PLEASE CONTACT THE DEAN OF STUDENTS IF YOU TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-- THIS WILL EXCUSE YOUR COURSE ABSENCES AND ALLOW YOU TO SUBMIT LATE WORK WITHOUT PENALTIES.
Important Student Resources
LOCATION: On Campus, check buzzport
DAY AND TIME: Lecture, Monday/Wednesday 11:am-12:15pm;
Lecturer: Dr. Rosa Arriaga (she, her; arriaga@cc)
Office hours: Wednesday after class and by appointment
Graduate Teaching Assistants: MSCS: Steven Le & Abrar Sajeel, ; MS-HCI: Natalie Jarrett, Margo Lin & Swathi Ram
Office hour: by appointment
Required Readings for Individual Student Grade
Science and Design: The Implications of Different Forms of Accountability, William Gaver, pp.143-165;
Wobbruck and Kientz: https://interactions.acm.org/archive/view/may-june-2016/research-contribution-in-human-computer-interaction
Creswell, John W. "Research design: Qualitative and mixed methods approaches." London and Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications (2009); Chapter 1
Dourish, Paul. "What is Plagiarism?." (2011). [link: https://www.dourish.com/classes/plagiarism.pdf]
+2 more based on student interests, see HCI Scholarship Assignments 3 & 4 below
these will be on Canvas
Recommended Readings for the Group
Rogers, Sharp, and Preece Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction (Third Edition; Wiley, 2011). ISBN-13: 978-0470018668 & ISBN-10: 0470018666 (newer editions are fine as well, it will just require that the student search for the topics covered during lecture)
This book is an introduction to human factors and user interface design, but most of all it is a handbook for design and evaluation. It's a very practical and hands-on introduction to the field. We will cover almost all of the content of this book, but not in chapter order.
The professor will provide notes but students who need/want more information can refer to the actual textbook. Each group might want to purchase 1 textbook.
From the course catalog:
Describes the characteristics of interaction between humans and computers and demonstrates techniques for the evaluation of user-centered systems.
Beyond the course catalog:
Students will be introduced to the academic field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI). This includes an introduction to the methods that drive the field and GT HCI research foci. Additionally, students will be introduced to the user-centered design approach and core design techniques. Students will have the opportunity to implement a full design cycle (requirements gathering, ideation, prototyping and evaluation). However, a main thrust of this activity is to allow students to understand how this becomes research and not just product design.
This course also provides PhD students an opportunity to review a subset of readings from their qualifying exam reading lists (e.g., HCC/CS PhD-HCI).
This class is designed to help graduate students develop and use the critical thinking skills and evaluation prowess that are characteristic of HCI researchers. My goal is to create a dynamic learning environment--one where I will set the stage for learning, and where students will take responsibility for their own learning as well as contribute to the learning of others. I encourage students to go beyond the class material and to seek information that supports this goal.
In completing this course you will…
Be knowledgeable about human-computer interaction theories, concepts and methods.
Demonstrate that design is a systematic and evidence based process.
Design a system that is user-centered and meets the goal of a real world client
Gain experience as a designer of interactive technology by getting your hands dirty, prototyping interfaces and functions (but not programming or developing the back-end).
Practice qualitative and quantitative methods for requirement discovery and usability evaluation
Design artifacts that are useful and usable
Read primary sources in HCI relevant to content area
Have the option to prepare a manuscript for a conference submission
Gain an appreciation for being in class without access to digital devices.
DISCLAIMER: This is a GRADUATE COURSE, as such students are expected to have mastered the necessary skills to successfully navigate this class. This includes time-management, note-taking, basic literature review activities. Importantly, this course has reading and writing requirements.
My lectures will draw extensively from various reading material. Seminal material from the Norman book will be covered in the first 2 weeks. The Interaction Design text/power point presentations will be the bases for class lectures and activities. Additional readings will broach topics central to HCI, these are available as PDFs on Canvas.
We will have GTA lead activities that will introduce/reinforce human computer interaction (HCI) concepts. These are in the form of "Tools of the Trade Activities."
Thirty percent of your grade is based on individual work. As such you are expected to come to class having completed all assignments so that you can share your work with others. The other 70% of your grade will be based on group assignments. As such, it is imperative that you are a good team member as other are counting on your valuable input. If this is a particularly challenging semester for you academically or emotionally you may consider taking this class at a later date—as there will be little room for “no-show” or “minimalist attitudes.” Your team will be allowed to “vote you off” if they can show that you are a hindrance to their learning or performance. You will then be graded on an individual project that must meet all the requirements of a group project.
This course requires that you spend a considerable amount of time working with your group outside of class. The standard rule is 2 hours per 1 hour of class. In order to alleviate the challenge that scheduling poses we will use some in-class studios, where you can work on your assignment.
Class Overview (Weeks 1) Review class objectives, class syllabus and schedule, get to know the professor and the graduate teaching assistants and their HCI experience. Students that know they will stay in the class can get a head start on scholarly activity.
Foundations of HCI (Weeks 2-4) What is HCI, where does it come from where is it going, what are your research values and how do these translate to research questions and methods. Are design and science the same thing? What is the difference between Human Centered Computing and HCI? What count as contributions in HCI?
User-centered Design in Context (Weeks 5-15) Topics: User-Centerd Design Cycle: Identifying needs and establishing requirements, understanding and conceptualizing interaction, design and prototyping interfaces and interactions, understanding users via data gathering and data analysis. Prototyping and Evaluation framework. Empirical and analytic evaluation.
Source: Interaction Design Textbook
Take this class time as a break from your devices. Doodle if you prefer, it still engages other parts of your brain that are not engaged during typical device use :)
Individual grade (30%):
Class participation= 10% EASY!
Attendance-- you show up! (5%): Learning in this course requires that students “attend” class regularly, “arrive” on time, and contribute to class activities.
Engagement-- you are involved in class discussions and activities (5%): Students will have opportunities to discuss readings, class activities, etc. If students are inattentive to group activities or are distracted with non-class activities they will be advised by the professor/GTA that they have not met the requirement for the day.
HCI Scholarship Activity 20% (Week 2-4) Readings are on Canvas or available via link.
Assignment 1: 5%
Reading 1:Science and Design: The Implications of Different Forms of Accountability, William Gaver, pp.143-165;
Reading 2.Wobbruck and Kientz: https://interactions.acm.org/archive/view/may-june-2016/research-contribution-in-human-computer-interaction
Assignment 2: 5%
Reading 3: Creswell, John W. "Research design: Qualitative and mixed methods approaches." London and Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications (2009); Chapter 1
Reading 4: Dourish, Paul. "What is Plagiarism?." (2011). [link: https://www.dourish.com/classes/plagiarism.pdf]
Assignment 3: 5% Pick ONE
from the HCC-Core or HCI-Specialization reading list
OR "get to know a GT HCI faculty" by reading a FULL paper from publications in the last two year (see their Google Scholar Page)
or Rogers's Chapter 1 or 2: HCI Theory: Classical, Modern, and Contemporary, Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics
(https://doi.org/10.2200/S00418ED1V01Y201205HCI014) The book is on Canvas.
Assignment 4: 5% Pick ONE
from the HCC-Core or HCI-Specialization reading list
OR "get to know a GT HCI faculty" by reading a FULL paper from publications in the last two year (see their Google Scholar Page)
or Rogers's Chapter 1 or 2: HCI Theory: Classical, Modern, and Contemporary, Synthesis Lectures on Human-Centered Informatics
(https://doi.org/10.2200/S00418ED1V01Y201205HCI014) The book is on Canvas.
Assignment Evaluation
Each assignment must contain an annotated bibliography for the readings (worth 2.5% )
A 1-2 paragraph reflection on the reading (2.5%) this could be about:
a) how this article helps you answer the question, "what is HCI?" You may also compare and contrast the various readings across assignments.
b) Interesting concept covered in the article. You may start with a quote from the paper.
c) Consider how assignment 3 & 4 relate to readings 1, 2 and 3.
Team grade (70%) Design Activity (Week 5-16)
Project Overview
Note that teams are able to request feedback from the TA. The dates will be posted on the syllabus or negotiated with the TA.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS:
Written work is an important part of many of the evaluation components. Students are expected to use best practices when submitting written work. Students should provide clear attribution for ideas and texts that come from others* . A good guide can be found here.
*Here is a website with relevant information about what plagiarism is and how to avoid it: https://www.plagiarism.org/
No generative AI tools can be used for individual or group assignment submissions.
The grade assignments will be as follow:
90% or > earns an A;
80%-89.999% earns a B;
70%-79.999% earns a C;
60%-69.999% earns a D;
59.999% or < earns an F
Note: Because I give students the opportunity to earn extra credit, I don’t “curve” grades, and I don’t “round up.” If a student earns 89.7 they will earn a "B" in class. It is the student's responsibility to know exactly where they stand in this class.
Late Assignment Policy: There is no late submissions for participation assignments. All late submissions will be penalized by 10% per day that the assignment is late.
Statement of Intent for Classroom Inclusivity
I am committed to creating a learning environment in which all of my students feel safe and included. Because we are individuals with varying needs, I am reliant on your feedback to achieve this goal. To that end, I invite you to enter into dialogue with me about the things I can stop, start, and continue doing to make my classroom an environment in which every student feels valued and can engage actively in our learning community.
You are allowed to “solidify” your final grade by 2 percentage points (earn 80% instead of 78%) you can do this in multiple ways.
3 Hours= 1 grade point, may complete either 3 or 6 hours of extra-credit (see information below)
All material is due the last Thursday of class 11:59pm on Canvas-- NO EXCEPTIONS.
1)Participating in studies with the Psychology Department (SONA) or HCI (in CoC). Three hours of experiments are equal to 1 grade point toward your final grade. Grade points only come in whole integers.
SONA CREDIT SUBMISSION: When you have all the credit you want to use toward your class grade (or by Monday of DeadWeek)-- you will take a screenshot that shows your name and that you allocated the credit to 6750. You will then upload it to Canvas to the SONA assignment.
OR
2)Students can also attend IPAT GVU Lunch Lectures and write a 1 paragraph summary of what was discussed in the talk. Spring is faculty recruiting season on the GT campus. Students can attend a faculty talk and write a 1 paragraph summary of what was discussed in the talk. Please relate the talk to material covered in class This provides ONE hour of credit. Must be submitted no later than a week after the event date (i.e., Thursday to Thursday).
Last write up must be submitted by the
OR
3) Attend Suicide Awareness Training: Question, Persuade, and Refer—the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. This gives you TWO hours of credit. Training available: https://mentalhealth.gatech.edu/outreach-programs/qpr-training
OR
4)provide an annotated bibliography on research article presented during lecture. This is due ONE week after the presentation date. This may be worth 1 or 1.5 hours.
Reports: Teams are allowed to resubmit 1 report for points that will lead to an improvement in 1 letter grade. There is a 1 week deadline for resubmissions.
FORMAT:
1.Submit both the original version and the new version.
2.The new version should clearly highlight the updates (i.e., highlighted, different color) so that it is easy to find.
3.Include the evaluation sheet and a cover letter stating how many points you expect to "get" and how this relates to the section of the evaluation.
Correspondence about Georgia Tech business must be conducted over GT email addresses. All GT-related business must be conducted with professional etiquette.
Students are responsible for:
documenting meaningful communication with the professor and TAs by sending an e-mail (with 6750 in the subject line) of the details to the person in question.
keeping track of all digital copies of your assignments. If material is misplaced during the semester, it is the student’s responsibility to replace it upon request.
The instructor and TAs will respond to email within 48 hours Monday to Friday.
Students with Disabilities
Student must meet with the instructor to discuss accommodation requirements. This must happen within the first two weeks of class.
Georgia Tech requires students to adhere to high standards of integrity in their academic work. ALL BREACHES OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY WILL BE REPORTED TO THE DEAN OF STUDENTS AND WILL RESULT IN THE RELEVANT SANCTION. (From a drop in grade to an F)
Use of generative AI is not allowed in this class for either individual or group assignments.