Course Description

Description
Instructor	Dr. Saul Greenberg, Professor Department of Computer Science, University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta CANADA T2N 1N4 Email: saul@cpsc.ucalgary.ca; Phone: 220-6087
Purpose of course	This course stresses methodologies for performing research in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In particular, students will: investigate, compare and contrast a wide variety of existing methodologies, see how each methodology is appropriate to interface design, interface evaluation, apply several of these methodologies to HCI problems, gain first-hand in-depth experience with a particular methodology by designing, running, and interpreting a study of the student's choosing.
Who should take this course	The fully prepared student has already taken CPSC 481: Foundations and Principles of Human Computer Interaction (or equivalent), has practice designing and evaluating interfaces using usability engineering techniques, and is now pursuing a graduate project that has a major interface component in it. Because this field is inter-disciplinary, students (and working professionals) outside of Computer Science can take the course as well. Examples include graduate students in Human Factors (Psychology), Industrial Designers, and Educational Psychologists.
If you are not prepare	Come talk to me, and lets chat to see what the prospects are. If you do not have any background in HCI, interface design, or human factors, you will have to bring yourself up to speed. You can do this in several ways: read several of the background books mentioned in the background reading list sit in or take the undergraduate HCI course (CPSC 481) during the term attend my Graphical User Interface industrial course (by prior arrangement with me)
Structure and work load	The course is a seminar and project-based course that meets once a week for three hours. For each class, you will have a heavy required reading load. You will take turns presenting and leading discussions on the material you have read. You will participate in all discussions of the material. You will research and survey a particular methodology or study survey, producing an in-depth written report on it. You will pursue a project involving a particular methodology, where you will applying a methodology to a particular problem defined by you and/or by others in the class. Because students in this course often come from several disciplines, the projects will be designed (somewhat) to fit particular backgrounds. You will present your project work on an on-going basis.