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.