Welcome to INFO 3312/5312

Notes
Modified

May 19, 2026

NoteLearning objectives
  • Introduce the course and its structure
  • Identify the course learning objectives and how we will learn to visualize data

Course themes

INFO 3312/5312 - Data Communication organizes the material around three interrelated questions.

What: the communication itself — specific visualization types for particular purposes (maps for spatial data, Sankey diagrams for proportions, etc.) and the R tooling to produce them.

How: the process — starting with a design sketch, pre-processing data, mapping data to aesthetics, making visual encoding decisions (including accessibility), and post-processing for annotation and visual polish.

Why: the theory — the grammar of graphics ties together how and what and connects to the underlying theory of human cognition and information processing.

Course toolkit

All tools are linked from the course website at https://info3312.infosci.cornell.edu/.

Course components

The activities and assessments in this course are designed to help you successfully achieve the course learning objectives. They are designed to follow the Prepare, Practice, Perform format.

  • Prepare: Includes reading assignments to introduce new concepts and ensure a basic comprehension of the material.

  • Practice: Includes application exercises where you will begin to apply the concepts and methods introduced in the prepare assignment.

  • Perform: Includes homeworks and projects. These assignments build upon the prepare and practice assignments and are the opportunity for you to demonstrate your understanding of the course material and how it is applied to communicate effectively using real-world data.

ImportantYour responsibilities for your education

My role as the instructor is to provide you with the resources and support you need to succeed in this course. However, your success ultimately depends on your active participation and engagement in the course. You are expected to:

  • Complete the assigned readings.
  • Actively participate in the course.
  • Complete all assignments on time and to the best of your ability.
  • Seek help when needed, whether from the course staff, classmates, or other resources.
  • Take responsibility for your own learning and development throughout the course.

See the course syllabus for grading breakdown and policies.

What do I actually have to do?

There are things we expect you to complete in order to learn, and there are things we require you submit for grading. Just because something is not graded does not mean it is not important for your learning. The table below summarizes the components of the course, their purpose, and whether they are expected to be completed and/or graded.

Component Description Expected completion Graded
Preparation readings Provides necessary background ✅ ❌
Course notes Adapted from in-person lectures. Occasionally includes embedded exercises which require written responses or code. ✅ ❌
Application exercises Standalone exercises that apply course content to new problems. AEs early in the course are completed on the course website using WebAssembly and {webr}. Later AEs are cloned from Git repositories and completed in Positron. ✅ ❌
Homework assignments Individual assignments that apply course content to new problems. Homework assignments are cloned from Git repositories, completed in Positron, and submitted via Gradescope. ✅ ✅
Projects Longer-form assignments that apply course content to new problems. Projects are cloned from Git repositories and completed in Positron. ✅ ✅

Summary

  • INFO 3312/5312 teaches data communication through three lenses: what to make, how to make it, and why the choices matter
  • All course materials, repositories, and tools are linked from the course website
  • The course is designed around the Prepare, Practice, Perform model, and all components are important for your learning, whether they are graded or not