Principles of Information Architecture

Students in this course learn about information architecture from two vantage points: 1) by practicing the techniques used in the creation of digital media (such as Web sites) to create the hierarchy of information all such media follows, and 2) by exploring and using traditional and classic information architecture as it is presented in extensive databases and through the tools (such as search engines) designed to navigate data. The goal is to provide users with the most facile experience in the location and employment of data. Students learn the basics of populating learning systems with content through the development of tree systems of categorized knowledge. They also learn to create templates, wireframes, sitemaps, flow charts and diagrams and page elements and to design Web elements used to organize large data sets.