INFO 6240 - Sensemaking: Theory and Practical Applications

Fall. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

J. Rzeszotarski.

As data storage and processing powers increase at accelerating rates, human cognition remains limited in the amount of information it can process. This seminar-style course will explore how people make sense of overwhelming amounts of information, integrating knowledge across cognitive psychology, social computing, data visualization, and computer science. We will survey a wide variety of research projects and real-world examples that help people make better sense of large amounts of data, consider different theories on sensemaking that underpin these techniques, brainstorm new ways to improve the information-to-knowledge process, and participate in class exercises that translate theory into practice.