Teaching IMS 222

Spring 2020 to Fall 2022

I’ve taught this 3-credit foundational interaction design/web development course for the Emerging Technologies in Business and Design department. Instruction includes theories and best practices of interaction design, and coding these interactions for the web using HTML, Cascading Style Sheets, and Javascript. Related topics include usability, responsive design, accessibility, and design thinking. Modes of instruction have included in-person, online synchronous,and hybrid depending on pandemic demands.

In addition to crafting my own syllabus, lessons, and assignments based on the department’s learning objectives, I made the following contributions to the course:

• In Summer 2020, I collaborated with the IMS 222 instructors to develop a common set of learning objectives for the course.
• I wrote an open educational resource on web accessibility in 2021 to introduce beginning accessibility concepts to web development students in IMS222. After testing the text with my classes in 2022, I found the guide was too advanced and needs significant editing. 
• In AY 2021-22 I piloted the GitHub Classroom platform for assignment management and grading. Developed assignments and instruction materials to dovetail with these tools and held a training session for my IMS 222 teaching colleagues on its use.

Observations

My biggest surprise when I started to teach this course was how little my students were aware of the Internet. I certainly did not expect them to understand how the internet worked, but rather that they were unaware of the queues (signifiers) that tells a person that something can be interacted with such as a link or button — they’ve just always done it. The analogy that pops to mind is a fish not being aware of the water they swim in. After that initial realization, I quickly retreated to the basics of interaction design— in the physical world. How do you know you open a door? What can it be used for? Why do they so often fail? Once they became aware of the concepts in the real world, then they started becoming aware of how interactions worked online. Then they could start designing for the internet as well.

Student Evaluation Ratings

These were my first three semesters of teaching during the pandemic lockdown where I taught online (both synchronous and asynchronous) . From my years chairing the distance education committee at Montgomery County Community College, I know engaging online courses are difficult to create. I’m grateful for all the courses I saw and learned from in those years to help me with teaching mine when it was critical. My ratings were nearly all well above department and university means.

Student Feedback

Following are comments from the feedback forms. They were mostly positive…

“This was one of my best classes this semester because of the way the professor helped us. He always made time for any questions and addressed them in full, and would even give us resources to help us understand further. He was extremely helpful in helping in and outside of class.”

“This class was great and the instructor was very passionate about the topics and always more than willing to help. He did a great job at making sure all students felt comfortable asking for help and had a good understanding of the material.”

“I learned way more during the course than I thought I would. I knew very little about HTML and Javascript before this class and I didn’t even know what CSS was. Despite that, by the end of the class, I now have the ability to make a functioning webpage from scratch! I was shocked at how quickly and effectively he was able to teach the material. I feel like I got a lot out of the class.”

“My professor was very kind and open to questions and always helped me (consistently providing personal assistance) when I needed it.”

“I think that the grading is a little harsh. I am trying my very best and attempting to understand the material and I don’t always get full credit for assignments.

“I think Mr. Yarnetsky was the most understanding and helpful teacher I had this semester. He was always free for one-on-ones and gives up so much of his free time for people who don’t understand.”