Course Name: NMD 200, Designing Humane Tech, 3 credits
Meeting: Ferland 337, T/TH 12:30-1:45 pm
Instructors: Prof Joline Blais & Cecilia Andrade (TA)
Tools: Website, Slack, ZOOM
Office Hours:
— Prof Blais: Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:45 (248 Boardman); Wed 3-5 (Zoom); Slack anytime
— Cecilia Andrade: M/W. 11:30-1:30 & Fri 2-3 pm (138 Boardman)
— Lab Ferland 106: Fri 10-11:50 pm
NMD 200 Designing Humane Tech is a project-based class that focuses on exploring the goals and impacts of New Media technologies, and on developing design skills to ensure a healthier world. Students practice skills from New Media foundation courses like graphics, creative coding, video, and photography. Topics include how design choices respond to and influence our bodies, our communities including our political and economic structures, and our ecological systems. We will explore humane design choices that enable us to create a healthier and more sustainable world in line with our values.
We’ll use Permaculture Ethics and Principles as a guide to evaluate and design tech that promotes Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. We will also explore the 12 Permaculture Design Principles as an eco-literate design guide for creating wealth for planet, people, and communities
In order to best accommodate student projects and course goals, the format, schedule or content for this course may be modified. In addition, student input may alter the content and direction of our work. In such case, changes will be made directly to this online syllabus, with in-class announcements.
Recognize critical issues relevant to design and evaluation of New Media technology.
Part of your class/lab grade depends on your contribution to the class and to your peers. Credit comes from both in-class/lab comments, Slack feedback, and WordPress assignment comments. Practice giving honest, helpful and supportive feedback. A simple model is to say what you genuinely appreciate and then mention something that isn’t working so well for you or that confuses you. Invite the other person to improve.
I am impressed and give credit for BOTH giving & getting substantial help from peers (tell me via Slack).
Intelligence (and happiness) is a social (and interspecies) thing. Listen, share, collaborate to be smart.
Tutoring is available for a wide range of UMaine courses using the tutor matching platform Knack. To meet with a UMaine peer tutor, go to UMaine Knack and sign up with your MaineStreet account. During signup, there will also be an opportunity to download the Knack app for apple or android. Using the Knack app, you will be able to select the course in which you want tutoring and then select a tutor. You will communicate with the tutor through the Knack app to arrange a time and location for your tutoring session.
For more information or with questions, contact: Office of Student Academic Success in 104 Dunn Hall, or call 207-581-2351.3
In this class, your homework begins with readings/videos and a simple quiz, which you do Monday before class. This makes sure all of us share some common material, concepts, and ideas to discuss and with which to create our tasks, prep and projects. Quizzes are 10 questions, 60 minute, open book/web, and social. DO NOT use AI for quizzes. Getting together with classmates, and/or canning the readings will improve your learning.
Students will work on practice in class or Lab—alone and with peers—to build skills needed for bi-weekly Projects. Some of these in-class tasks may have an “exit ticket” allowing you to leave class once you finish, and/or stay longer if you’d like support or feedback.
Every two weeks, you will work on one kind of new media project that will build your digital media skills and produce a portfolio piece. You will begin with a Prep assignment in the first week, then revise and update this as your Project in the second week. For more info see the list of Projects.
Your final project, which you will work on throughout the semester, is a personal WordPress Portfolio that showcases your work. Since this work is public, make sure you focus on projects and tools that matter to you.
1. Show Up & Participate
This is an active, task-based class. It works best when everyone comes prepared, pays attention during mini-lectures, and contributes to discussions, activities, and project work.
You have considerable freedom in how you learn and participate, but please use class time for class. Working on unrelated assignments, using phones or laptops for non-class purposes, repeatedly leaving the room, or regularly opting out of activities can distract others and reduce the quality of our shared learning environment.
Attendance credit reflects meaningful presence, not simply being in the room. If these behaviors prevent you from participating in a significant part of a class, your attendance/participation credit for that day may be reduced or forfeited.
2. Do the Work
Missing work = zero. That hurts your grade fast—so keep up and turn things in on the Class Website, even if not perfect. A 65 grade will NOT lower your grade as much as a 0.
3. Freebies = Lifelines
Life happens. You get 1 chance to turn in late work, no excuse needed. Your second late project gets docked 5% per day late. Try not to use this, it’s for unusual circumstances.
4. Absences Add Up
You get 2 free absences. After that, each one drops your attendance grade by 5 points (out of 100). No distinction between excused/unexcused—you’re in charge of managing your time.
A = Outstanding
Above-and-beyond effort, strong work, active help to/from peers, clear growth.
B = Very Good
Met all expectations, showed effort and thoughtful input, supported others.
C = Just OK
Did the basics, little extra effort or class contribution.
D = Slipping
Work mostly incomplete, little learning or engagement, low scores.
F = Checked Out
Missing or failing most work. No signs of effort or progress.
Bottom Line:
It’s easy to pass with steady effort. It’s also easy to fail if you check out. Stay engaged, do the work, and ask for feedback or advice if you need it—we’re here to help you thrive.
Being present with focused attention on your work and your classmates is key.
Show Up, Speak Up
Be in class, on time, and ready to participate. Attendance counts toward your grade.
Do the Work—On Time
Turn in assignments by the posted deadlines. Partial work is better than none.
Revise & Improve
Low grades? If you turn in work time, you may get 1-2 chances to revise or replace them—stay on top of your work.
Communicate Early
Missing class or struggling? Tell me ASAP. I’ll help if you show effort and responsibility.
Respect Matters
Listen actively. Speak thoughtfully. Support diverse perspectives.
Stay Focused
No phones out during class. Don’t multitask unrelated work on your laptop—do use it to expand your engagement with class work.
Be Ready to Work
Bring your laptop or necessary tools—phones alone won’t cut it for in class work. Use your phone when required for tasks or fieldwork.
Use Your Resources
Take advantage of TA office hours, tutors, labs, equipment, and campus support services.
Life Happens—Talk to Me
Illness? Family duties? Reach out early. I won’t grade based on personal setbacks, but I need to know to support you.
Your work has something AI does not: lived experience, relationships, judgment, responsibility, and a point of view. Take pride in developing your own conceptual, creative, and technical abilities. These skills—and the values you express through them—matter more than any single course grade. AI may support your learning, but it should not replace the learning an assignment is designed to provide. You remain responsible for every idea, claim, design decision, and piece of media you submit.
Unless an assignment states otherwise, you may use AI selectively to:
Begin with your own observations, research, ideas, and creative direction. Prompt actively and with strong, personal values and ideas. Evaluate and revise AI suggestions rather than accepting them automatically.
Do not submit AI-generated stories, scripts, designs, reflections, research, or media as your own, or use AI to replace required creative and technical practice. Never fabricate sources, quotations, interviews, or community perspectives, or imitate another person’s identity, voice, image, or style without permission.
Use People Care to protect learning, privacy, consent, and well-being; Fair Share to address bias, representation, credit, and data ownership; and Earth Care to avoid unnecessary or resource-intensive AI use. Ask whether AI genuinely improves the work and whether its benefits justify its human and ecological costs.
Include a brief AI Use Note naming the tool, explaining what it contributed, and describing what you changed or verified—or state “No AI used.” Clearly label AI-generated material included in a final project; routine spelling and grammar checks do not require documentation.
Your grade reflects your understanding, creative judgment, accuracy, craft, ethical choices, and ability to explain your process—not how much AI you use. When uncertain, ask before submitting the work.
Covid 19: For more information see Black Bears Care Pact: https://umaine.edu/return/black-bears-care/
And: UMaine Covid 19 policy
• Academic Honesty
• Students Accessibility Services Statement
• Course Schedule Disclaimer
• Observance of Religious Holidays/Events
• Sexual Discrimination Reporting
• Student Conduct Expectations
• Classroom Civility
• Inclusive and Non-sexist Language
• Copyright Notice for Materials Accessible through the Course Website
• Contingency Plans in the Event of an Epidemic
Get in touch with Prof Joline Blais or TA Cecilia Andrade via