COMP2506/COMP7904 - Human-Computer Interaction

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Welcome to Human-Computer Interaction for 2009. Human-Computer Interaction is designed to introduce concepts, models and principles relating to effective interface design and creation. The course outlines the cognitive, social, and affective dimensions of human-system interaction and introduces students to user-centred interpretations of the software engineering process. The course contains a survey of user-centred design techniques and ultimately provides students with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to build systems and devices that work for their users.

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FAQ

• 1. What am I being assessed on in Workshops?

  • For COMP2506 and COMP7904 your grade will be made of 30% from workshops. This is broken down to 20% presentation, 8% Q&A submission, and 2% timekeeper duties. Basically, if it is not the week you are presenting (20%), then you are either working on the Q&A (1% each week = 8%) or being a timekeeper (2%).

    Have a look at the Workshop Plan.

    * 20% for your presentation (mark by tutors/Kathy using Workshop Presentor Marksheet)

    Also be aware that 5% of this comes from your presentation reflection, which is added onto your .ppt slides.
    (Submitted to comp2506@itee.uq.edu.au by the Monday after the workshop)

    * 8% for your Question and Answer
    (Submitted via the website by the Monday after the workshop)

    That's 1% for each workshop you are not presenting or timekeeping at. To get the workshop mark each week you are not presenting or timekeeping you need to:

    A) Submit your completed tutorial.
    (At the end of tutorial, or in the assignments box on the first floor of 78(GP South), Box 46 by 9am of the workshop day)
    B) Attend the workshop.
    C) Submit a Question & Answer online by the Monday following the workshop.

    * 2% for your duties as a timekeeper
    (Fill in the timekeeper sheet which marks the presenter at regular time intervals)

• 2. How do I hand in my tutorial sheet?

  • Tutorial sheets should be handed in at the end of your tutorial. If you wish to keep your notes for longer (for example, if you're presenting that week), you can put it in the assignment box for this course. This is located on the first floor of building 78(GP South), Box 46 by 9am, the Friday of the workshop.

    Make sure you also place a front cover on the work so that we can identify you. The template cover sheet can be found at both the tutorial page and also the workshop page on the course website.

    If there is an extraordinary circumstance that prevents you from submitting the tutorial sheet during either of these times, bring it to the workshop and present your case to the lecturer. The basic emphasis is that you are required to do the tutorial, and if not, your workshop marks will be affected.

• 3. Why does everyone mark the presenter?

  • Everyone is asked to mark the presenter on a marking sheet at the end of the presentation. This sheet is kept by the presenter and used to help him or her with their reflection activity. The marks you give them will not be used to assess them, only to provide feedback. It is an important activity which not only provides constructive feedback to the presenter, but also encourages the other pod members to consider what constitutes a good presentation. When the time comes to do your own presentation, you will be fully informed about where the marks are allocated, and how you would approach the communication activity.
    

• 4. What's the point of going to the tutorials?

  • There are 2 answers to this question.

    The pragmatic answer is that coming to the tutorial is probably the easiest way to get your tutorial sheet completed properly and handed in. It's also where you have the opportunity to ask more detailed questions and discuss things with your tutors.

    I think a more holistic answer stems from why you are actually here at university and why you are taking this course. If the answer to the former is something along the lines of preparing you for a career and job at the end of all this, then tutorials are your friend - big time :). This is where you will consolidate what you have learnt in lectures, and also see how the knowledge might work in practice. The tutorials are also an opportunity to ask your tutor any questions - about the material, the assessment or the course itself.

    In terms of the latter, why are you taking this course? Even if it's simply about getting a good grade, or passing because it is a required subject, then the tutorials are what will best prepare you for your assessment and final exam. If you're concerned that this course might not be useful, I suggest you do some research on "user experience", "usability", "human factors" etc. in the development of technology. Even the concept of iteration in Agile/Extreme Programming, lends itself to using HCI approaches. Basically, the way technology is moving these days (and it'll be even more so by the time you graduate), if you are designing anything that people will actually use, it would increase your job prospects to at least have a cursory understanding of how HCI works. Alternately, if the bottom line is whether something is used, and used well, how about making someone's day just a little bit easier? Even if you don't end up doing HCI yourself, you will more than likely end up having to work with HCI experts. It is good to understand things from other people's perspective.

    To sum it up, if you want a good grade or an easy pass, come to the tutorials.

• 5. Given the changes, what happens to the workshops we have done?

  • The marking that has been completed so far has taken into consideration any difficulties or confusion students might have had. If you have any major concerns, see the lecturer or send an email.

    Anything truly unfair can and will be rectified.

• 6. Complete the sentence: "What happens if...."

  • A) "I didn't go to the tutorial?"

    See question 4. You still need to complete the tutorial sheet fully and properly, in your own time. You're just making it a little bit more difficult for yourself, because the tutorials are the most direct and fastest method to covering the course material. 50 minutes tutorial = x minutes at home?

  • B) "I didn't complete the tutorial sheet?"

    Then you won't get a mark for that week's workshop, regardless of whether you complete the question and answer or not. Refer back to Q1.

  • C) "I didn't go to the workshop, but I submitted a question anyway?"

    Attendance is part of your mark, so unless you have a medical certificate or a reason that's acceptable to the lecturer, you won't get your mark for that week.

• 7. Who Moved My Cheese (aka: why the course change)?

  • This course has changed since last year, with the introduction of the workshops. Because we have a heart for student learning, rather than "bums on seats" mentality, we have been trying to find better ways of running things. As opposed to academics which close their doors to student concerns, we encourage your active feedback regarding how the course is run, and improvements. If you don't like how something is done, say something and we'll work things out.

    Try to keep in mind the bigger picture that your ultimate goal at the end of this course is to have an introductory understanding of HCI. If this has been achieved, the course hasn't been that bad. On a more stylistic note, you may have noticed that this course is being run in a more discussion format. A P2P approach to learning, if you like. This is as opposed to a top down approach, where the lecturer presents material and you scurry away and memorise it. From previous experience you can get a lot out of this approach, but you need to be a more active learner! Essentially what you are obtaining from your University degree is not so much knowledge or facts, but the ability to learn. This will be the greatest distinction between you and other job candidates and employees.

• 8. How do I get the most out of this course?

  • Because this course uses discussion as a big part of the learning process, it is not enough to attend lectures, read the textbook and memorise some guidelines. As the course progresses, you need to begin to understand the concepts and theory behind HCI.

    So basically, it works like this:

    You will get you your basic knowledge from the lectures and if you like, by reading the textbook.

    You will then have the opportunity to consolidate this knowledge by asking questions and discussing concepts with each other and your tutor during tutorials. Tutorials will also give you an opportunity to use the practical skills with simple example exercises. At this point you will hopefully begin to see the thought processes behind HCI and get passed the whole "isn't this obvious" phase. Between the tutorials and the workshops, you can think about what you discussed and did in the tutorials.

    At the workshop, one student will present the material from the tutorial and engage discussion on 5 major points. The tutorial is based on the subject matter from that weeks lecture. Here students have the opportunity to discuss and consolidate the ideas amongst themselves, in an environment where no new source material is being added. Any questions that arise from this can be addressed at the next tutorial or on the newsgroup.

    As a way to help you study and further consolidate your collective knowledge, you are asked to come up with a question and answer from what you have learnt. These questions and answers will prove invaluable when it comes to studying for the exam.

    If you are worried that this course has too much theory and not enough practice, rest assured that you will have the opportunity to put what you have learnt into practice in the assignments. This will also be a chance to see what kinds of problems professional HCI practitioners might face the challenges of the profession. Regardless, you will hopefully understand how important HCI is. In terms of getting a good grade, which perhaps should be a secondary concern, the best advice is to read the criteria sheet and design your assignments/presentation to match it. Put yourself in the shoes of the marker and think of what mark you would give yourself. Also make sure you have covered all the different parts of the criteria sheet.

    So, by the end of the course, you will hopefully have an introductory, but thorough understanding of HCI and have achieved the Learning Objectives of this course, listed in section 2.2 of the Course Profile (COMP2506/COMP7904).

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