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Welcome to Design Thinking 101!

It's not the semester you (or I) wanted but it's the one we have. We're going to have a great course regardless. I have a lot of good stuff planned this semester. Here are a few things to get you started.

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About Aaron

I'm Aaron Ganci, an Associate Professor in VCD. I'm starting my 9th year at Herron. My expertise is in User Interface and User Experience Design. That simply means that I design the visual front-end of apps and websites. I work with a lot of researchers on campus and private companies to develop new apps. I have a wife and two kids (6 + 3). Both kids are remote learning this semester too.

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How to contact me:

Preferred contact: Canvas email

Office: https://iu.zoom.us/my/ganci

Office hours: Tuesday + Thursday 1-2pm

How the course will work

This is a fully online course, meaning that some activities will happen asynchronously (on your own time). Each week, on Sunday night, I will post activities for the week through our Modules page. This could include:

1. material for you to read, watch, or listen to (lectures, videos, podcasts, articles, etc.
2. a practice exercise or project check-in goal (and some weeks project due dates)
3. reflection or discussion prompts

Then, during our class time, I will meet with the class, your group, or you (depending on the activity). This format lets us maximize our time together and get the most out of our remote format.

Read the syllabus for more details on the course requirements.

Expectations for online coursework

Netiquette

One thing to always keep in mind when taking any course is that the others with whom you interact throughout the semester - including me, your instructor - are human beings. The first rule of netiquette is to "remember the human" when you are communicating with me or with your peers. The second rule is to "adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life." It's not likely that you would yell at, mock, or belittle another student in a face to face class so don't do it here. The feeling of anonymity that some people have when they are online can lead to those sorts of behaviors but they are not acceptable here or in any other online class.

Please take a few minutes and review all the Core Rules of Netiquette.

Herron's Attendance Policy for the Semester

I will be taking attendance. The purpose of attendance goes beyond recordkeeping. We want students to attend as much as they can because attending is a key part of engaging with the course, which maximizes learning. However, we also do not want students who are feeling ill to attend in-person class sessions, due to the inherent risk. Learning is the primary objective and, in the current climate, we must find ways to maximize engagement and learning that go beyond counting presence or absence.

Tools we'll be using

Canvas
Zoom
Creative Cloud
Kaltura
Google at IU

Please note: As we progress through the semester, this list may change. Learn about these tools at Keep Learning.

Resources

Visit the Keep Learning website for information about learning in Canvas.
Enroll in the Keep Learning Canvas site for information about the most widely-used technologies for Canvas courses at Indiana University. (Requires you to enroll in the Canvas site through Expand, the portal that IU uses for a variety of student and staff training resources.)
UITS Tech Support: Open 24/7 to help with your technology questions.
Fall 2020 at IU: The most up-to-date resource to address questions about the IU Fall 2020 term.
Canvas Student Guide: Detailed instructions for using Canvas as a student.
IU Knowledge Base: Find answers to your detailed questions about technology at IU.