Policies

There are lots of parts to class. However, to keep things simple, we will follow the same pattern every week:

• There will be a Week in Vis posting reminding you what will happen in class in the week ahead. (generally, this posting will be made on Friday of the week before).
• There will be readings which may include videos to watch. Some of these will be “introductory” and due Tuesday (and used in the online discussion and Wednesday’s class). Some of these will be “advanced” and can be read after Wednesday’s class (but before Friday). Readings might be the wrong term (since it will also include video), but it’s what I’ll use.
• There will be synchronous class meetings during the official class time slot (11-12:15, Wednesday and Friday). Some of this will be lecture, but often it will involve some interactive class activity.
• There will be a required online discussion that requires you to make an initial posting by Tuesday, a second required posting by Friday, and to generally participate in the conversation with your group. The discussions will remain open for one week after the deadline for continued conversation. There are other things that are online discussions, but the online discussion refers to this one (not the seek and find, or unstructured discussions on Piazza).
• There will be a seek and find assignment that requires you to find a visualization and post it (to a discussion board). These are due on Fridays, and the discussions remain open for a week so you can discuss.
• There will be a quiz or survey each week. Generally, we care that you do the survey and answer honestly - we keep track that you do it, and are less concerned with the score. We use the survey to get a sense of how the class is going.
• There will be some aspect of a design challenge. Generally, these will have occassional bigger deadlines, but there will be a milestone each week (due on Mondays). Not every week will have a challenge milestone.

Summary:

1. All class meetings will be held online. This includes the synchronous “lecture” times, as well as any meetings with course staff such as office hours or tutorials.
2. Scheduled class meetings at 11-12:15, Wednesday and Friday. (see Lectures (Class Meetings))
3. Attendance at the scheduled class meetings is required (see Attendance).
4. Be prepared to design and participate (see Requirements (Things you Need for Class)).
5. We will use Blackboard Collaborate Ultra for class meetings and Zoom for office hours (see Communications).

Summary:

1. Class attendance (in the synchronous meetings) is required.
2. If you are going to miss class, let us know. Letting us know afterwards is better than nothing.
3. If you do not intend to attend “nearly all” of the classes, please do not take this class.
4. Be aware of the class schedule

Summary:

1. Participation is a large part of this class - learning visualization is not a spectator sport.
2. You are expected to participate in both the synchronous online classes as well as in online discussions.
3. You should aim for an average of at least 2-3 meaningful replies in online discussions and seek and finds.
4. Participation in Piazza discussions is also part of your class participation.
5. Your participation will be assessed “holistically”.
6. Participation in the synchronous classes will involve various things.

Each specific class activity has a specific late policy. See Parts of Class.

All due dates are for the date posted. If something is due on Monday, then any time Monday will be OK. 12:01am Tuesday is not Monday. All times are in Madison.

• Announcements will be made via Canvas
• Emergency announcements will be made via email, but we will try to keep this to a minimum.
• Discussion Assignments (including assigned discussions) via Canvas Discussions
• General (Open) Discussions via Piazza
• Communication with Course Staff via Piazza, or email in an emergency
• Broadcast information via the course web (announced on Canvas)
• Course restricted information via Canvas pages and Files
• Grading Feedback via Canvas
• Synchronous class meetings via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra (BBCU)
• Class Design Activities using Google Suite and (possible other tools)
• Meetings with staff via Zoom
• Please be respectful of others in online communications.

See the Communications page for more information, and the Tools for Class page for information on how to set up the various tools.

Technology problems are inevitable. When they happen, we will cope.

In this class you are expected to uphold standards of professional conduct and academic integrity. The University policies on academic misconduct apply to this class.

Your grade in this class will consist of:

• Your grade for the design challenges
• Your grade for the online discussions
• Your grade for participation