Teaching Experience #5: IST 719, Instructor, Spring 2024

IST 719, or Information Visualization, is a graduate course in the School of Information Studies. It is a predominantly lab-based lecture with the sole instructor; the professor of record is my advisor, who I shadowed in Fall 2023 in order to best teach the course in Spring 2024. Therefore, I am implementing the course material and structure as set by the professor of record but am ultimately responsible for my class.

The course description is as follows:

A broad introduction to data visualization for information professionals. Students will develop a portfolio of resources, demonstrations, recipes, and examples of various data visualization techniques. It will provide an introduction to skills and techniques related to information visualization, through the R programming language and Adobe illustrator. These skills include data cleaning techniques, controlling the R graphics environment, developing custom plots, visually exploring data, using design concepts to visually communicate the story in the data, and discussing issues related to the ethics of data visualization. Conceptual themes will be presented alongside technical aspects of data visualization. Additional work and higher grading are expected of graduate students.

My duties for this teaching opportunity include:

instructing 26 students about information visualization techniques in R and Adobe Illustrator
grading labs, quizzes, and homework assignments, and providing ample feedback
assessment of student's final projects at the end of the semester
providing hands-on experience with visual storytelling and the ethics of data visualization

Reflection

I am currently teaching this course, and as this is my first opportunity as a sole instructor rather than a TA, this has been a true test of my pedagogical philosophy. Additionally, this is my first technical course which varies greatly with my previous experiences of teaching data ethics to undergraduate students. As I am writing this reflection, I am less than a month in and expect to learn a lot by the end of the semester. However, I already am implementing lessons about open and honest communication with students, and empathy towards life circumstances impacting class performance.

When I shadowed this course in the previous semester, I noticed a gap in incorporating ethics into Information Visualization. This is incredibly important, as information leaders have the power to tell the stories they find in the data they analyze. I created an Ethics Assignment - see below - that both my and the professor of record's sessions will pilot this semester. I expect student feedback this semester to help improve this assignment for classes to come.

719 Ethics Assignment