Education

Human factors & ergonomics, as a discipline, is concerned with transforming our understanding about “humans” into “design” of systems for human use. However, educating future human factors professionals is challenging as required knowledge and skills continue to change. Human factors professionals are required to be knowledgeable about human interaction with emerging technologies in new environments, be skillful to apply state-of-the-art methods, and ultimately contribute to systems engineering as active designers with a passion for human-centered design. My ultimate purpose of education is to facilitate students’ learning to become successful engineers and researchers of tomorrow.

Teaching

ISE 3341 Designing for People, Part I: Ergonomics and Work Design (Oakland University)

Survey ID 93032: "... It sparked my interest in a possible career in the human factors field."

Survey ID 98221: "The course was very interesting and I looked forward to going to class every day."

Course Evaluations: 4.8/5.0 (2023 Fall), 4.7/5.0 (2022 Fall), 4.8/5.0 (2021 Fall), 4.7/5.0 (2020 Fall)

Design, analysis, and measurement of work. Consideration of anthropometric data in the design and analysis of work.

Define the fundamental anatomic, physiologic, and cognitive structures relevant to ergonomics.
Demonstrate the application of anthropometry to the design of safe and effective products and workspaces.
Construct and solve free-body diagrams to determine the biomechanical load applied at a joint.
Identify potential work risks leading to cumulative trauma disorders in the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
Demonstrate the use of an ergonomic software tool for workstation analysis and design.
Identify and define design considerations for special populations.

Student feedback

Survey ID 91499: The professor was clear and organized about what he expected from us throughout the semester. I liked his lectures a lot because he used a lot of visual aids and colors. He really is an expert of human factors engineering! Oakland found a gem with this professor.
Survey ID 102971: Dr. Kim is an amazing person/instructor/professor and I hope I can take more classes with him.
Survey ID 103395: Kim is one of the best professors I have ever had at any institution.
Survey ID 103872: I think every instructor should work like Dr. Kim. This was one of the most engaged I've seen an instructor. I can only say nice things about his ability to teach the material.
Survey ID 104420: Outstanding professor in terms of keeping students engaged, being understanding, and offering help during office hours.
Survey ID 98221: The course was very interesting and I looked forward to going to class every day. Dr. Kim even brought in guest speakers so we could learn about other people in the field and what they do and I loved that.
Survey ID 98838: Professor Kim was an amazing instructor. He taught the class in a way that everyone could understand the material being covered by using in-class activities and was available to answer any questions we had. Professor Kim was also one of the only instructors I have ever had who actually listened to their students on class load and adjusted the course based on the answers received. He made the course enjoyable by bringing in guest speakers so we could see how the material being covered was actually used in everyday work.
Survey ID 93032: The course was great and I feel like I learned a lot of valuable information. It sparked my interest in a possible career in the human factors field.
Survey ID 109584: Dr. Kim did a great job keeping this class entertaining and relating it to the real world. This was the first course I have ever taken without tests and I think I learned the material significantly more thoroughly than I ever would have with traditional learning techniques. I genuinely think Dr. Kim should teach a course to other professors and teachers on his teaching techniques.
Survey ID 109584: The organization of the course moodle page was the best I have seen out of any professor and classes were organize and always on track. I loved the addition of guest speakers to give us an idea of what human factors engineering looks like in the field. I really really liked the structure of this class applying concepts learned in class to projects gave me a hands on experience that actually made the concepts stick rather then focusing on just studying material for an exam.

ISE 4441/5441 Designing for People, Part II: Human Factors Engineering (Oakland University)

Survey ID 95739: "... This course helped me develop a greater understanding of Human Factors and its importance in design. It was a well-organized and informative course"

Course Evaluations: 4.7/5.0 (2023 Winter), 4.9/5.0 (2022 Winter), 4.5/5.0 (2021 Winter)

Design and analysis of products and systems considering the human body's sensory and cognitive limitations in the work environment including the study of stresses on the visual, auditory, tactile and vestibular system; the selection, design and arrangement of controls and displays; and basic principles of human-computer interaction.

Define the fundamental neurological and physiological structures necessary for human sensing and cognition.
Demonstrate understanding of the human information processing model, human perception and memory.
Define human limitations and capabilities and how they impact the design of controls, displays, and related devices.
Identify and define design considerations for users of varying abilities.

Student feedback

Survey ID 95739: Professor Kim is truly awesome! This is my second course with him and he is always well-organized and wants his students to succeed. He is very informative and makes sure the class is update weekly. His knowledge on this subject is inspiring and I will continue to encourage students to take his courses! This course helped me develop a greater understanding of Human Factors and its importance in design. It was a well organized and informative course.
Survey ID 96210: The instruction is very caring about his students and makes sure that everyone is achieving in his class. The course can get heavy with the type of material but the professor makes it easier to learn and understand.
Survey ID 100026: I liked that it was online and the amount of material was perfect.
Survey ID 95706 : Really enjoyed the structure of the class.
Survey ID 100822: Despite I got this course in my bachelor's degree, but this course has provided me with substantial methodology regarding the Human Factors Engineering field which could be worth to apply in real life.

SYS 5442 Virtual and Augmented Reality (Oakland University)

Survey ID 102888: "Very good, did an excellent job at getting to know his students and working with them as more of a mentor than as an authority figure"

Course Evaluations: 4.8/5.0 (2023 Fall), 4.9/5.0 (2022 Fall)

This course covers theories and applications of extended reality (XR); associated technologies such as virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (VR/AR/MR); as well as user experience (UX) techniques for the human-centered design of XR. It includes a hands-on team-based project to prototype and evaluate XR experiences.

Describe differences between extended reality technologies (virtual, augmented, and mixed reality) and select appropriate technology for a given scenario
Apply the user-centered approach to the design of VR/AR applications
Prototype VR/AR experiences using off-the-shelf hardware and software resources
Conduct user studies with human participants for evaluating user experiences
Critique designs based on human factors and user experience principles

Student feedback

Survey ID 103788: Dr. Kim really cares for his students and their education. He really wants us to learn and I enjoy him a lot as a professor
Survey ID 102888: Very good, did an excellent job at getting to know his students and working with them as more of a mentor than as an authority figure, I learned quite a lot from him outside of class in some of our conversations.
Survey ID 109622: The course was more project focused and gave hands on experience to apply the learnt concepts.

SYS 5443 Automotive User Experience (Oakland University)

Survey ID 105618: "The course was a good mix of both theoretical and practical application of the knowledge"

Course Evaluations: 5.0/5.0 (2023 Winter)

This course introduces theories and practices to support the development of human-machine interfaces for automated vehicles that are safe, easy to use, useful, and desired by users. Topics include various levels of driving automation, the needs of different user groups, and multi-modal user interfaces. It includes a hands-on team-based project to prototype and evaluate user experiences in a driving simulator.

Describe different levels of driving automation and their implications for human-machine interactions in automated vehicles (AVs)
Apply the user-centered approach to the design of human-machine interfaces (HMI) for AVs
Prototype multimodal HMIs using off-the-shelf hardware and software resources
Plan and conduct user studies in a driving simulator and analyze data collected from human-subjects
Critique HMI designs based on human factors and user experience (UX) principles

Student feedback

Survey ID 105618: "The course was a good mix of both theoretical and practical application of the knowledge"

Advising (Information for students who want to join the HCE lab.)

General Advice

Get into research now! Whether you are deciding to go to grad school or are already there, getting involved in research early is the best plan of action. At worst, you will decide that you do not want to go to grad school. At best it will help build your resume, make you a better candidate for grad school, pay you, help you to get a job later on, and be very rewarding.

Course Credit: Independent Study/Directed Research

If you would like to get involved with my research, do a virtual or augmented reality project in my class first and make an "A". If you have not taken any of my classes but are generally interested, I will give you a small project to work on in your spare time. This will give you an idea of what this research is all about. Please request directed research/independent study well before the semester starts.

Financial Support for Research

A student who wants financial support must first complete one or more of the following:

Do an Independent Study or Directed Research with me
Take one of my classes: Virtual & Augmented Reality, Automotive User Experience, Egonomics & Work Design, or Human Factors Engineering. Make an "A "and do awesome projects.
If you have previously taken one or more courses in human factors, human-computer interaction, and/or virtual & augmented reality, show me impressive demos, videos, or publications on what you have done.

*This page was inspired by Dr. Quarles's website.

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