Fall 2018
INF 385T Special Topics in Information Science: Designing User Interfaces for Children
DESCRIPTION
The course provides students with an overview of topics related to child development and user interface design for children, with an emphasis on early and middle childhood. Through this course students will learn about technology’s potential impact on cognitive and social development and how child development relates to media design. Students will interact and evaluate digital media technologies on children’s learning, including social learning. Topics include, but are not limited to, brain development, social cognition, symbolic processing, media usage, and self-representation.
COURSE NOTES
Interactive digital technology infiltrates homes, schools, and entertainment venues, changing how people think, and socialize. What is the impact of growing up with substantially greater access to information? How might a users age influence such technologies use? Through this course students will learn about technologys potential impact on cognitive and social development and how child development relates to media design. Topics include, but are not limited to, brain development, social cognition, symbolic processing, media usage, and self-representation. Each week will consist of lecture and/ or class discussion, digital media labs, or presentations. Labs will consist of interacting with and evaluating a digital technology and/or creating content based on cognitive and social development research. Weekly readings are to be completed before class, and students are expected to participate in discussions as well as submit relevant examples that incorporate that weeks readings and/or labs. As part of the course, students will complete presentations on a topic related to childrens media and interface design. Finally, students will complete a design project to create an age-appropriate digital technology based on the course material and additional outside sources. The design project will include a paper write up and in-class presentation.
PREREQUISITES
Graduate standing.