School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 1 HTIC-REU Research Experience for Undergraduates at the Human Technology Interaction Center Randa L. Shehab, PI Carmela Gottesman, Co-PI Teresa Ashford, GRA January 10, 2003

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 2 Mission of the HTIC at OU Interdisciplinary research center –psychology, computer science, industrial engineering, library information studies, education, communication, and history of science Inquiry on the interaction of people with modern technologies Research, teaching, and service missions Training is a critical element of the HTIC mission –Prepare new scholars and scientists to meet the needs of the next millennium

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 3 Program Overview To provide interdisciplinary research opportunities for students interested in human- technology interaction Recruited primarily from small, non-research based schools 8-week program 10 interns funded by NSF, 2 by OU Sophomore-Seniors $2400 stipend + housing + food

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 4 REU Recruitment and Selection Recruitment –Mass Mailing –Website » – s/phone calls to targeted schools Selection –Skills –GPA –Letters of Recommendation –Diverse majors

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 5 Participant Characteristics Male6 Female6 Sophomores1 Juniors3 Seniors8 Engineering1 Computer Science3 Psychology7 Other Arts & Sciences1

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 6 Research Activities Faculty-Sponsored Research –20 hrs/wk working in a faculty lab –Literature review, methodology development, data collection, data analysis –Examples: »Technology Efficacy in the Elderly: an outcome of Age or Familiarity? »Tolerance for Complexity in Web-Based Instruction

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 7 Research Activities Team Research –10 hrs/wk working independently –4 interns per team with 1 CS –User requirements, prototyping websites, usability evaluations –Examples: »NEDC: Usability for a Professional Web Site »IT: A Redesigned Web Portal

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 8 Other Activities Workshops –User-Centered Design, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Javascript, Research Methods, Visual Communication/Screen Design, Technical Writing, Technical Presentations Seminars –Memory, Intelligent Robotics, Complex Skill Acquisition, Cognitive Performance of Astronauts

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 9 A Typical Week

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 10 Participant Comments Good experience Learned more than thought they would Value of workshops depended on participants skills Too much work at the end of the program Have clear scope of team projects at outset Ethics component required too much writing

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 11 What Worked Assign interns to faculty in pairs Identify committed faculty mentors Schedule workshops in afternoon Post a schedule of activities Hold weekly meetings for team guidance Hold a research conference Hit the ground running Provide a meal stipend

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 12 What Didn’t Work One intern assigned to each faculty mentor Poor definition of team projects Lack of specific team sponsor Required workshop attendance Scheduled morning activities Writing assignments for ethics workshop OU Ambassadors Cafeteria meal plan

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 13 Suggestions for 2003 Work with team sponsors to develop better project definition –Meet with team sponsor point-of-contact –Develop white paper describing the project Project management workshop Statistical analysis workshop Assign all interns to faculty in pairs Recruit more heavily from engineering disciplines In-depth screening of OU applicants –Follow up with references –Direct discussion regarding level of interest

School of Industrial Engineering - University of Oklahoma 14 HTIC Research Experience for Undergraduates 2002 REU Participants