GL/COMS 2200 3.0 "computer tools for communication" Fall 2024

Instructor information

Instructor: James (Jamie) Roberts
Meeting times: York Hall 030A, 6:30 P.M. Mondays
Please note that this is a course that is delivered in person on campus. Watch this space for any updates on how the course is delivered.

Please also note the following:

• Please submit all assignments (except the final project) by email to me as PDF or Word docs, by the due date on this site. Please don't submit shared gDocs.
  
  
• There is a midterm in this class
  

Phone: (519) 240-7098 (cell).

Office Hours: Office hours are Friday afternoons 3PM-4PM in C222, by appointment, by phone or by Zoom / FT / other video conference

email: jhroberts@rogers.com (preferred); jamier@yorku.ca (backup and emergency only)

Zoom and remote technology

When we meet remotely, then several platforms will be used in this course, (the web, Zoom, and so on) through which students will interact with the course materials, the course director, as well as with one another. Please carefully review the syllabus (and especially the technology section) for more specific information.

• Zoom is hosted on servers in the U.S. This includes recordings done through Zoom.
• If you have privacy concerns about your data, provide only your first name or a nickname when you join a session.
• The system is configured in a way that all participants are automatically notified when a session is being recorded. In other words, a session cannot be recorded without you knowing about it.

Technology requirements for the course:

This is a class that focuses on training you in a number of different computer software tools, in addition to providing analytic resources to use those tools wisely.

Consequently, you need to have a computing platform capable of hosting the software we will be working with in the course. We have this equipment in the lab at Glendon in YH 030A.

If you want to work outside of the lab / classroom, you need to have a computing device that can:

• download and run media creation and editing applications, or use the media lab / lab during class time
• run Microsoft Excel (either the cloud version or the downloaded version)
• run Gimp for image editing
• run Audacity for audio editing
• run the free demo of Techsmith Camtasia for video editing, (or equivalent).
• some way to take static pictures (camera, phone, etc)
• some way to record audio (computer microphone, phone, etc)

In class I will use Adobe Creative Cloud versions of Photoshop, Audition, and Premiere Pro, which we (should also) have installed in the classroom. If you have the means and the desire to get a Creative Cloud subscription, you can do that, too.

Many concepts among programs are the same or similar, as they are among different word processors, so if you understand editing on an audio timeline in Audition, you will understand it in multiple programs, for the most part, even if fine details vary.

Course description--overview

Calendar description: "This course teaches computer applications used in communication for an understanding of computer and Internet architecture, the use of databases for communication, advanced tools in office and collaborative work, with a critical eye to issues like security, accessibility and multi-platform communication."

Course summary

Communicating effectively today requires an understanding of the specific role computers play in mediating our messages, from the use of simple applications to social media and emerging communication platforms. In this course, we examine the effects of computerized media to focus on both the technical and culturally symbolic aspects of emerging electronic forms of communication.

The course will begin by outlining notions of media, and then examine, practically, new infrastructures for communication. Since technology always implies the skillful use of tools, we will ultimately focus on building the analytic and practical heuristics you need to become better, more aware, communicators.

Topics

In addition to the practical side of image, audio, and video manipulation, the following topics will be covered in the course:
• What do we mean by media, and by digital media?
• Fundamental applications and platforms, and AI image generation
• Culture, symbols and technology
• Social media and interpretation
• Reality, representation, and technology
• Mobility and ubiquity of media
• Creating, organizing and publishing multimedia: audio, image, video
• Data, Big Data, and you: public and private space
• Narrative and digital story-telling

Course policies & grading summary (also in the course table, below)

• 45% for analytic assignments
• 25% "mid-term" test
• 25% final project
• 05% participation in-class

Late submission policy: Students are expected to deliver all assignments on time, and this means that though can complete the courses at your own pace, there are time windows where you need to complete assignments.

If you need an extension--which I will only grant for good reasons--please arrange it with me in advance of the original due date window.

York’s grading scheme

Important course information for students

All students are expected to familiarize themselves with the following policies and procedures, available on the York Senate Committee pages about Policies, Procedures and Regulations, including:

• Ethics Review Process for research involving human participants  http://www.glendon.yorku.ca/research/obtain-ethics-approval/
• Accommodation for students with disabilities, http://www.glendon.yorku.ca/academic-services/exams/alternate-accommodation-for-students-with-disabilities/
• Student Rights and Responsibilities, http://oscr.students.yorku.ca/csrr
• Religious Observance Accommodation http://www.glendon.yorku.ca/academic-services/exams/religious-accommodation/

Hyflex session information

Hyflex sessions are digitally transmitted and may be recorded to support teaching and learning in the classroom. As a result, York University may collect your image, voice,
name, personal views and opinions, and course work under the authority of The York University Act, 1965, and for use in related educational purposes.

Students who participate in a Hyflex session are consenting to have their video or image transmitted and/or recorded. If you have concerns with such transmission or recording, sit in the
designated seating area which is outside of the camera range. In addition, students who participate orally are consenting to have their voices, personal views and opinions
transmitted and/or recorded.

If you do not consent to the transmission or recording of your voice, please use the text-based chat function communicate during class. Students
are not permitted to use any third-party software or application to record a transmitted Hyflex session. If you have any questions about the collection or use of your personal
information, please contact your instructor or the Privacy Office at info.privacy@yorku.ca.

Academic Integrity

In this course, we strive to maintain academic integrity to the highest extent possible. Please familiarize yourself with the meaning of academic integrity by completing SPARK’s Academic Integrity module at the beginning of the course. Breaches of academic integrity range from cheating to plagiarism (i.e., the improper crediting of another’s work, the representation of another’s ideas as your own, etc.). All instances of academic dishonesty in this course will be reported to the appropriate university authorities, and can be punishable according to the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. More advice is available at https://www.glendon.yorku.ca/career-skills-centre/academic-intergrity/

Course Policy on Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI tools)

According to York’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty, using AI apps such as such as Gemini, ChatGPT, GPT-3,
DALL-E, among others to complete academic work without your instructor’s knowledge or permission,
is considered to be a breach of academic honesty. More specifically, using text-generating tools (such
as ChatGPT) would be considered to be cheating (Senate Policy, section 2.1.1) and using imagegenerating
tools (such as DALL-E) would be considered to be plagiarism (Senate Policy, section 2.1.3).

You may find that certain instructors will allow the use of these tools for certain assessments, yet
others will not allow their use. If you’re not sure whether using an AI app for your academic work is
acceptable, it is recommended that you:

• Carefully review the guidelines for your assessments
• Check for any messages from your instructor on eClass
• Ask your instructor or TA if they are permitting the use of these tools

Specific uses of AI / ML for this course:

Artificial intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning tools have quickly become ubiquitous for many tasks. In this course, we will directly engage with emerging ML technologies, and explore why and how they work as a writing and communication tools. For many of the assignments, we will be using and analyzing AI assistance.

However, for this course, the use of AI tools (and any external aid) is strictly prohibited during the midterm test.

Because this course focuses on effective written communication, students are not restricted from using AI tools for other assignments and discussions in this course as long as the following two conditions are met:

1. While generative artificial intelligence (AI) – specifically, ChatGPT or Bing chatbot – can be used in the completion of written assignments and contributions to the online discussions, it will be used with the expectation that you use the AI tool to think with you, but not for you. AI tools are primarily developed for “natural language modelling” (speculating on how to put sentences together) and not for specialized research and analysis. None of the content provided by AI is vetted or reliably cited. AI tools often produce erroneous or overly generalized knowledge when it comes to facts, even though they are improving all the time. This means it is inherently risky for students to use them in assignments. The AI tool may give you a place to start your research or point you in new directions, but usually they will not be sufficient to successfully complete an assignment, and in this course, the focus will be on what makes a generated response more or less appropriate for professional communication.

2. The use of generative AI should be documented and cited. In discussions, simply put in brackets after your answer “(this answer [or parts of this answer] were generated by ChatGPT [or Bing])”. Credit the AI whenever you use the tool to generate text used in your assignment. Here is an example of how to cite in a footnote ChatGPT in the Chicago Style: · Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

• ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” March 7, 2023, OpenAI.

Use of generative AI outside these two conditions will constitute academic dishonesty under York University’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.

As a student in this course, it is your responsibility to understand when and how generative AI tools can be used to complete your assessments and activities. If you do not know whether an online resource or tool can be used in this course, please contact your instructor for guidance.

Note on evaluation for assignments using AI: When evaluating your work with generative AI, I will be assessing the quality of your critical reflections and original contributions in accordance with York University’s description of grades and grading schemes.

When using AIs, please be aware of their inherent technical limitations. We will discuss most of these during the course, too.

Some of the key limitations include:

1. Lack of domain-specific knowledge: ChatGPT is trained on a large corpus of data from the internet, which means it may lack in-depth knowledge of specific academic domains or specialized terminology. This limitation can hinder its ability to provide accurate and contextually appropriate responses for assignments in specific fields.

2. Difficulty in handling ambiguous queries: ChatGPT may struggle to interpret and respond to ambiguous or poorly formulated queries. It relies on statistical patterns learned from training data, and when faced with ambiguity, it may provide inaccurate or irrelevant information. This limitation can lead to misunderstandings or misleading answers in assignments.

3. Potential biases in training data: AI language models like ChatGPT are trained on vast amounts of data from the internet, which can contain biases present in the text. These biases can manifest in the form of unfair representations, stereotypes, or skewed perspectives. Depending solely on ChatGPT for assignments may inadvertently perpetuate or amplify such biases, leading to ethically problematic outcomes.

4. Challenges in ensuring reliability and accountability: ChatGPT generates responses based on statistical patterns learned from training data, and it may occasionally produce incorrect or nonsensical answers. The lack of transparency in the decision-making process of AI models makes it challenging to hold them accountable for errors or verify the accuracy of their responses. Relying solely on ChatGPT for assignments may compromise the reliability and credibility of the academic work.

5. Lack of transparency in knowledge provenance: ChatGPT does not show users where it found its information, so users cannot go directly to that information to assess its viability and quality. In other words, ChatGPT does not “show its work” unlike other internet sources, such as Wikipedia.

6. Limited control over generated content: While efforts have been made to improve control over the outputs of AI language models, including ChatGPT, there can still be instances where the generated content is inappropriate, offensive, or unethical. This limitation can pose challenges when using ChatGPT for assignments, especially when dealing with sensitive or controversial topics.

7. Inability to engage in meaningful dialogue: ChatGPT is primarily designed for short, context-specific responses and lacks the ability to engage in sustained, meaningful dialogue. It may struggle to ask clarifying questions or seek additional information to provide more accurate and comprehensive answers. This limitation can hinder the depth of analysis and critical thinking required in university course assignments.

8. Dependency on internet connectivity and platform availability: ChatGPT typically operates as a cloud-based service, which means it requires a stable internet connection and access to the specific platform hosting the model. In cases where internet connectivity is limited or the platform is unavailable, students may face difficulties in utilizing ChatGPT for their assignments.

Given these limitations, it is crucial to critically evaluate the use of ChatGPT in university course assignments, considering the specific requirements, subject matter, and desired learning outcomes. Augmenting ChatGPT with human guidance and critical thinking can help mitigate these limitations and ensure a more comprehensive and reliable approach to assignments (parts of this section of the syllabus were generated using ChatGPT, July 11, 2023, OpenAI).

Messaging applications

Group messaging platforms, such as Discord or WhatsApp, can be helpful tools that connect students and support learning. However, such tools can lead to academic honesty violations when students share or use answers to homework tasks, quizzes, tests, or exams, or when students collaborate on individual assignments.

According to York’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty these behaviours may lead to a penalty. Moderators of these groups are required to clearly communicate the group’s purpose and to remind students of the expectations for academic honesty. Being a member of such a group is not a breach of academic honesty or any other university policy. However, if you witness academically dishonest behaviour, it is strongly recommended that you leave the group. If you are unsure whether the behaviour is a violation of academic honesty, check with your TA or instructor. For detailed information about expectations for academic honesty, please refer to York’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.

Homework Help Sites

According to homework sites (such as Chegg), their services are intended to support students’ understanding of course material. Despite this, cheating occurs on tests and exams when students post
their test or exam questions to these sites during the assessment in order to obtain answers from one of their experts. Using the answers provided is a breach of academic honesty, according to
York’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. If you're struggling with course material, understanding expectations, or in any other way, reach out to your instructor or TA instead of relying on homework
help sites to acquire assessment answers. For authorized resources and sources of help at York, please visit: https://www.yorku.ca/unit/vpacad/academic-integrity/student-resources/.

Contract Cheating

Contract cheating occurs when a third party completes a student’s work, and the student then submits that work as their own. Third parties can include: freelance academic writers or tutors, online essay
writing companies, friends, classmates, or even family members. Contract cheating is considered to be a serious type of academic dishonesty that carries severe penalties. Besides penalties imposed by the university, contracting a third party to complete academic work carries the additional risks of identity theft and blackmail. If you are unsure whether a certain resource is a legitimate source of help, check with your TA or instructor. For authorized resources and sources of help at York, please visit: https://www.yorku.ca/unit/vpacad/academic-integrity/student-resources/. As well, for detailed
information about expectations for academic honesty, please refer to York’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.

Unauthorized Collaboration

Unauthorized collaboration occurs when students work together on assessments without their instructor’s permission. This can include working together to solve homework problems, comparing
their homework, test or exam answers, collaborating to complete assignments, or having someone else write or revise an assignment. Sometimes collaborating on assessments with other students is
acceptable, yet at other times, individual effort is required. This can vary by course, instructor, or assessment. Even when it comes to group assignments, individual work may be required at different
stages. If you are unsure whether collaborating on assigned work is permitted or the extent of collaboration that is acceptable, review the instructions for that assessment, and/or ask your instructor
or TA. Note: even if collaboration on an assessment is permitted, it is never acceptable copy someone else’s work or allow them to copy yours.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined as misusing another person’s published or unpublished work by presenting their ideas, writing or other intellectual property as one’s own without proper acknowledgement (Senate
Policy on Academic Honesty, section 2.1.3.). There are a number of acts that are considered to be plagiarism, for example:

• copying content word-for-word from a source without proper citation;
• paraphrasing from a source without proper citation;
• submitting work you have already submitted for another course without the instructor’s approval;
• rewording someone else’s work which you submit as your own;
• having a third party complete work in whole then submitting it as one’s own (also known as
  contract cheating).

Although plagiarism is often thought to involve words and ideas, it can also involve drawings, paintings, photographs, programming code, statistics, presentations, musical scores, among other types of
content. Even if the act of plagiarism was unintentional, you can still receive a penalty. To avoid plagiarism, keep good track of any outside sources you use, and ensure that you cite sources properly.
For more help on how to avoid plagiarism, contact the Library, Writing Centre, or your instructor or TA.

Content Sharing Sites (e.g. CourseHero, OneClass, StuDocU, etc.)

Course organization, assignments, and readings

Recommended texts

There is no required text for this course; we will use a variety of available texts from the Web (see table above)

Books for background ideas

Barthes, Roland. Mythologies (on cultural artifacts and symbolism. Dated but still very interesting and useful)

* Durant & Lambrou. Language and Media (good but outd valign="top"ated; highly recommended)

* Glieck, James. The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood. (excellent historical overview of new media, communication technology, and information processing; highy recommended).

Holiday, Ryan. Trust Me, I'm Lying. (computer media manipulation and fake news before Fake News)

Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (mass media and manipulation)

Slade, Giles.The Big Disconnect: The Story of Technology and Loneliness.

Standage, Tom. The Victorian Internet. (networks, code, dissemination of information, 150+ years ago)

Stevens-Davidowitz, Seth. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and what the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are. Big data and web-based correlations

Academic Integrity

In this course, we strive to maintain academic integrity to the highest extent possible. Please familiarize yourself with the meaning of academic integrity by completing SPARK’s Academic Integrity module at the beginning of the course. Breaches of academic integrity range from cheating to plagiarism (i.e., the improper crediting of another’s work, the representation of another’s ideas as your own, etc.). All instances of academic dishonesty in this course will be reported to the appropriate university authorities, and can be punishable according to the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. More advice is available at https://www.glendon.yorku.ca/career-skills-centre/academic-intergrity/