Course Content: Reading Responses
After the first few weeks (in which we will cover basic topics in UI design), the reading assignments primarily will be research papers from recent conferences and journals. For each set of assigned research papers except those that you present you will write a response according to the guidelines below. See the course schedule for dates that reading responses are due.
In total, there will be 11 sets of papers for which you will have to write a response. These responses will be broken down as follows:
- 2 "long" responses (with rewrites)
- 8 short responses
- 1 skip
That is, for 2 sets of papers, you will write a 2-3 page critical response to the ideas in the reading. For another 8 sets of papers, you just need to give a quick response to make sure you have actually done the reading carefully. This may seem like a lot, but the short resposes should take only 5-10 minutes after you complete the reading.
You must do one long response in the first half of the readings (through the end of phase 1), and the other in the second. Other than that, it is up to you to choose when you do short responses and when you do long responses (and which set of papers you skip). It is also up to you to keep track of how many of each you have done!
The HMC Writing Center
TheFor each of your long responses, you MUST visit the writing center at least once. Please see the guidelines for writing your long responses for more information.
When and How to Submit Responses
Each response (including long responses) is due by classtime on the day we read the paper. Late responses will receive no credit. Please submit your responses on Sakai. Short responses should be entered inline. Long responses must be attached in either Word or PDF format. Please do not use any other format for your response.
Short responses should be submitted under the corresponding Short Reading Response assignment. Note that there is one short response assignment for each reading, but you will skip (i.e., not submit) 5 of these (2 presentations, 2 long responses, 1 skip). Long responses should be submitted under the corresponding Long Reading Response assignment. Note that the due dates are listed at the end of each phase, but your long response is due on the day that we read the papers that you are responding to. Rewrites are due 1 week after I return your graded response. Please see the Long Response Guidelines page for more details.
Format for the Responses
Here is the format for the short and long responses. You should use the template for the short responses (copy and paste it into your submission in Sakai). Long responses are essay-style.
Short Response TemplateLong Response Instructions and Guidelines
Grading
As stated on the syllabus, reading responses will make up 30% of your grade. This percentage will be broken down into 10% for short responses and 20% for long responses (10% each).
Short respones will receive full credit (2 points) if they are submitted on time and complete, half credit if they are on time and incomplete (but not serverly) (1 point), and no credit if they are late, not submitted, or severely incomplete (0 points).
Long responses will be graded according to this rubric. They will receive no credit if they are late.