For my technical writing class, I decided to write a script for a podcast discussing the in's and out's of the Information Science major at UMD. I felt it important to shed light on some of the things that are overlooked or not known by many students in and deciding to join the major, especially since it is new to the University. Making this information available to students will help them decide if Information Science is the right major choice for them.
University of Maryland
In’s and Out’s of Information Science at the University of Maryland, College Park: A Podcast
Technical Writing ENGL393
Relationship to Manual: Student
Andrew Delfino
December 6, 2019
Preface
The University of Maryland offers over 90 Undergraduate majors at College Park. Information Science is a new major as of 2016 that focuses on the merging of technology, people, and information. Due to the newness of the major, most students in the major have transferred from another similar major like Computer Science. Students coming into the major or considering it should know the positives the major brings including job opportunity, well-rounded skills, and a personable view of technology. Personal anecdotes from a current UMD Information Science major will give a well-rounded understanding of what to expect from the major, touching on the perspective of a female in the technical field. Information Science is highly valued in the job world and the University does a great job of giving the students a wide range of skills that can be directly applied after college. However, the major does come with some negative experiences including overcrowding, broadness in major, and lack of centralized location. This podcast will go into detail about positive aspects of the major, negative aspects, how these factors impact students directly and how they can be fixed. Throughout the podcast, the Computer Science major will be used as a baseline for what an established major at the University of Maryland looks like and will then be compared to Information Science. Interviews and surveys are used to further convey the major topics from students perspective. People that would benefit from this podcast include current Information Science students, faculty, and students that are interested in the major.
I.) Introduction:
Podcast Introduction:
Hi all, thanks for listening. My name is Amanda Neal, I am an Information Science senior at the University of Maryland, College Park. In this podcast, I’ll be going over the ins and outs of the major. If you’re tuning in I’m assuming you fall under the category of either an Information Science student here at Maryland, considering the major, or are interested in learning more about the program.
What is Information Science?
Let’s start out with the basics - What actually is Info Sci? Information Science is a new major that encompasses technology, people, and information. The major is extremely new and has a unique focus on features that aren’t available in other majors. Including things such as data visualization, user experience, and database design. According to Forbes, the data science field has grown 650% since 2012 and is continuing to expand, thus prompting the need for students in this major.
Info Sci at UMD
The major is quite new, especially to the University of Maryland. According to the diamondback newspaper, the major was added in the fall of 2016 (Eichensehr). The dean states, “It will be a combination of technical skills, design thinking and information management, not available anywhere else on campus, or anywhere else in the state” (Eichensehr). Information Science is broad, but the University of Maryland currently offers three specializations to students, with the hopes of adding more in the future: Cybersecurity and Privacy, Data Science, and Digital Curation. Many majors, like Computer Science include these concepts into other classes, but many do not focus entirely on the concepts as an entire class. The major is open enrollment, so there is no cap on the number of students entering. Students can directly apply to the program going into college, or transfer into the major while enrolled in the University of Maryland.
II.) Why do we need this podcast?
You may be wondering the purpose of this podcast. I felt that people needed to hear this information for a few reasons. My personal experience drove me to create this. A lot of this information isn’t readily available to students, so they just aren’t aware of their options. I think that once given all the information surrounding the major, students will be able to make better informed decisions. I personally overall loved the switch from Computer Science to Information Science.
It’s a great alternative for people that enjoy the technical industry but may not be interested in coding full-time. Speaking from personal experience, many students, like myself, find that Computer Science just isn’t the right fit for them. The greatest difference I have found is that Information Science is much more personable and collaborative in the work done in the classroom. Almost all classes are group project based, which gives students a sense of how a team at a company might work. On top of that, the workload feels more manageable and lighter in comparison to Computer Science.
Due to the fact that it is a new major, many students aren’t aware of this transfer option. There is a need for the word to be spread so that students can take all the information available and decide what is best for them. When I was transferring out of Computer Science, advising gave me minimal information as to what I was in for in regard to any aspect of the major. There were major pros and cons that I found out only after being in the major, that would have been helpful to know prior to switching into it.
In 2019, women hold only 20% of the available tech jobs (Why We Need More Women In Tech In 2019). Women in tech are desperately needed to help bridge the gap of diversity within the industry, as diversity simply leads to better and more intelligent results. Hiring people from more diverse backgrounds can help challenge the status quo and lead to more creative solutions within the tech industry. This in turn drives revenue, which ultimately leads to more research, innovation, and development.
III.) Topics
Types of Classes
When completing an Information Science degree, you will be exposed to a range of classes. To name a few: statistics, UX/UI, database management, business and technological policy, data science, information needs, and data visualization. Some programs used include mySQL, java, python, R, tableau, etc. Through completion of these classes, I had a great understanding of user needs and how to manipulate data as well as a basic knowledge of how to code in a few languages.
The most fulfilling part of these classes are the projects. Almost every class is project based, and really gives students a feeling for how a job would function. For instance, in INST327, database design and modelling, we built a working relational database using collected data in mySQL in a team setting. In INST314, we used R to recode and analyze relationships between variables in selected databases. I personally use these two examples of projects on my resume. Organizations really appreciate seeing how your work ethic translates into a project.
Jobs After College
Speaking of organizations, let’s go into what career life may look like with a degree in Information Science. Jobs after college that require an information science degree are vast and urgently hiring. I know from personal experience - whether it’s talking to organizations at career fairs, or scrolling through indeed.com, companies need people who understand data and know how to apply it to achieve goals. For example, some of these jobs may be:
Software Engineer
Data Analyst
Programmer Analyst
Technical Support Specialist
Business Analyst
Systems Engineer
Systems Administrator
Positives
The major itself has many uniquely positive features. I asked around at the iSchool for further insight. During an interview, when I asked an Information Science student, “What do you think is the best thing about the major for you is” they stated, “It’s so open ended – so broad I can apply it to anything I want”. It’s true - data is everywhere now. Knowing how to work with it opens you up to any field that needs this.
Another student spoke on the positive difference they experienced with coming from Computer Science as well. They found that Information Science had the technological aspect they were looking for, without the hard-core coding and math required for Computer Science.
One of the greatest things to come from my experience were the friendships I acquired with both classmates and professors. It really is a community and I am always finding new people to connect with.
Issues
With all that being said, due to the fact that Information Science is a new major, a series of problems have arisen such as over enrollment, job ambiguity, disorganization and overly broad classes. As stated before, many students only realize these issues once involved in the major.
Issues: Overcrowding
One of the largest issues I have experienced while in the major has been over enrollment. When speaking to students in my major in various classes, I asked “What do you think the greatest issue in the major is?”. Replies varied from “lack of a dedicated building” to “__”, but the most common answer dealt with the inability to register for desired classes; An issue that stems from the overcrowding.
From 91 students in Fall of 2016 to 959 students in the Fall of 2019, the major has grown over 10 times in size due to no cap on enrollment, and the University of Maryland has naturally struggled to keep up (“Number of Registered Majors”). It takes time to hire a professor, so the ones that are currently in the iSchool are being overloaded with students and class sections. Many professors spoken to this in my classes. Students are being hurt by this as well. Classes are waitlisted up to 50 students, making graduating on time difficult for many of us due to not being able to take required courses. Nearly 30% of the faculty is in the iSchool is made up of adjunct professors (“Information Science Faculty”). A strong reliance on adjunct professors can be a roadblock to future faculty recruitment (“Overcrowding in America's Colleges and Universities.”). According to Forbes, this can also lead to suffering in student learning due to the fact that “The faculty are less student-centered in their teaching, have less contact with students outside of class, and spend less time preparing for classes” (Edmonds).
Issues: Broadness in Major
Classes in the Information Science major include anything from User Experience, R statistical coding, python coding, mySQL coding, politics and technology, and IT systems; each class representing a job in itself. For students unsure of what they want to do, this can be helpful to get a taste of each job division. However, students that find they want to focus on a specific sector have a hard time learning more than preliminary knowledge of these fields. The major does offer the specialties of Cybersecurity and Privacy, Data Science, and Digital Curation. These do not span the nature of the major. For example, I have an interest in Data Visualization and none of the specializations cater to that interest. To fix this issue, the major should offer more specializations and require students to pick one in order to graduate, much like how Computer Science requires students to have an upper-level concentration. Students can take this into their own hands by finding electives that match the field they hope to enter.
Issues: No Centralized Location
A physical symptom of the new major is the fact that there is not a centralized location for all student Information Science classes like there is for other majors. This causes students to walk across campus going between two information science classes. Although this isn’t the worst issue, it still gives students the feeling a sense of disorganization and that they are less than other majors, like Computer Science who recently were built a $31 million building. Allocating funds to the program will give students a sense of community on campus.
Solutions
To fix this open enrollment overcrowding issue, I propose that the iSchool changes their enrollment to match that of computer science. Although limited enrollment seems to hurt students in the school wanting to join the major that may not be able to get in, it actually will help in the long run to ensure that Maryland is not overloading the classes. Along with this, the iSchool needs to adjust their faculty size to match the number of students. To do so, the University should make Information Science a limited enrollment major, similar to Computer Science. From a student's control, logging on immediately when access is granted for registration can help ensure you are able to sign up for the necessary classes.
After completing a degree in Information Science at UMD, as stated before, the job selection in very wide. Due to this, students need to show that they have worked on projects or internships in the past that cater towards the role that they are applying for. Taking projects seriously in the major and keeping them for reference for employers will help get students get the job they are applying for. When working professionally in this realm in the US, it is important to know that the major is valued. According to Northeastern University, “46% of Chief Information Officers see “big data and analytics” as the area most suffering for a shortage in the nation’s job market (Burnham). Due to this, job selection for a wide range of specializations will be vast. Thus, the best way to secure a job is to know what you want when going into the iSchool major to combat the broadness and job ambiguity.
Lastly, a building dedicated to Information Science, similar to ones that most majors have will bring unity to the major and fix the physical issues. I spoke to many students in my major about this issue and solution and every one stated that this would be extremely helpful and beneficial. One student stated how they barely make it from across the mall to the Computer Science Instructional building - and having a central building would solve that problem.
Resources
IV.) Conclusion
Overall, the University of Maryland’s Information Science program does a wonderful job at combining the topics of people, information, and technology into an all-encompassing major. Jobs catering to this degree include UX/UI designer, data visualization specialist, and database management. The uniqueness of the major caters to a growing field in the tech industry that is often overlooked in other majors. These qualities including data visualization, user experience, and database design help give the students a well-rounded idea of what a job in the field might include. However, due to the broadness of the major, the rapid growth, and disorganization, the students are experiencing similar problems across the board. The students themselves can take steps to correct for the issues that arise. The University can also right the wrong by implementing corrective measures at the root of the problem. These include further staffing to the Information Science department thus opening more classes, opening more specializations and requiring them for graduation, and creating a centralized building for Information Science. Thanks for tuning into this podcast, I hope that you have a well-rounded understanding of all aspects in the Information Science major at Maryland.
Addendum:
Appendix A: Information Science Survey
Survey given to 25 Information Science students to fill out.
Appendix C: Interviews
Luke, Senior Computer Science major at UMD
Q: You were a transfer student, correct?
A: Yes, I transferred from community college.
Q: Is there a large difference from there to UMD?
A: Woah, yes. My community college only had like way less kids and the campus here is way bigger and nicer. Many more opportunities available to me here.
Q: Have you ever considered switching majors?
A: Yep, many times
Q: Have you ever heard of information science?
A: I have
Q: Do you know anything about it?
A: I know it has to do with data science and visualization, I’m not really sure what else. Honestly sounds appealing to me.
Q: I know you’re not considering it now since you are so close to graduation, but do you think that other computer science students who aren’t happy with the major might want to go to info sci?
A: Definitely, I actually know a lot of kids that have. It seems like a very similar major, but I guess it gets rid of the math, right?
Q: What would you say some of the issues in the computer science major are?
A: Well we have a population overflow, I think. Like 131 and 132 because the classes don’t get hard enough until later on and people tend to drop out later in the major rather than in the beginning. Like going into algorithms they’re like “yeah this isn’t for me”
Q: Do you think the major should be harder from the beginning to weed out some people
A: I think so, maybe just harder to get into in general. That or make the major less difficult later on.
Q: UMD does have limited enrollment now, do you think that’s not enough
A: It’s a move in the right direction for sure.
Matt, Information Science Junior
Q: When did you first join the major?
A: a year ago I believe
Q: So you switched in from another major, correct?
A: Yes, computer science
Q: overall how are you liking that switch?
A: I like it.
Q: What do you think the best thing about the major is?
A: The different variety of classes we get to take is very nice.
Q: What issues have you experienced in the major if any?
A: I’d say I’ve had some issues with advising. But once I get in there they’re pretty helpful.
Q: Have you had issues with signing up for classes?
A: Yeah I had problems signing up for this core class – I was on the waitlist but didn’t get in so that kinda screwed me up.
Q: What do you think that has to do with?
A: Well probably because my sign up data was later than everyone and a lot of people needed to get into the course
Q: Would you recommend the major to people in the school?
A: Yeah for sure.
Q: Do you think most people know the major exists and their options for transferring?
A: I mean I went to advising to drop comp sci and they suggested it to me. I hadn’t heard of it before that. So no, I don’t believe a lot of people know about it.
Jasmine, Junior Information Science
Q: I know you switched from computer science, how long were you in the major for
A: I think 2 months
Q: Why did you switch
A: because I failed math 140 twice honestly
Q: Why did you pick information science
A: Because it was like all the other computer science drop outs were doing. No I’m kidding, but I still liked comp sci coding I just didn’t like the math and information science seems like a good solution to that.
Q: what do you think the biggest issues in the major are
A: I think there should be a MS/BS program because there is so much and the major has free space for you to do other things but I don’t know.
Q: Have you experienced issues with class registration?
A: yes 346 they didn’t tell me I needed mandatory advising. So I couldn’t sign up, and why do I not have my own advisor? I have to go to walk in, I don’t understand.
Q: Have you experienced issues with overcrowding in the major
A: No honestly, I think they have to pick better locations because sometimes the classes are too small for the amount of people.
Q: along with that answer, do you have issues with the fact that we don’t have a centralized building
A: Yes I have issues with that, I barely make it from across the mall to the computer science instructional building for my two classes
Q: What do you think the best thing about the major has been for you
A: Its so open ended – so broad I can apply it to anything I want
Appendix D: Other Findings
Asked other students the following questions, most common answers listed below:
What do you like most about Information Science?
Broadness
Less math than computer science
Broadness
Less math than computer science
What would you change?
Nothing
Advising
Broadness
Central building
Fix signing up for classes issues
MS/BS program
Nothing
Advising
Broadness
Central building
Fix signing up for classes issues
MS/BS program
-Part VI: Bibliography
Eichensehr, Morgan. “UMD Announces Courses for New Undergraduate Major in Information Science in the Fall.” The Diamondback, https://dbknews.com/2016/03/04/umd-announces-courses-for-new-undergraduate-major-in-information-science-in-the-fall/.
“Number of Registered Majors.” Reports.umd.edu, https://reports.umd.edu/reportHolder.html#NumberofRegisteredMajors/NumberofRegisteredMajors.
“10 Best Jobs For Information Sciences Majors In 2019.” Zippia, https://www.zippia.com/information-sciences-major/.
Burnham, Kristin. “How Much Do Data Analysts Make? Salary, Demand, and Defining Skills of the Industry.” Northeastern University Graduate Programs, 21 Aug. 2019, https://www.northeastern.edu/levelblog/2019/06/13/data-analyst-salaries/.
“InfoSci @ College Park.” ISchool, 25 Sept. 2019, https://ischool.umd.edu/infosci-collegepark.
“Information Science Faculty.” ISchool, https://ischool.umd.edu/faculty/sheri-massey.
“Overcrowding in America's Colleges and Universities.” OnlineUniversities.com, 6 Mar. 2014, https://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2013/05/overcrowding-in-americas-colleges-and-universities/.
Edmonds, Dan. “More Than Half of College Faculty Are Adjuncts: Should You Care?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 29 May 2015, https://www.forbes.com/sites/noodleeducation/2015/05/28/more-than-half-of-college-faculty-are-adjuncts-should-you-care/#1321b3e51600.
“Limited Enrollment Programs at the University of Maryland.” Limited Enrollment Program : University of Maryland, https://www.lep.umd.edu/.
Richman, Talia. “Why Has the University of Maryland Been Placed on 'Warning' by Its Accrediting Agency?” Baltimoresun.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2019, https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-umd-accreditation-20190701-story.html.
Columbus, L. (2017, December 12). LinkedIn's Fastest-Growing Jobs Today Are In Data Science And Machine Learning. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2017/12/11/linkedins-fastest-growing-jobs-today-are-in-data-science-machine-learning/#30c2bb7651bd.
Why We Need More Women In Tech In 2019. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://clearsumm.it/posts/why-we-need-more-women-in-tech-in-2019/.
Usability Test Results
What participants did
Read over the transcript for the podcast. Consulted with myself afterwards their thoughts, findings, feelings, and suggestions in a group manner. This took about an hour.
Style guide
APA style citations provides clarity to the reader since it is easy to understand. It is good for more professional, formalized, and technical writing, which is why I chose to use this over MLA. An example is as follows:
Richman, Talia. “Why Has the University of Maryland Been Placed on 'Warning' by Its Accrediting Agency?” Baltimoresun.com, Baltimore Sun, 2 July 2019, https://www.baltimoresun.com/education/bs-md-umd-accreditation-20190701-story.html.
In text: (Richman, 2019).
