Indiana University’s Master of Information Science (MIS) program combines the opportunity to explore the field of information science within four broad themes:
1 information Architecture and Design
2 Human-Computer Interaction and Communication
3 Strategic Information Management and Leadership
4 Information Retrieval Systems Design
The program provides a great number of electives, allowing you to individualize your study. Each student is assigned a faculty adviser to help with course and career planning.
Information Architecture and Design
The user-centered approach to Information Science at Indiana University distinguishes SLIS’s Information Architecture from other programs. While taking courses from within this area, you will investigate information architecture as a social and technological phenomenon, focusing on the ways in which organizations are making use of electronic information networking, and the impacts that networking is having on communication activities, productivity, and information seeking behavior.
Effective organizational principles derived from established data modeling and indexing schemes will be taught with an emphasis on support for navigation and information searching tasks.
For further reading in Information Architecture and Design, Professor Howard Rosenbaurn”s presentation “Fun with Information Architecture: Designing Web Sites that Work” may be of interest.
Human-Computer interaction and Communication
Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the design, development and implementation of information technology that is compatible with the needs of users and organizations. Usability is a part of HCI, but HCI is much larger. In the MIS program, you will study the process of interaction in order to inform the theory and practice of user-centered systems design. The goal of the field is to shape new media and tools that will support human use, augment human learning, enhance communication and lead to more acceptable technological developments at the individual and the social levels.
This specialization provides students with knowledge of the variables likely to influence usability and acceptability of information technology. Sociological and psychological perspectives will be examined alongside systems design principles to offer a rich and more complete way of assessing how users collaborate and communicate using computing tools. Also, this area provides students with exposure to systems and techniques that expand the possibilities of information acquisition and sharing in new or innovative ways.
For further reading in Human Computer Interaction and Communication, Professor Mark Notes” article “Usability. User Experience, and Learner Experience ” may be of interest.
Human Factors Engineer Usability Analyst User Experience Engineer Business Analyst User Experience Tester
Information resources include an organization’s capital information assets, its network capabilities, and materials held in information centers and archives. Organizational information assets also include human and structural intellectual capital. Social intelligence expands the study of strategic management into new contexts, to cover the processes whereby a society, organization or individual acquires information in the widest sense, processes and evaluates it, and stores and uses it for action. The MIS program’s focus on strategic information management and leadership will prepare you to integrate internal information and external intelligence in support of organizational goals and objectives.
This specialization introduces key models and methodologies in social informatics to help managers take advantage of information resources. It examines various aspects of the information industry: products, producers, suppliers, trends, and market opportunities. This area surveys social consequences of computerization as shaped and used by business, public agencies, and individuals. And, it provides orientation and training in supervision of project teams involved in complex system design projects.
For additional readings in Strategic Information Management and Leadership, the Association of Information Management Professionals.. (ARMA) Website or Communications of the ACM might be of interest.
Information Retrieval Systems Design
Information Retrieval Systems Design concentrates on understanding any information system from an information science perspective; that is, as a whole constituted of data, procedures, equipment, and system users. You will learn principles and methodologies for information systems design, with a special emphasis on user-centric planning, project management, system maintenance, and lifecycle issues. Additionally, you will learn about broader societal and organizational factors that influence design and can ultimately influence the effectiveness of information systems.
For further reading in Information Retrieval Systems Design, the literature review on Professor Kiduk Yang’s homepage may be of interest.
References
1. http://www.occ.qov/publications/pubiications-by-tvDe/comptrollers-handbook/mis.pdf
2. O’Brien, J (1999). Management Information Systems – Managing Information Technology in the Intemetworked Enterprise. Boston: Irwin McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-112373-3.
3. Laudon, Kenneth C.; Laudon, Jane P. (2009). Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm (11 ed.). Prentice Hall/Course Smart. p. 164.
4. Transaction processing systems (TPS) collect and record the routine transactions of an organization. Examples of such systems are sales order entry, hotel reservations, payroll, employee record keeping, and shipping.
5. Pant, S., Hsu, C., (1995), Strategic Information Systems Planning: A Review, Information Resources Management Association International Conference, May 21-24, Atlanta.
6. Laudon, K.,& Laudon, J. (2010). Management information systems: Managing the digital firm. (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
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