Course Syllabus January 21, 2014 CS 790M Graduate Seminar In Human-Computer Interaction University of Nevada, Reno Department of Computer Science & Engineering

2  The Instructor  The Students  The Course: CS 790M  The Texts  Grading Scheme & Grading Scale  Policies  Tentative Schedule

3  Sergiu Dascalu  Room SEM-236  Telephone   Web-site  Office hours:  T 11:00 am - 12:00 pm or by appointment or chance

4  Sergiu Dascalu  PhD, Dalhousie U., Halifax, NS, Canada, 2001  Teaching and research at UNR, 2002-present (software engineering, HCI)  Teaching and research at Dalhousie University, (software engineering focus)  Teaching and research at the University Politehnica Bucharest, Romania, (RT embedded systems focus)  Consultant for software development companies in Canada and Romania

5 Registered as of today: CS 790M: 11 students CS 691M: 1 student Prerequisite: Very good CSE background & programming skills

6  Classroom: SEM-201, TR 2:30 - 3:45 pm  Outline: This course focuses on performing empirical and experimental research in Human-Computer Interaction. It ties general notions, principles, practices, and methods in HCI with solid scientific concepts and experimental procedures.

7  Outline [cont’d]: Topics covered include the HCI historical context, human-factors, interaction elements, scientific foundations for HCI research, designing HCI experiments, and writing and publishing an HCI research paper. The key stages of the UX lifecycle process are also discussed, with emphasis on user experience aspects and the design thinking approach, including design ideation and sketching.

8  Required textbooks: [MacKenzie 2013] I. Scott MacKenzie, Human-Computer Interaction: An Empirical Research Perspective, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, ISBN: [Hartson & Pyla 2012] Rex Hartson and Pardha S. Pyla, The UX Book: Process and Guidelines for Ensuring a Quality User Experience, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, ISBN:  Recommended book: [Goodwin2012] Kim Goodwin, “Designing for the Digital Age: How to Create Human-Centered Products and Services,” Wiley, 2009.

9  Additional readings: Selected or assigned HCI journal or conference papers

10  Course website:  I. Scott MacKenzie textbook’s website at:  Hartson and Pyla’s the UX Book website:  Several other addresses of websites that contain project- related resources will be indicated later

11  Tentative (subject to modifications): - Assignments/project parts[40%] - Midterm exams [25%] - Paper [20%] - Presentations[10%] - Class participation [ 5%]

12  Tentative (subject to modifications): - Assignments/project parts[50%] - Midterm exams [30%] - Presentations[10%] - Class participation [ 5%]

13  Notes on grading:  For grade A: at least 90% overall, at least 90% in class participation and at least 65% in tests  To pass the course: at least 50% overall, at least 50% in tests, and at least 50% in all homework & presentations  There are no make-up tests or homework in this course  Note that poor class participation can significantly decrease your overall grade

14 Numerical-letter grade correspondence A [maximum 100] A B B B C C C D D D F< 50

15  Late submission policy:  No late days for presentations, demos, and test  Maximum 2 late days per project deliverable  Each late day penalized with 10%  No subdivision of late days (e.g. in hours)  Example: a 90/100 worth project deliverable gets 81/100 if one day late (90*0.9 = 81) or 72/100 if two days late (90*0.8 = 72)

16  Legal notices on the world-wide web: Read and comply with accompanying legal notices on websites accessed  Specify references used  Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Please read the policies of University of Nevada, Reno regarding academic dishonesty:

17  Legal notices on the world-wide web: Read and comply with accompanying legal notices on websites accessed  Specify references used  Do not plagiarize. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Please read the policies of University of Nevada, Reno regarding academic dishonesty:

 If you have a disability for which you need to request accommodations, please contact as soon as possible the instructors or the Disability Resource Center (Thompson Student Services - 107). 18

 Academic Success Services: Your student fees cover usage of the Math Center ( or Tutoring Center ( or and University Writing Center ( or  These centers support your classroom learning; it is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Keep in mind that seeking help outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student. 19

 Statement on Audio and Video Recording: “Surreptitious or covert video-taping of class or unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may be given permission to record class lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be recorded.” 20

21 Week #Dates (T, R)Contents 1 Jan 21, 23Course syllabus, Students’ introduction 2 Jan 28, 30Lectures 3 Feb 04, 06Lectures 4 Feb 11, 13Student presentations (round 1) 5 Feb 18, 20Student presentations (round 1) 6 Feb 25, 27Lectures 7 Mar 04, 06Lectures

22 8 Mar 11, 13Lecture, Midterm exam 1 on March 11, Mar 18, 20Spring break 10 Mar 25, 27Lectures 11 Apr 01, 03Student presentations (round 2) 12 Apr 08, 10Student presentations (round 2) 13 Apr 15, 17Lectures 14 Apr 22, 24Lecture, Midterm exam 2 on April 24, April 29, May 01Project demos 16 May 05Project demos, Paper due May 15

 Students’ introduction: be prepared to talk 5 to10 minutes about yourself. Have several slides that describe: ▪A bit of your background & how/why you joined UNR ▪Briefly, your professional evolution, skills, current status, and interests ▪Your best accomplishments so far (1 to 3) ▪Why you take this course ▪Your main interests in HCI ▪What interests you most at this time regarding your grad studies: ▪Completing the background for your thesis/dissertation ▪Developing an interactive software application/tool ▪Writing a research paper ▪Something else (indicate what) ▪Optionally, an interesting fact that is not on your resume 23