CK121 Psychology & Computing BA (Hons) Thanks – delighted for the opportunity brand new course give you some info and answer questions

Psychology and computing (not with computing) Why the mix of Psychology and Computing? Academic discipline Career path Benefits to psychologists Benefits to computer scientists Course structure Entry requirements we’re making hybrids – prepared for interdisciplinary world we live in and its not a random pairing of academic subjects

Human-Computer Interaction Computer Science academic discipline Psychology Human-Computer Interaction Computer Science its not a random pairing of subjects we wouldn’t do this if there weren’t already a well established academic discipline to study. and there weren’t jobs already out there people will learn core skills of psychology and computer science. they will also learn skills and knowledge related to human computer interaction so, its 1/3 psych, 1/3 computing, 1/3 HCI Psychology & Computing

technology increasingly surrounds us

technology can be really useful

technology can also be really dreadful

human computer interaction Technology must be designed – by someone. If that person knows something about human capacities like memory, perception, how people behave in groups, how ageing affects people etc., they will make technology that is more useful. HCI is the discipline concerned with understanding how to make technology that supports rather than frustrates people It is applied psychology

Core skills of HCI research and practice Design - working with stakeholders to understand how a piece of technology should work. Evaluation - working with them again to understand whether or not technology works in practice

specialist career paths user interface designer user experience designer researcher UI: how do people find the information? where should the buttons go? UX: how do people listen to music on spotify? playlists? albums? how do you make suitable suggestions for new content? research: what does the existence of this system do to music industry, to artists, to experience of listening to music more generally? how do we link design choices to social, psychological outcomes?

benefits to psychologists Our experience of the world around us is increasingly intertwined with technology -fitness trackers, social media, medical devices, car dashboards, online mental health interventions…… As psychologists we need to understand how these things affect our health, wellbeing, how we process information, participate in democracy, etc. We need to be able to directly influence how they are designed Psychology Graduates who will be entirely comfortable with operating in the tech world and physiological data big data neuroscience etc

benefit to computer scientists Core computing competencies Excellent research skills Specialist roles, but also generally very useful skills Understanding how to tell whether a piece of technology is fit for purpose this is not a side concern. this is everything. there’s no point making tools that don’t do the job intended.

Course structure – Year 1 Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction (5 credits); Methods for user centred design (5 credits); Introduction to Neuroscience, Perception and Attention (5 credits); Foundations of Computer Science I (5 credits); Social Psychology (5 credits); Foundations of Computer Science II (5 credits); Research Methods in Psychology I (5 credits); Relational Databases I (5 credits); Experimental Design and Statistical Analysis I (5 credits); Introductory to Programming & Problem-Solving (15 credits)

Course structure – year 2 Social Computing; Usability Engineering; Applied Cognition; Intermediate Programming; Learning and Behaviour; Algorithms and Data Structures; Research Methods in Psychology 2; Authoring; Web Development; Experimental Design and Statistical Applications 2; Database Design and Administration

course structure – year 3 Service Design and Evaluation; Interaction Design; Individual Differences; Mobile Multimedia; The Psychology of Aging; Software Engineering; Health Psychology: Models and Applications; Data Mining; Team Project

entry requirements DURATION: 3 years or 4 years with a placement APPROX. INTAKE: 30 Leaving Cert Entry: Minimum grade of H5 in two subjects and O6/H7 in four other subjects in the Leaving Certificate from Irish, English, another language, Mathematics and two other subjects recognised for entry purposes ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: 02/H6 in Mathematics

after the degree… Guaranteed entry to an accredited Psychology conversion course for graduates with 2H1 result (i.e., 4 years to graduate qualification) Skills and experience attained will result in high graduate demand for careers in software, HCI

questions?