I200 Midterm - Spring 2001
The exam is due: February 27th, 2:30 pm
Instructions:
The exam must be word processed/typed. It must be spell-checked and
grammar-checked.
Write your name on every page and staple the pages
in the upper left-hand corner.
Plagiarism: Teamwork is not allowed. The exam must represent your
own work. If you use other people's ideas or
information from printed materials or webpages,
you must include full citations.
(Plagiarism, even if only in parts of the exam, results in a grade of
"F" and can have additional consequences as described in the Code of
Student Ethics.)
Question 1
Imagine you are designing a website
related to a certain topic (you can choose any topic you are
interested in). Write a short essay on the following questions:
Concerning classification/categorization: what classes or categories
should the website be listed under in a Yahoo-type web directory
and why should it be under these classes/categories?
Concerning scripts and schemas: how can the knowledge of scripts
and schemas that users have about the topic help in the design of the
website?
Which facets (user groups, content of the website, etc) should you
keep in mind while designing the website?
What spatial or temporal information might be related to the
topic of the site and how can it be represented?
Can you think of any further examples of how techniques of
information representation (anything we discussed in class so far)
might improve the accessibility, content representation or market
value of your website?
Question 2
Write a short essay on how information is retrieved on the WWW.
What are the main two types of search tools?
Name several reasons for each of the two types of search tools
why it may be difficult for users to find what they are looking for.
How could a search tool use facets to improve search results?
How could a search tool use spatial or temporal information
to improve search results?