If you are having trouble with regular assignments, consult the instructor as soon as possible. Incomplete: See UNT Graduate Catalog for policies and semester schedule for deadlines. A grade of incomplete (I) will be given only for justifiable reason and only if you are passing the course. It is your responsibility to contact the instructor to request an incomplete and discuss requirements for completing the course. If you do not remove the incomplete within the time frame agreed upon with the instructor, you will receive a grade of F. Withdrawal: See UNT Graduate Catalog for policies and semester schedule for deadlines. A grade of withdraw (W) or withdraw-failing (WF) will be given depending on your participation and grades to date. If you simply disappear and do not file a formal UNT withdrawal form, you may receive a grade of F. ADA compliance POLICIES If you have a disability and require accommodation under the terms of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you must present a written accommodation request to the instructor by the end of the first week of the semester. You should submit a request even if it is possible that accommodation may not be necessary later in the semester. You should register with the UNT Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA; http://www.unt.edu/oda/ or 940-565-4323), which provides many kinds of support services. Procedures are explained in the Disability Accommodation Policy in the UNT Policy Manual (http://policy.unt.edu/policy/18-1-14). Plagiarism Definition: Plagiarism is a type of academic misconduct along with cheating and other unethical and illegal activities. The UNT Code of Student Conduct and Discipline says students are responsible for understanding the meanings and consequences of academic misconduct. It defines plagiarism as follows: The term "plagiarism" includes, but is not limited to: (a) the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement and (b) the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or by an agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials. Penalties: The Code states that penalties for academic misconduct range from reducing the grade for a test or assignment to revoking a completed academic degree. Plagiarism is illegal, unethical, and unacceptable. Originality of work in written assignments may be verified through Turnitin.com or other means. Instances of plagiarism in this course will result in these penalties:
First offense: Assignment grade reduced by one complete grade Second offense: Final course grade reduced by one complete grade Third offense: Final course grade of F (Fail) Guidelines: To avoid charges of plagiarism, you are advised as follows: Do not quote or paraphrase published works, including assigned readings and Web-based sources, without explicit reference to the original work. Credit the source using appropriate APA citation style. Do not insert parts of other students' work into your own work. You are expected to study and learn from the materials available, and then to use your own words in your assignments, or clearly credit the sources. You do not have to police every word you write, just be aware of your sources. It is not necessary to cite sources of general knowledge, such as definitions of basic concepts in the field, but it is wise to reword them. When in doubt, ask the instructor. Human subjects Surveys, interviews, experiments, and other methods for collecting data from people should be carefully designed to avoid not only unscientific biases in the data, but also unethical or illegal treatment of respondents. You should be aware that there are legal restrictions on collecting and disseminating data in human subjects research and ask your instructor before proceeding. Minimal data collection is required for assignments in this course. This is legal without prior approval by the UNT Institutional Review Board, which states: In general, research that involves data gathered solely for internal UNT use (e.g., course evaluation, program evaluation, or institutional research) or as part of a classroom project that will not be presented outside the classroom does not need to be reviewed by the IRB. However, if the results of this research will be disseminated publicly in any way, then the research is subject to review by the IRB. If no public dissemination is planned at the time the data is gathered, but the possibility of future dissemination exists, the researcher is advised to submit the project for IRB review and approval before initiating the research. Publication of an article in an academic journal, presenting the study at an academic conference, and using human subjects research data in a master s thesis or doctoral dissertation are all considered to be contributing to generalizable knowledge and thus prior IRB review and approval is required. See UNT IRB Guidelines (http://research.unt.edu/faculty-resources/research-integrity-and-compliance/use-of-humans-inresearch/unt-irb-approval-process) for more information. Electronic tracking Blackboard enables the instructor to track some site usage date, such as logins and page hits. (You can also view your own usage data.) This information may be used, in part, in determining your level of activity in the course. Class Conduct Availability: The instructor is available for consultation online in WebCT, (after class for face-to-face classes), by appointment, and by phone. You are expected to check WebCT mail between classes to see whether the instructor or others are trying to reach you, and to understand that others are not online 24/7 to respond immediately. Participation: A seminar requires a high level of participation in all activities in order to fully benefit students. Participation includes meeting deadlines, being prepared for class discussions, responding to mail and class discussions, and join peer
reviews. Courtesy: In all class discussions and coursework, both onsite and online, the instructor and students are expected to demonstrate professional behavior. This means cooperating and interacting in a courteous, supportive, and tactful manner based on mutual respect for others' ideas.