Many of the reading assignments will ask for a chapter summary. What I expect:
In your own words, describe the main point(s) of the chapter. Assume your audience is a work colleague or maybe a CS student who wants to know how to make software "user friendly" (i.e., someone with CS background who is just not familiar with UI design). Do NOT include phrases or sentences directly from the text, unless you put them in quotes and elaborate. Where possible, cite examples from your own experience to reinforce the point of the chapter OR brainstorm how you think an idea might apply to future designs.
Evaluation. As you know, this course assigns letter grades rather than points. To evaluate chapter summaries, I have created my own summaries, and will compare yours to mine as well as to summaries from the other students. Note that there is no right answer. Your "main points" may be different from mine, but it should be clear that a) you read the entire chapter and b) you reflected on the topic.
Since this is somewhat unusual, I will publish a few anonymous examples - some from students and some of mine - after the first few assignments are turned in. Reviewing these summaries will provide some idea how your work compares to others.
NOTE: for some units, there will be a list of web sites to read, in addition to a textbook chapter. In this case, chapter summaries can include material from both the textbook AND the additional materials.
The best approach: as you read the chapter, take a few notes. Let your mind wander... what experiences do you have that relate to the topic? How might the topic be useful? Does anything seem odd? (if yes, why? Describing a counter example is valid... just saying "I don't like this idea" is not that useful).
The wrong approach: Wait until 11 pm the night it's due, read quickly through the chapter and try to put everything you read into a bulleted list.
Longer is not necessarily better! In general, a concise, thoughtful description will be better than a long slog. Specific examples are better than vague generalities. Superlatives are rarely if ever needed (this website will change the world as we know it... really???)
For some chapters I will ask specific question(s). The guidelines above generally apply, except there is no need to give a complete summary - just be sure to answer the question(s).
All chapter summaries and questions should be submitted as a pdf file.
The name of the file should be your last name and the unit, e.g.,
RaderUnit1.pdf.
Feel free to email if you want further clarification.