Assignments

The assignments in P&T are split into a series of "minor" assignments (for which you may receive peer or instructor comments, but the grade is a simple Check/No Check), and "major" assignments, which are often iterative in nature, receive feedback in oral settings (class critiques, etc.) and will typically result in a letter grade at the end of the semester or after the final due date.

Critiques are a very common occurrence in this class. If you are not familiar with them, the goal is for everyone in class to get involved. To encourage this, you will be asked to write down 3 plus and 3 minuses for each thing being presented, and we will build the discussion off of a combination of these observations and instructor feedback.

Minor Assignments (all individual):

It is your responsibility to let the instructor know that you have completed each of these by the due date. DO NOT do this by email, instead approach her before or after the class on which each assignment is due. Assignments with links have more details at the link.

  • Due weekly on Tuesday: Research Journal: Each student is required to keep a research journal. I encourage you to write daily for 10 minutes (and you may want to make use of alumni Ian Li's "Write for Ten" website to do this). You will hand in a sample journal entry each tuesday along with a brief reflection (1 paragraph or so) on what the entry means to you. Entries can be on any topic you wish, but some ideas to start you off include:
    • a question you had about the reading, something important you did not understand
    • an idea inspired by the reading,
    • an interesting connection with something you learned or did previously
    • in this or another course, or in other professional work or research
  • Due 8/27: Join our community ... Join the class discussion group by visiting this webpage: http://groups.google.com/group/hcii-pandt.
    • Due 8/29: IRB Training (should have been completed during orientation for some of you)
  • Due 8/29: Find HCII Articles
  • Due 8/29: Also, join the HCI community: You should be aware of resources in your are. They vary from organized information about references such as HCI Bib and other links mentioned above on this page to discussion and mailing lists. (individual) due 8/27
    • In particular, you should consider joining CHI-STUDENTS, CHI-ANNOUNCEMENTS, and ACM in order to stay in touch with your larger research community.
    • Due 9/10: By Sept 10, you should have gathered data/interviewed at least three members of the HCII as potential advisers.
  • Due 10/1: IRB Critique
  • Due Date TBD: Time Journal

Major Assignments (some individual, some group; in order of first due date):

Many of these assignments are iterative in nature, and the primary source of feedback will be oral in class.