Offered on an irregular basis; web-delivery
PREREQUISITES:
MLIS and Dual MAS/MLIS: Completion of MLIS Core or permission of the iSchool Graduate Advisor
MAS: completion of MAS core and permission of the iSchool Graduate Advisor
GOAL: The goal of this course is to introduce students to contemporary research and theory related to the design, development, implementation, and use of information systems in geographically-based communities. Students will develop a grounding in the community informatics perspective and the theories that inform community informatics research and practice.
OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the course students will be able to:
- State in their own terms a community informatics perspective related to information system design, development, implementation, and use for geographically-based communities.
- Describe how social science theory informs community informatics research and practice.
- Provide examples of how technological changes have influenced information use in geographically-based communities.
- Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of Canadian community perspectives (e.g., francophone, indigenous, aboriginal, and First Nations, various immigrant groups)
- Articulate how differences in community norms, practices, and perspectives can influence adoption and adaptation of information systems.
- Create recommendations for information professionals preparing to work in a geographically-based community setting.
CONTENT:
- Diversity in access and use of information systems by region and sectors of the population
- Use of information systems for information dissemination and distributed knowledge
- Social capital and social networks
- e-learning in the community
- Co-evolution of technology and practice
- Cultural differences in attitudes to and use of technology
- Analysis, design and evaluation of community information systems.
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