COSC368-14S2 (C) Semester Two 2014

Humans and Computers

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2014
End Date: Sunday, 16 November 2014
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2014
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 12 October 2014

Description

The course provides an introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). HCI is concerned with understanding, designing, implementing and evaluating user-interfaces so that they better support users in carrying out their tasks. On completing the course you will have knowledge of the theoretical foundations of designing for interaction between humans and computers. You will also have practical experience in implementing and evaluating graphical user interfaces.

Learning Outcomes

The designers of interactive computer systems create a language or dialogue that allows users to communicate with their systems. This language may take many forms, such as a text-based command-line interface, a graphical user interface with windows and buttons, or a 3D graphical visualisation. In this course you will learn how to design, implement, and evaluate different types of user-interfaces.

The course (twenty-four lectures) provides an introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). HCI is concerned with understanding, designing, implementing and evaluating user-interfaces so that they better support users. Having completed the course students will be able to do the following:
- Analyse and identify user requirements;
- Evaluate and apply current methodologies when designing and implementing interface solutions that meet user requirements;
- Demonstrate an understanding of the underlying human factors and usability guidelines that influence successful interactions and apply them to user interaction design;
- Demonstrate theapplication of formative and summative interface evaluation techniques.

Prerequisites

(1) 45 points of (200-level Computer Science and ENCE260), (2) 30 points of EMTH or 15 points of MATH/STAT (MATH120 recommended). MATH101 is not acceptable. RP: From 2011 onwards: COSC110, COSC263.

Restrictions

COSC225

Recommended Preparation

From 2011 onwards: COSC110, COSC263.

Timetable Note

Depending on final student numbers, some of the advertised lab/tutorial streams may not run. Final lab/tutorial options will be available for self-allocation closer to the start of the semester through My Timetable.

Course Coordinator

Andrew Cockburn

Lecturer

Scott Grissom

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Lecture Participation 10%
Mid Semester Test 20%
Usability Observation 10%
Lab Activities 20%
Exam 40%


The midterm test and final exam are closed book and no notes are permitted.
No assignments will be accepted after the drop dead date (one week after the original due date). The penalty for the late submission of an assignment will be an absolute deduction of 15% of the maximum possible mark.

Textbooks / Resources

• Required Textbook: R. Hartson & R.S. Pyla, The UX Book: Process and guidelines for ensuring a quality user experience, Morgan Kaufmann, 2012.  
Available in the university book store as well as Kindle edition (can be read on most electronic devices).  The Kindle edition can even be rented for a few months for about half of the cost!
• Supplemental material posted to Learn
• In addition, you are expected to register for the Alertbox newsletter about usability at useit.com.  This e-mail newsletter is sent every two weeks and contains current perspectives about HCI.  We will discuss the articles during lecture.

Notes

There are several important documents available online about departmental regulations, policies and guidelines at the following site. We expect all students to be familiar with these.

Notices about this class will be posted to the class forum in the Learn system.

COSC students will also be made members of a class called “CSSE Notices”, where general notices will be posted that apply to all classes (such as information about building access or job opportunities).

Additional Course Outline Information

Grade moderation

The Computer Science department's grading policy states that in order to pass a course you must meet two requirements:
1. You must achieve an average grade of at least 50% over all assessment items.
2. You must achieve an average mark of at least 45% on invigilated assessment items.
If you satisfy both these criteria, your grade will be determined by the following University- wide scale for converting marks to grades: an average mark of 50% is sufficient for a C- grade, an average mark of 55% earns a C grade, 60% earns a B- grade and so forth. However if you do not satisfy both the passing criteria you will be given either a D or E grade depending on marks. Marks are sometimes scaled to achieve consistency between courses from year to year.

Aegrotats
If factors beyond your control (such as illness or family bereavement) prevent you from completing some item of course work (including laboratory sessions), or prevent you from giving your best, then you may be eligible for aegrotat, impaired performance consideration or an extension on the assessment. Details of these may be found in the University Calendar. Supporting evidence, such as a medical certificate, is normally required. If in doubt, talk to your lecturer.

Tentative Lecture Schedule

Week 1 Introduction  / UX Lifecycle
Week 2 Contextual Inquiry
Week 3 Contextual Analysis
Week 4 Constructing Design Models
Week 5 UX Design
Week 6 Prototyping UX
Week 7 Design Guidelines
Week 8 Goals, Metrics and Targets
Week 9 Evaluation
Week 10 Empirical Evaluation
Week 11 Evaluation Reporting / Rapid Evaluation Methods
Week 12 Making it work in industry / Accessibility

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $748.00

International fee $3,388.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

Minimum enrolments

This course will not be offered if fewer than 10 people apply to enrol.

For further information see Computer Science and Software Engineering .

All COSC368 Occurrences

  • COSC368-14S2 (C) Semester Two 2014