Past Sources

Transfer Courses

CMSC 203: Discrete Structures

1. No readings, programming and mathematics course.

CMSC 289I: Rise of the Machines

1. Taken in 2015 at College Park, I no longer have access to syllabus and assigned readings.

Past Courses

FYS 102: Creativity, Innovation, and Invention

1. Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup: How today's entrepreneurs use continuous innovation to create radically successful businesses. New York: Crown Business.

   1. Disciplines: Entrepreneurship

   2. This book is a practical guide for creating a low cost or “lean” entrepreneurial venture. The methodology created by author Eric Ries is the build-measure-learn framework. This style of product development involves creating a “minimum viable product” that is validated by direct market and customer feedback. Ries suggests creating many iterations of a product and pivoting or revising based on feedback gathered from at least one hundred users. This approach is in opposition to many styles of product research and development that suggest keeping a product secret or exposed only to small focus groups that have signed non-disclosure agreements. Ries’ book will directly inform the prototype development portion of my capstone portfolio. I aim to follow the build-measure-learn cycle to create a minimum viable product for a digital therapeutic (DTx) to treat body dysmorphic disorder and gather user feedback to inform future iterations of both design and content of this DTx.

2. MacKenzie, G. (1998). Orbiting the giant hairball: A corporate fool's guide to surviving with grace. New York: Viking.

   1. Disciplines: Entrepreneurship

   2. MacKenzie’s book is a creative work and commentary on stagnation in corporate life. MacKenzie, a creative director at Hallmark, recounts his journey into what he calls corporate orbit. Orbit refers to a position where an individual is free to pursue their own creative endeavors while still drawing upon company assets. MacKenzie argues that reaching orbit allows one to escape company politics and operational inefficiencies born out of failure to challenge tradition. He also proposes that orbit is where all true innovation is born. MacKenzie gives suggestions for helping others reach orbit, most notably a style of active listening that encourages a person to discover solutions to their own problems. The content in this book may not be directly useful for my capstone project but will inform my post graduate plans. If I am working at a large corporation I will work to reach orbit and prioritize creativity rather than efficiency.

ENTR 200: Introduction to Entrepreneurship

1. No readings, applied entrepreneurship course based on in class activities.

CMSC 202: Computer Science II

1. No readings, strictly a software programming course

INDS 300: Ways of Knowing

1. Miller, M. & Boix-Mansilla, V. (2004). Thinking across disciplinary perspectives. Harvard Project Zero.

   1. Disciplines: Interdisciplinary Study

   2. This foundational work outlines barriers to interdisciplinary work as well as bridging strategies for overcoming these barriers. The barriers identified by Miller and Boix-Mansilla are differing units of analysis, communicating across perspectives and conflicting standards. To overcome these barriers, Miller and Boix-Mansilla suggests the strategies of, reasoning through analogies, creating compound concepts, building complex and multi-causal explanations, advancing through checks and balances, and bridging the explanation action gap. Each strategy offers a different way to combine disciplinary perspectives. This is perhaps the most significant work for informing the direction of both my degree plan and capstone. The bridging strategies are especially important for my capstone. My initial proposal of a portfolio with written work and a prototype DTx app would benefit greatly from bridging the explanation-action gap. In this strategy, clinical psychology acts as the explanation and entrepreneurship and information systems are the action based disciplines.

2. Repko, A. F., Szostak, R. (2017). Creating common ground between concepts. Interdisciplinary theory: Process and research (pp. 269-288). California: Sage Publications.

   1. Disciplines: Interdisciplinary Study

   2. Repko and Szostak’s strategies for creating common ground are another fundamental piece of interdisciplinary theory. The four techniques they identify for creating common ground are, redefinition, extension, transformation and organization. Redefinition concerns modifying how something is labeled to create integrative understanding. Extension refers to expanding the scope of the topic. Transformation involves modifying concepts that are completely opposed to creating common understanding. Organization involves understanding and mapping how concepts relate. These strategies are essential to the development of my capstone. For instance, in understanding the marketplace of digital therapeutics I will use organization extensively. As I progress with refining the rest of my capstone these techniques will also be used to create a deeper understanding of my research and applied learning in my portfolio.

3. Sousanis, N. (2015). Unflattening. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press

   1. Disciplines: Interdisciplinary Study, Visual Art

   2. Sousanis’ Unflattening is a graphic novel of his Harvard thesis about creativity and richness of thought. It outlines the failure of the educational system to promote creative expression and in place the “flattening” effects of being taught to follow a predefined pathway. Unflattening promotes the importance of holding multiple perspectives at once to avoid flat thoughts. Sousanis also directly expresses the importance of visual expression. Choosing to publish his thesis as a graphic novel is a bold argument that visual and written text combine to create meaning that neither can do in isolation. This text is not only something that I enjoy as a personal interest but is the overarching guide for choosing an individualized degree. It may not directly contribute to my capstone in the way other sources do, however, it does guide my thinking in balancing various disciplinary perspectives during the development of my capstone and degree plan.

PSYC 100: Introduction to Psychology

1. No readings other than online course textbook. Course content was very general psychology information and focused mainly on memorizing terminology. It does not pertain to my capstone other than to ensure I am successful in more specific clinical psychology coursework.

ENTR 201: The Entrepreneurial Mindset

1. Miller, J. G. (2004). QBQ!: The question behind the question: Practicing personal accountability in work and in life. New York: G.P. Putnams Sons.

   1. Disciplines: Entrepreneurship

   2. QBQ is a short handbook for effective work principles and personal accountability. The QBQ, or question behind the question, is a way of asking questions to promote rapid and effective solutions rather than create opposing viewpoints that slow an organization down. One of the main principles in QBQ is replacing questions that begin with “why” in favor of questions that start with “what” or “how”. Miller combines this restructuring with questions centered around the individual. Rather than asking, “why do I need to do this?” Miller argues that the better question might be, “what can I do right now to finish this task?”. This strategy promotes more accountable individuals who are focused on results rather than confined to their job descriptions. This style of questioning and emphasis on actionable tasks will inform how I approach my capstone. I seek to use the QBQ approach as a project management tool to promote effective and consistent development, especially when running into problems or delays during my capstone creation.

IS 300: Management Information Systems

1. Huang, K.-T., Ball, C., Francis, J., Ratan, R., Boumis, J., & Fordham, J. (2019). Augmented versus virtual reality in education: An exploratory study examining science knowledge retention when using augmented reality/virtual reality mobile applications. CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 22(2), 105–110. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2018.0150

   1. Disciplines: Information Systems, Computer Science, Education, Psychology

   2. This paper compares the differences in knowledge retention rates for augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications. The study compares an application that was identical in content but varied in whether the user viewed it through AR or VR. The study compared comprehension rates of astronomy content through a pretest and posttest. Results of the study found that users rated the VR content as more visually engaging and exciting but found that AR had a higher retention rate for audio information. The authors of the study suggest that VR requires greater levels of visual cognition and as such users cannot retain as much audio information. Conclusions of this study advise designers to emphasize audio information for AR platforms and visual information for VR. With the conclusions in mind, this study will inform my capstone development and post graduation work if I am developing software for either AR or VR platforms.

2. Krokos, E., Plaisant, C. & Varshney, A. (2018). Virtual memory palaces: immersion aids recall. Virtual Reality. 23(1). doi:10.1007/s10055-018-0346-3

   1. Disciplines: Information Systems, Computer Science, Psychology

   2. This is a detailed examination of the technique for memorization known as a memory palace, as applied to a VR environment. The authors outline the historical use of memory palaces and devise an experiment for comparing the effectiveness of a virtual memory palace in a VR headset to a traditional desktop display. The experiment tasks users with recalling faces assigned to numbered positions in the environment, after having time to memorize them. The study finds an 8.8% improvement in memory recall for VR users as compared to desktop displays. They also found fewer errors in recalling the faces among VR users and generally found that VR users were more confident in their answers.

This research serves as a foundation for examining the impact of VR systems on memory recall. This paper will help me when deciding which platform to develop my prototype DTx as part of my portfolio. If there is a significant amount of information for a user to remember, VR may be a good choice for development.

IS 303: Fundamentals of Human-Computer Interaction

1. Preece, J., Shap, H., & Rogers, Y. (2007). Interaction design: Beyond human-computer interaction. New York: Wiley

   1. Disciplines: Information Systems (Human-Computer Interaction)

   2. The textbook for IS 303 covers the fundamentals of interaction design, covering main topics such as defining interaction, design, usability, user experience and interface evaluation. All of these topics are critical when creating any kind of interface. The topics most relevant to my capstone are centered around understanding the user, their needs, and their goals when using a system. Specifically, the usability goals of utility, safety, efficiency and memorability are key to creating a well designed interface. Utility refers to the user’s ability to perform actions to achieve their goals. Safety means that the user is free of any unsafe or undesirable actions such as being directed to areas of a system they should not have access to. Efficiency refers to the overall speed with which a user can operate an interface. Finally, memorability and similarly learnability, are the goals that measure how well a user can learn an interface and continue to interact with it after periods of not using it. These goals are perhaps the most critical information to consider when designing any system and will be essential for my capstone as I am dealing with a user base with sensitive needs due to mental illness. A properly designed interface will be a critical component of my capstone prototype DTx.

INDS 430: Special Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies (Kinetic Sculpture Project)

1. Braungart, M. & McDonough, W. (2013). The upcycle: Beyond sustainability-Designing for abundance. New York: North Point Press.

   1. Disciplines: Entrepreneurship and Environmental Science

   2. Braungart and McDonough’s book offers the idea of the upcycle for a fully sustainable product development lifecycle. The upcycle mainly refers to a consideration for where a product ends up after its intended use. Braungart and McDonough propose a methodology to systematically rethink how we use raw materials in our society and begin to look for opportunities to design products that have no wasteful endpoint. This is illustrated by a number of examples throughout the book at a scale from individual consumer products to enterprise production systems. The upcycle is essential for survival and well being of the human race. The book also proposes a shift in energy sources by emphasizing the importance of solar energy. While the scale of the upcycle is beyond what I will likely accomplish with a capstone project, it is a critical mindset to consider when developing a product prototype. Adding a sustainability consideration for a company will give me another area to evaluate existing digital therapeutics companies in as part of my written portfolio.

2. Ullman, D. (2019). Scrum for hardware design: Supporting material for the mechanical design process. Oregon: David Ullman.

   1. Disciplines: Entrepreneurship

   2. This short handbook overviews the project management strategy of scrum. The central component of the scrum methodology is dividing a task into a series of two week sprints and tracking stories, or tasks, with a visible and permanent board. When implemented for a team, scrum also outlines roles that each member will play, such as the scrum master that delegates tasks for other members. During sprints, the team meets during daily standup meetings to overview progress, problems and adjustments. This book also overviews a series of case studies of teams that successfully implemented scrum into their project development. One of these case studies is a class at Olin College that uses scrum to develop a prototype mechanical arm. While this handbook is centered on hardware design, the scrum methodology is something I will use directly for planning my capstone project and tracking progress during the INDS 480 and INDS 490 courses. Trello, a scrum board in the student case study, is a tool I have used and will continue to use for tracking progress on projects.

Current Courses

PSYC 285: Abnormal Psychology

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

   1. Disciplines: Psychology

   2. The DSM-5 is the standard material for diagnosing and defining mental disorders. This manual defines standard categories of mental disorders including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorders among others. The manual includes information about the criteria for diagnosis of each disorder. It also includes statistics regarding prevalence and course of the disorder. Important information also includes risk factors of each disorder as well as the comorbidity with other disorders. This will be a critical component of understanding my capstone project and informing the efficacy of a DTx designed to treat body dysmorphic disorder; the first step in treating this disorder is understanding the diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM-5

PHIL 251: Ethical Issues in Science and Engineering

1. National Society of Professional Engineers (2019). Code of ethics for professional engineers. Retrieved from: https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics

   1. Disciplines: Philosophy, Engineering

   2. This set of ethical guidelines defined by the national society of professional engineers outlines the fundamental canons, rules of practice, and professional obligations of all engineers. Of the many points included in the guidelines, regard for human welfare and promoting the prestige of the engineering profession are among the most important. The rules of practice and professional obligations outline some situations where moral judgement may be challenged. These include guidelines for how an engineer should act when conflict of interests are present, as well as what to do when public safety is threatened and whistleblowing is necessary. This code of ethics will help to ensure I act ethically during the development of my capstone and my intended postgraduate career as a software engineer. Specifically, the portions regarding respect for human welfare will be a framework to evaluate my project direction.

INDS 410: Internship with Imaging Research Center

1. Cheah, C., Kaputsos, S., Mandalapu, V., Tran, T., Barman, S., Jung, S., Vu, K., Masterson, T., Zuber, R., Boot, L. & Gong, J. (2019). Neurophysiological variations in food decision- making within virtual and real environments. IEEE-EMBS International Conference Proceedings on Biomedical and Health Informatics Doi: 10.1109/BHI.2019.8834497.

   1. Disciplines: Computer Science, Information Systems, Psychology

   2. This interdisciplinary research was conducted in partnership with the Imaging Research Center (where I intern), Psychology department and SAIL lab. The study montied the neurophysiological responses of participants in a virtual buffet that was modeled after True Grit’s dining hall, as compared to the actual dining hall. 11 participants were monitored with a multimodal system of eye tracking, galvanic skin response and ECG monitors of brain activity. The results indicated few if any differences between the virtual and real environment. Participants chose food quantities that were similar in both environments. The results of the study suggest that VR may be an effective environment for conducting future behavioral research. The study also mentions that VR is an effective platform for future research into eating habits, especially for those with eating dysfunctions. This study is critical for my capstone as it represents an early investigation into a potential digital therapeutic for eating dysfunctions using VR. Validation of VR as an effective platform for behavioral studies is critical for the efficacy of VR based digital therapeutics and future research into the platforms behavioral benefits.

IS 448: Markup and Scripting Languages

1. No readings, strictly a software programming course.

IS 698: Special Topics in Information Systems (Affective HCI)

1. McDuff, D. & Czerwinski, M. (2018). Designing emotionally sentient agents. Communications of the ACM, 61(12). doi: 10.1145/3186591.

   1. Disciplines: Information Systems (Affective Computing)

   2. This article is an overview of the field of affective computing as well as specific guidelines and justifications for developing emotionally sentient agents. McDuff ad Czerwinski argue that creating systems that can respond intelligently to a user’s emotions is significantly more complex than identifying emotions. They also argue that emotionally intelligent systems and agents are more engaging and more trustworthy than non-emotionally aware systems. The article overviews verbal and non-verbal patterns of emotion sensing used by these agents. It also overviews the dimensional, discrete and appraisal theories of emotion. Finally it outlines the various types of emotionally aware agents, including dialogue systems, virtual agents and robotic agents. The article concludes with ethical considerations for the future of emotionally intelligent systems. This is a great piece of work for informing what the future of digital therapeutics may look like. If affective computing principles can be integrated into digital therapeutic systems, the potential for software based care increases significantly. I aim to include some sort of emotionally aware element in my capstone prototype.

2. Gunes, H. & Pantic, M. (2010) Automatic, dimensional and continuous emotion recognition. International Journal of Synthetic Emotions, 1(1) 1-4. doi:10.4018/jse.2010101605

   1. Disciplines: Information Systems (Affective Computing)

   2. This reading overviews the various methods for recognition of emotion in affective computing systems. The main focus of the reading is overviewing the emotional theories that inform the development of recognition systems. The three theories that are covered in this work are, categorical, dimensional and appraisal theories of emotion. The categorial theory views emotions as discrete labels that can be identified. The main researcher in this theory is Paul Eckman. The dimensional model states that emotions are related to each other and identified on various scales. Scales included in this reading include, valence, arousal and potency or intensity. The last theory of emotion is the appraisal theory which identifies emotions as perceptions of an individual's environmental circumstances. The categorical and dimensional models are sufficiently translated into affective systems, however the appraisal theory is an ongoing area of research. The research also outlines the way in which emotions are conveyed including, speech, posture, facial expression and eye gaze. This information will be used to include emotional components in my capstone. A key area of study in affective computing right now uses emotion recognition to make automatic assessments of one’s mental health. This will allow me to assess existing DTx products to see if any include affective computing features as another measure of my written market review in my portfolio.