Course Syllabus
Syllabus
This syllabus is meant to serve as an outline and guide for this course. Please note that the syllabus and course schedule may be modified with reasonable notice in order to accommodate the needs of the class.
Course Details
Instructors: Professor Tamara Denning, Instructor Eric Lang
TA: John Lund
Office Hours: By appointment
Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3-4:20PM, IVC
Location: Zoom meeting (must be signed in via utah.edu Zoom account). Meeting ID: 94946035749. Password: 321101.
Overview
This course provides an introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) / Human-Centered Computing (HCC) research. The course is primarily based on a combination of:
- Reading research papers
- Discussion
- Multiple small individual projects
- A large, overarching group project divided into (group) sub-assignments
- Lectures
- Guest lectures
In general we will be seeking to gain an increased understanding of HCI research contributions, methods, and focus areas. The purpose of this course is to provide a combination of practical and theoretical knowledge.
While many of the methods we will be working with in the course are applicable to both industry and academic research (e.g., think alouds, heuristic evaluation, interviews), the focus and framing of this course is on academic research. This course is not about teaching a concrete set of steps that you can follow without thinking to give you a perfect user interface every time. Instead, this course is about a hands-on introduction to how to go about finding answers that may come up in user interface design or HCI research.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Comprehend, analyze, and contextualize academic publications from human-centered computing.
- Discuss strengths and limitations of a variety of methods that can be utilized for user research and their suitability for a given context.
- Apply qualitative methods to conduct user research that involve interaction with human participants.
- Constructively critique the execution of a method as applied to user research.
- Starting from creating research questions, iteratively refine the application of a research method to a specific research question.
- Communicate the process and results of research to other researchers.
Required Course Materials
Textbook: There is no required textbook for this course. Required readings are posted on the course web site.
Webcam / Headset: The expectation is that students will attend lecture using a webcam and clear audio so that they are prepared to participate in discussions. Please reach out to course staff if you have concerns regarding webcam usage so that we can explore potential arrangements.
Equipment Purchasing Support / Equipment Loans: Please feel free to reach out to course staff for pointers to additional resources to reduce the financial burden of access to internet connectivity and/or computing equipment, equipment loans, etc.
Attendance and Recording
Attendance: Attendance in this course is required and is factored into the course grading. Canvas is set to ignore the 3 lowest attendance grades (i.e., those 3 missed classes will have no effect on your grade).
Recording: The class has a large focus on discussion and as a result will not be recorded.
Grading
The grading breakdown in this course is as follows:
- Participation
- Attendance (20%)
- Pre-class turn-ins (10%)
- Individual Project Assignments
- CITI Training (3%)
- Think Aloud (requires participants) (10%)
- Heuristic Evaluation (7%)
- Group Project Assignments
- Literature Review (10%)
- Interviews / Interview Transcription (requires participants) (15%)
- Crowdsourcing Project (10%)
- Poster Session (5%)
- Final Report (10%)
There is no final exam.
We will attempt to communicate expectations and feedback throughout the course, but it is your responsibility to communicate with us if you would like guidance in this regard.
Late Policy
- Participation assignments (e.g., attendance and reading turn-ins) will not be accepted late.
- Canvas is set to ignore the 3 lowest attendance grades and the 3 lowest reading turn-in grades (i.e., those 3 missed classes will have no effect on your grade, those 3 missed turn-ins will have no effect on your grade).
- Other assignments, unless noted otherwise, receive 10% off for every day they are late.
Overview of Projects
Most of this course's assignments are structured around a group project. There are a few individual assignments at the beginning of the course and a few larger group assignments which together compose most of the content for the group's final project report. Below are some details about the assignments in the course:
CITI Training (individual, no participants): The general purpose of this assignment is to complete the CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) Social / Behavioral Research training. This training makes you eligible to participate in (IRB-approved) Social / Behavioral research at the University of Utah.
Think-Aloud Protocol (individual, requires participants): The purpose of this assignment is to get hands-on experience with the think-aloud protocol which is a useful tool for uncovering (particularly first-time) interaction issues with systems. You must conduct some think-aloud sessions and complete a writeup to document your findings and reflect on the process.
Heuristic Evaluation (individual, no participants): Heuristic evaluation is a method for individuals to use a set of design principles (heuristics) in order to identify problems (or successes) in a user interface or interaction. You must conduct a heuristic evaluation and complete a writeup to document your findings and reflect on the process.
Literature Review (group, no participants): The purpose of this assignment is to get hands-on experience with conducting a literature review of related work. Your group must complete a writeup after they find, review, summarize, and analyze the relevance of research papers related to their topic and reflect on the process.
Conducting Interviews (group, requires participants): The purpose of this assignment is to get hands-on experience with writing interview questions, conducting interviews, and transcribing interviews. Your group will write interview questions and each group member must conduct a few interviews. Your group will turn in a writeup reflecting on the process of conducting interviews. Additionally, you will turn in a partial interview transcript of one of your interviews.
Questionnaires via Amazon Mechanical Turk (group, online participants): The purpose of this assignment is to get hands-on experience with writing questionnaire questions and Amazon Mechanical Turk as a crowdsourcing/questionnaire platform. Your group will create a questionnaire, deploy it on AMT, and collect the results. Your group will turn in a writeup where you analyze the results and reflect on the process.
Poster Session (group): We will be having a communal poster session at the end of the semester for the group projects. This is an opportunity to show off and communicate (visually and verbally) the project that your group has been working on throughout the semester.
Final Group Project Report (group, no participants): The purpose of this assignment is to get hands-on experience with writing about research. As a group, you will construct a final report in the form of an academic paper where you present your research questions and the steps you took to answer those questions. Where appropriate, you can re-use or elaborate upon content from previous project writeups.
Grade Scheme
The following grading standards will be used in this class:
| Grade | Range |
|---|---|
| A | 100 % to 95.0% |
| A- | < 95.0 % to 90.0% |
| B+ | < 90.0 % to 87.0% |
| B | < 87.0 % to 83.0% |
| B- | < 83.0 % to 80.0% |
| C+ | < 80.0 % to 77.0% |
| C | < 77.0 % to 73.0% |
| C- | < 73.0 % to 70.0% |
| D+ | < 70.0 % to 67.0% |
| D | < 67.0 % to 63.0% |
| D- | < 63.0 % to 61.0% |
| F | < 61.0 % to 0.0% |
Additional Policies
University Policies
COVID-19 Campus Guidelines
Important: Updated Spring 2022 Instructional Guidelines
University leadership has urged all faculty, students, and staff to model the vaccination, testing, and masking behaviors we want to see in our campus community. These include: • Vaccination • Masking indoors • If unvaccinated, getting weekly asymptomatic coronavirus testing • Quarantining after exposure
- Get a COVID-19 vaccination and the booster shot recommended for pairing with your vaccine if you have not already done so. Vaccination is proving highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization, and death from coronavirus. Vaccination is the single best way to stop this COVID resurgence in its tracks.
- University of Utah students are required (as of August 27, 2021) to complete a cycle of COVID-19 vaccination and booster shot with an approved vaccine, or complete an exemption form. The university provides three convenient vaccination options:
- Attend one of the regularly scheduled vaccine events at the Student Union on campus.
- Schedule an appointment with Student Health.
- Visit My Chart, Vaccine Information, or CDC Vaccine.gov to schedule your vaccination.
- While masks are not required outside of Health Sciences facilities, UTA buses, and campus shuttles, CDC guidelines now call for everyone to wear face masks indoors.
- Check the CDC website periodically for masking updates
- With high transmission rates in Salt Lake County, the CDC recommends: “Everyone should wear a mask in public indoor settings.”
- Treat masks like seasonal clothing (i.e.during community surges in COVID transmission, masks are strongly encouraged indoors and in close groups outside).
- In cases of classroom exposure, masks should be worn for the quarantine period (see details below).
- Check the CDC website periodically for masking updates
- If you are not yet vaccinated, get weekly asymptomatic coronavirus tests. This is a helpful way to protect yourself and those around you because asymptomatic individuals can unknowingly spread the coronavirus to others.
- Asymptomatic testing centers are open and convenient:
- Online scheduling
- Saliva test (no nasal swabs)
- Free to all students returning to campus (required for students in University housing)
- Results often within 24 hours
- Visit Testing and Vaccine Information Campus Alert
- Asymptomatic testing centers are open and convenient:
- Remember: Students must self-report if they test positive for COVID-19 via the Campus Covid Response webpage.
- Rates of burnout, anxiety, depression, isolation, and loneliness have noticeably increased during the pandemic. If you need help, reach out for campus mental health resources, including counseling, training, and other support.
- Consider participating in a Mental Health First Aid or other wellness-themed training provided by our Center for Student Wellness and sharing these opportunities with your peers, teaching assistants, and department colleagues.
Students are required to self-report if they test positive for COVID-19. To report, please contact:
COVID-19 Central @ The U
801-213-2874
coronavirus.utah.edu
Drop/Withdrawal Policies
Students may drop a course within the first two weeks of a given semester without any penalties.
Students may officially withdraw (W) from a class or all classes after the drop deadline through the midpoint of a course. A “W” grade is recorded on the transcript and appropriate tuition/fees are assessed. The grade “W” is not used in calculating the student’s GPA.
For deadlines to withdraw from full-term, first, and second session classes, see the U's Academic Calendar.
Plagiarism and Cheating
It is assumed that all work submitted to your instructor is your own work. When you have used the ideas of others, you must properly indicate that you have done so.
Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on an individual assignment, and/or failure in the course. Academic misconduct, according to the University of Utah Student Code,
“...Includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one’s work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information…It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct.”
For details on plagiarism and other important course conduct issues, see the U's Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
Course Materials Copyright
Sale or distribution of information representing the work product of a faculty member to a commercial entity for financial gain without the express written permission of the faculty member responsible for the course. (“Work product” means original works of authorship that have been fixed in a tangible medium and any works based upon and derived from the original work of authorship.)
Safety at the U
The University of Utah values the safety of all campus community members. You will receive important emergency alerts and safety messages regarding campus safety via text message.
For more safety information and to view available training resources, including helpful videos, visit safeu.utah.edu (Links to an external site.).
To report suspicious activity or to request a courtesy escort, contact:
Campus Police & Department of Public Safety
801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
dps.utah.edu
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Wellness at the U
Your personal health and wellness are essential to your success as a student. Personal concerns like stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, depression, or cross-cultural differences can interfere with a student’s ability to succeed and thrive in this course and at the University of Utah.
Please feel welcome to reach out to your instructor or TA to handle issues regarding your coursework.
For helpful resources to manage your personal wellness and counseling options, contact:
Center for Student Wellness
801-581-7776
wellness.utah.edu
2100 Eccles Student Life Center
1836 Student Life Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Women's Resource Center
801-581-8030
womenscenter.utah.edu
411 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Addressing Sexual Misconduct
Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender (which includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as a person with a disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information.
If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to university officials:
Title IX Coordinator & Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action
801-581-8365
oeo.utah.edu
135 Park Building
201 Presidents' Cir.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Office of the Dean of Students
801-581-7066
deanofstudents.utah.edu
270 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
To file a police report, contact:
Campus Police & Department of Public Safety
801-585-COPS (801-585-2677)
dps.utah.edu
1735 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
If you do not feel comfortable reporting to authorities, the U's Victim-Survivor Advocates provide free, confidential, and trauma-informed support services to students, faculty, and staff who have experienced interpersonal violence.
To privately explore options and resources available to you with an advocate, contact:
Center for Student Wellness
801-581-7776
wellness.utah.edu
328 Student Services Building
201 S. 1460 E.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities.
All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability & Access (CDA). CDA will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.
If you will need accommodations in this class, or for more information about what support they provide, contact:
Center for Disability & Access
801-581-5020
disability.utah.edu
162 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Diverse Student Support
Your success at the University of Utah is important to all of us here! If you feel like you need extra support in academics, overcoming personal difficulties, or finding community, the U is here for you.
Student Support Services (TRIO)
TRIO federal programs are targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities.
Student Support Services (SSS) is a TRIO program for current or incoming undergraduate university students who are seeking their first bachelor's degree and need academic assistance and other services to be successful at the University of Utah.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Student Support Services (TRIO)
801-581-7188
trio.utah.edu
Room 2075
1901 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
American Indian Students
The AIRC works to increase American Indian student visibility and success on campus by advocating for and providing student-centered programs and tools to enhance academic success, cultural events to promote personal well-being, and a supportive “home-away-from-home” space for students to grow and develop leadership skills.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
American Indian Resource Center
801-581-7019
diversity.utah.edu/centers/airc
Fort Douglas Building 622
1925 De Trobriand St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84113
Black Students
Using a pan-African lens, the Black Cultural Center seeks to counteract persistent campus-wide and global anti-blackness. The Black Cultural Center works to holistically enrich, educate, and advocate for students, faculty, and staff through Black-centered programming, culturally affirming educational initiatives, and retention strategies.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Black Cultural Center
801-213-1441
diversity.utah.edu/centers/bcc
Fort Douglas Building 603
95 Fort Douglas Blvd.
Salt Lake City, UT 84113
Students with Children
Our mission is to support and coordinate information, program development, and services that enhance family resources as well as the availability, affordability, and quality of child care for University students, faculty, and staff.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Center for Childcare & Family Resources
801-585-5897
childcare.utah.edu
408 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Students With Disabilities
The Center for Disability Services is dedicated to serving students with disabilities by providing the opportunity for success and equal access at the University of Utah. They also strive to create an inclusive, safe, and respectful environment.
For more information about what support they provide and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Center for Disability Services
801-581-5020
disability.utah.edu
162 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Students of Ethnic Descent
The Center for Ethnic Student Affairs offers several programs dedicated to the success of students with varied cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Its mission is to create an inclusive, safe campus community that values the experiences of all students.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Center for Ethnic Student Affairs
801-581-8151
diversity.utah.edu/centers/cesa/
235 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
English as a Second/Additional Language (ESL) Students
If you are an English language learner, there are several resources on campus available to help you develop your English writing and language skills. Feel free to contact:
Writing Center
801-587-9122
writingcenter.utah.edu
(Links to an external site.)
2701 Marriott Library
295 S 1500 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
English for Academic Success (EAS) Program
801-581-8047
linguistics.utah.edu
2300 LNCO
255 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
English Language Institute
801-581-4600
continue.utah.edu/eli (Links to an external site.)
540 Arapeen Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Undocumented Students
Immigration is a complex phenomenon with broad impact—those who are directly affected by it and those who are indirectly affected by their relationships with family members, friends, and loved ones. If your immigration status presents obstacles that prevent you from engaging in specific activities or fulfilling specific course criteria, confidential arrangements may be requested from the Dream Center.
Arrangements with the Dream Center will not jeopardize your student status, your financial aid, or any other part of your residence. The Dream Center offers a wide range of resources to support undocumented students (with and without DACA) as well as students from mixed-status families.
For more information about what support they provide and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Dream Center
801-213-3697
dream.utah.edu
(Links to an external site.)
1120 Annex (Wing B)
1901 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
LGBTQ+ Students
The LGBTQ+ Resource Center acts in accountability with the campus community by identifying the needs of people with a queer range of [a]gender and [a]sexual experiences and responding with university-wide services.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
LGBTQ+ Resource Center
801-587-7973
lgbt.utah.edu (Links to an external site.)
409 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Veterans & Military Students
The mission of the Veterans Support Center is to improve and enhance the individual and academic success of veterans, service members, and their family members who attend the university; to help them receive the benefits they earned, and to serve as a liaison between the student veteran community and the university.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Veterans Support Center
801-587-7722
veteranscenter.utah.edu (Links to an external site.)
418 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Women
The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at the University of Utah serves as the central resource for educational and support services for women. Honoring the complexities of women’s identities, the WRC facilitates choices and changes through programs, counseling, and training grounded in a commitment to advance social justice and equality.
For more information about what support they provide, a list of ongoing events, and links to other resources, view their website or contact:
Women's Resource Center
801-581-8030
womenscenter.utah.edu
411 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Inclusivity at the U
The Office for Inclusive Excellence is here to engage, support, and advance an environment fostering the values of respect, diversity, equity, inclusivity, and academic excellence for students in our increasingly global campus community. They also handle reports of bias in the classroom as outlined below:
Bias or hate incidents consist of speech, conduct, or some other form of expression or action that is motivated wholly or in part by prejudice or bias whose impact discriminates, demeans, embarrasses, assigns stereotypes, harasses, or excludes individuals because of their race, color, ethnicity, national origin, language, sex, size, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, or religion.
For more information about what support they provide and links to other resources, or to report a bias incident, view their website or contact:
Office for Inclusive Excellence
801-581-4600
inclusive-excellence.utah.edu (Links to an external site.)
170 Annex (Wing D)
1901 E. S. Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Other Student Groups at the U
To learn more about some of the other resource groups available at the U, check out:
The syllabus page shows a table-oriented view of the course schedule, and the basics of course grading. You can add any other comments, notes, or thoughts you have about the course structure, course policies or anything else.
To add some comments, click the "Edit" link at the top.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|