Information Architecture

Information Architecture is seen both as the process of organizing nomenclature, designing navigation and search systems, as well as the art and science of shaping information spaces and experiences to support their functionality (L. Rosenfeld, R. Morville).

It was created as a response to the rapid growth of information resources available online. Its mission is to humanize technology so that it makes life easier for people who function being bombarded by various messages. As a cognitive and practical discipline, it uses methods and techniques from areas such as information technology, graphic design, cognitive psychology, usability engineering, software development, experience design, and knowledge management. Enrol!

 Why is it worth studying Information Architecture?

Studies in the field of information architecture provide, on one hand, knowledge on technical topics, on the other – develop the skills of creative thinking, problem solving and adapting the created websites to unusual needs of users. This major was created for people who associate their professional future with designing websites, analysing the results of qualitative and quantitative research on customer needs and website traffic, testing the functionality of information services, digital publishing, computer editing, searching and evaluating electronic information.

By studying information architecture, you will learn, among others, how to:

• efficiently and functionally use digital means of communication, methods, techniques and software,
• create websites, define structures, ways of searching and navigating intra- and internet sites,
• properly organize the content, give it appropriate names and ensure an efficient system of navigating through it,
• efficiently search, select, visualize and evaluate information,
• distinguish between network resources,
• take care of safety on the Internet,
• design different types of messages,
• analyse users’ information needs,
• explore the information space,
• cooperate with graphic designers, programmers and IT analysts.

You do not need to be a graduate of science and technology to work in the information services sector. Become an information architect – save users time from surfing the Internet, help them navigate a given site, flawlessly find the information they are looking for and continue the visit feeling in control of the situation.

Curriculum

The curriculum we have prepared is innovative, i.e. it takes into account the needs of the labour market and offers modern didactic content. The main emphasis is put on developing practical skills in creating websites, constructing messages correct in terms of content, designing digital publications, professional information retrieval, data visualization, information analysis and evaluation, knowledge management. In addition to the possibility of acquiring specific skills, the curriculum provides knowledge of the existing technological tools and the rules of their use, the functioning of cyberspace, methods of creating and searching various information resources and forms of participation in virtual communities. It also provides for the acquisition of the so-called soft competences (autopresentation, teamwork, project implementation, building positive interpersonal relationships or effective communication).

Contrary to many other majors, didactic classes in the field of information architecture are not only passive knowledge acquisition, as we use methods and techniques of remote learning (access to teaching materials on a special electronic platform, classes and tests conducted remotely).

The advantage of our studies is also highly qualified staff. Apart from the employees of the Institute for Information and Communication Research, teaching activities are conducted by scientists from the Faculty of Fine Arts, the Faculty of Historical Sciences and the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. Thanks to cooperation with the external environment (publishing houses, information brokerage agencies, IT companies, economic intelligence agencies, institutions of the cultural and science sector), we are still looking for original ideas and inspiration to make the educational content we provide more attractive.

After graduation

Our studies are aimed at people ready to creatively combine humanistic knowledge with IT skills. We prepare our students for creative use of knowledge from various areas and disciplines: IT, journalism and social communication, cultural studies, editing, information management. We offer the opportunity to acquire practical skills and competences in the use of modern information and communication technologies. Our studies allow you to prepare for the following professions:

• information architect,
• web analyst,
• web designer,
• database designer,
• webmaster,
• editor and administrator of internet portals,
• editor and publisher of digital content,
• information broker,
• researcher,
• SEO positioner,
• content manager of websites and information resources,
• graphic and multimedia designer,
• specialist in the study of the usefulness of information environments,
• social media specialist,
• digital archivist,
• information services functionality tester,
• software and application tester.

After completing the first-cycle studies, graduates are fully prepared to continue their education both in second-cycle and post-graduate studies (in particular in the fields of designing information spaces and assessing their quality).

Our advantages:

• we use modern technical infrastructure as well as IT and telematics tools to support science (electronic platform with teaching materials; university educational portal; wireless network; archiving in the cloud, website publishing services, etc.),

• we have four modern IT laboratories and multimedia equipment (including an eye-tracking test stand),

• we provide students with the opportunity to complete part of their studies free of charge in other academic centres in Poland and abroad (including Bulgaria, Greece, Estonia, France, Lithuania, Slovenia, Turkey, Italy, Hungary),

• we organize apprenticeships and internships in accordance with the interests of our students – in institutions and companies where they can later find employment,

• we give the opportunity to participate in major classes in English,

• we enable students to pursue their interests and passions (editing a student magazine, working in a student radio and television, membership in research clubs),

• we give students a chance to co-organize and participate in national and international conferences,

• we employ highly qualified teaching staff with extensive experience and practical and environmental competences,

• our majors receive positive opinions from our graduates,

• the seat of our Institute is located in a new building, perfectly connected with the city centre and fully accessible for disabled people,

• our university is one of the best in the country and abroad – in 2017, in the “Ranking of Higher Education Institutions” carried out by the “Perspektywy” website, it was ranked 9th among universities in Poland and 5th among all universities; a spectacular advancement (by 87 positions) in the Google Scholar Citations ranking was registered and for the first time it was included in the prestigious “Academic Ranking of World Universities”, the world’s oldest ranking of universities,

• at the end of 2019, the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń obtained the status of a Research University, being in the prestigious group of ten most important universities in Poland.

• we inspire students to participate and organize trips to cyclical cultural events (including Night of Libraries, International Theatre Festival “Kontakt”, International Film Summer Festival and Tofifest, Toruń Festival of Science and Art, Promocja Edukacyjna (Educational Promotion), Bella Skyway Festival, Welconomy Forum),

• we enable studying in a beautiful city, the Old Town complex of which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Note! From the 2019/20 academic year, we launched second-cycle studies in the field of Information Architecture. The curriculum we have prepared is a rich supplement to the didactic offer of first-degree studies in the field of information architecture. It has also been developed with the graduates of other fields of study in mind. The basic content (including search strategies, statistics, content management systems, e-administration, knowledge visualization) has been enriched with modular subjects (including archival IT systems, Internet archiving). There are two specializations to choose from: Contemporary information environment and User-centred design. The first includes training in the field of, inter alia, specialized information management systems, Big Data processing, e-publishing and information security. The second specialization covers issues such as website aesthetics, vector graphics, design of search interfaces and the basics of eye-tracking.

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