Class Participation


Class participation includes participation on the forum, discussing the reading assignments, as well as attendance of guest lectures (for non-distance students).

Forum Participation

Helping each other out and discussing the reading assignments and lectures is a key aspect of this course. Depending on the number of posts you make, you advance to different member groups:
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To avoid or discourage short, non-sensical comments we enabled the “karma” feature that shows the popularity of a member. Members can 'applaud' or 'smite' other members, which is how their popularity is calculated.

Discussing Reading Assignments

All enrolled students are required to post at least one substantive discussion, comment, or question pertaining to each set of readings. Comments or questions for each reading must be posted by midnight the day before coming to class. Post your comments in the appropriate message board under “Readings” in the forum.

Examples of good comments:
  • Clarification of some point or detail in the readings
  • Critiques of arguments made in the readings
  • Analysis of implications or future directions for work discussed
  • Questions about the readings or answers to other people's questions
  • Links to web resources or examples that pertain to a reading
Typically you should set aside 1-2 hours to complete each reading assignment. Even though I do not expect you to fully understand everything before coming to class, you will often have to read some passages several times to build your understanding. The goal of the reading assignments is to prepare for class, to familiarize yourself with new terminology and definitions, and to determine which part of the subject needs more attention (you’ll convey that to me with questions about the readings you are posting on the forum).

Lecture Attendance

In-class design critiques and exercises are central to the course, so lecture attendance and quality (not quantity) of participation will factor into the participation grade. 

We are also lucky to have some of the world’s best visualization researchers take time out of their busy schedules to give guest lectures. I expect all non-distance students to attend these lectures and engage the speakers with questions and comments. Attendance will be taken by passing around sign up sheets. You must send an email to the TFs at least a day before a guest lecture to be excused.