INFM 741 – SOCIAL COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS
Section 0101, Thursday6:00 PM– 8:45 PM
College Park, Hornbake Building, South Wing, Rm 0108
Instructor:Dr. Brian Butler
E-mail:
Office:2117bHornbake Building
Office Hours:TH 5:00PM – 6:00 PM
and by appointment
Online communities, online discussions, Twitter, Tmblr, Social Networking Systems, social media, crowdsourcing, human computation, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, wikis, social recommendations, collective intelligence…. these are just a few of the many terms and technologies which making up the rapidly evolving domain of social computing. Successfully deploying social computing technologies requires a blend of technical and organizational knowledge and skills. Knowledge of both the core technologies and central social dynamics is essential if you are to develop effective social computing applications.
The goal of this course is to develop your ability to recognize and capitalize on opportunities to use social computing technologies to advance the goals of individuals, organizations, and communities. Specifically, upon successful completion of this course you will be able to:
- Recognize ways to use social computing technologies in a variety of domains
- Identify key technologies and vendors
- Locate activities that would benefit from the application of social computing technologies
- Evaluate the fit between needs and capabilities of particular social computing platforms
- Develop strategies for successfully applying social computing technologies
- Outline design and plans that use social computing technology to address particular problems or needs
- Identify the challenges which limit the successful deployment of social computing systems
- Determine ways of mitigating the risks associated social computing projects
- Implementsocial computing technologies
- Use key social computing technologies and platforms
- Select the proper social computing technology for given task or projects
- Specify and implement core social computing tools, techniques, and platforms
Course Materials
ELMS
On ELMS ( you will find the course syllabus and schedule, presentation materials, announcements, assignment details, and readings, videos, and podcasts about the topics covered in the class.
It is important for you to visit ELMS regularly for announcements and course materials. Specific assignments, due dates, and reminders will be posted on ELMS during the semester. To ensure that you receive these materials in a timely fashion make sure that your ELMS profile and notifications are setup appropriately.
Software and Laptops
In addition to the reading materials, we will use a variety of different social computing tools and sites throughoutthe semester. For assignments, extra activities, and the project you will be asked to examine and experiment with many different systems. To allow this, you should have access to at least one computer that you have ability to install new software on.
Grading
The class grades will be assigned based on the following distribution of points;
Class Participation & Professionalism (individual)60 points
Posters (7 @ 20 pts each)140 points
Technical Assignments (individual)100 points
Quizzes (2 @ 50 pts each)100 points
Course Project (individual or groups)
Proposal100 points
Progress Report200 points
Prototype & Paper300 points
Total1000 points
Class Participation: The class sessions combine lecture, discussion, poster sessions, and other activities designed to help you develop your ability to effectively use social computing systems. These sessions complement the rest of the course (readings, assignments, projects, etc.). The interactive nature of the class means that your active participation in class is critical for both your efforts to learn the materials and those of your fellow students.
Class participation will be assessed on the basis of your participation in the class activities (both online and offline).
Posters: Throughout the semester you will prepare posters (6-8 Powerpoint slides, printed one-sided) about various topics that you will bring to class. These posters will provide important examples, background, and further details for the class discussion. Guidelines and signup for each of the poster assignments will be provided provide through ELMS.
Technical Assignments: To develop and test your ability to use the core social computing technologies you will complete at least 10 hands-on implementation activities. Example activities will be provided for each class. You may also propose comparable activities if you would like to experiment with additional tools or complete a more in-depth investigation of a technology, platform, or standard.
Quizzes: The quizzes in this course are designed to provide you with feedback regarding your progress toward achieving the learning objectives. For this reason, the quizzes will be cumulative and will cover topics considered in the readings, the technical assignments, the course project, and the class sessions.
Course Project:The project is an opportunity for you to explore a particular social computing technology and application in depth. The specific final deliverables for the project are determined by the needs of the project and your professional development goals. For example, if you are interested in interface design issues, your project deliverables should include a prototype with appropriate documentation. If you are interested in business development then a suitable project might be the development of a business plan for a social computing-based entrepreneurial venture. If you are focused on research the project should result in a paper suitable for submission to a high-quality conference or journal.
The project can be done individually or in small groups. To insure that you make adequate progress on the project, and provide you with comprehensive feedback, you will prepare a project proposal, present an intermediate progress report at the project workshop (mid-semester), and present the final project deliverables.
Late work
A 10% penalty will be deducted for each day or part of a day that an assignment is late. Please prepare in advance so that you will not encounter technical difficulties that will result in your work receiving a late penalty. If you have a conflict with the due date, assignments can always be submitted early.
In the event that you are unable to complete the coursework in the scheduled time period, you may be eligible to receive an incomplete grade and make arrangements to complete the course at a later date. If this is likely to be necessary, it is your responsibility to (a) contact the instructor, (b) identify the work that you have not/will not be able to complete, and (c) propose a detailed plan for completing you coursework within a reasonable time period. This plan should specify dates by which each incomplete item of coursework will be finished.
Students with disabilities
If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact me and Disability Support Services (301-314-7682), as early as possible in the term, but not later than the second week of class. Disability Support Services will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
Academic Integrity
The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit
To further exhibit your commitment to academic integrity, you are asked to sign the Honor Pledge on all examinations and assignments: "I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this examination (assignment)."
INFM 741TOPIC SCHEDULE
Week # / Date / Topic1 / 9/5 / Course Introduction & What is Social Computing?
2 / 9/12 / Online Communities and Groups
3 / 9/19 / Online Community Platforms
4 / 9/26 / Wikis & Blogs
5 / 10/3 / Wiki and Blog Platforms
6 / 10/10 / Crowdsourcing
7 / 10/17 / Crowdsourcing Technologies
8 / 10/24 / Project Workshop
9 / 10/31 / Social Network Analysis
10 / 11/7 / Social Network Analysis (cont.)
11 / 11/14 / Social Networking Systems
12 / 11/21 / Social Networking Technologies & Platforms
November 28– No Class -- Thanksgiving
13 / 12/5 / Social Bookmarking/Social Filtering/Collaborative Search
14 / 12/12 / Final Project Presentations
See ELMS for weekly assignments and readings
INFM 741 Syllabus1Butler