All information relevant to the course will be available on the class Web page: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~stamant/554/. This page will be regularly updated throughout the semester.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is the study of the principles and methods with which one builds effective interfaces for users. A basic precept of HCI is that users should be able to get things done through the computer, without having to pay attention to the intricacies of complex software. Interfaces must be accessible, meaningful, visually consistent, comprehensive, accurate, and oriented around the tasks that users tend to perform. The course will provide a balance of practical and theoretical knowledge, giving students experience ordinarily not provided by other courses in computer science.
Practical concerns will be balanced by discussion of relevant theory from the literature of computer science, cognitive psychology, and industrial design. You will solve problems in homework assignments and on-campus students will participate in group projects to design, implement, and evaluate user interfaces. On completion of this course, you should have (a) practical skills for user interface design, (b) an understanding of the human side of computing, (c) the background to apply theoretical and empirical techniques in HCI, and (d) a good overview of the field.
For on-campus students: The instructor for CSC554 will hold office hours on Tuesdays of each week, from 2:30 to 4:00, in EB II 2268.
For off-campus students: The instructor for CSC554 will hold office hours on Thursdays of each week, from 2:30 to 4:00, in EB II 2268. The office phone number is 919-515-7938, but email is preferred: stamant@csc.ncsu.edu.
The teaching assistants will set up office hours once the semester has started; the class Web page will contain this information.
Participation will be an important part of the class. It is expected that you will attend all classes and read all relevant portions of the text.
You will be assigned homework regularly. The assigned questions will usually involve analysis but may include some problem solving. The official deadline for online homework submissions is 11:45PM on a specific date, but the online facilities will remain open until 3:00AM the following morning. Submissions that arrive after 11:45PM but before 3:00AM are considered late but receive no penalty. No submissions will be accepted after 3:00AM without a university excuse.
The possibility of changing a homework grade can be discussed with the TA (first) or me (second); initiating this discussion must occur within two weeks of the homework having been returned. After that point, your homework grade is considered final.
On-campus students will complete some group project work that involves programming. (Off-campus students may work alone.) The choice of software for the assignments and projects will be up to you.
There will be a final exam. The date and time of the final exam will follow the university schedule: Wednesday, December 7, 6:00 - 9:00pm, EB III 2213.
Grading will be based on performance on
| Several homework assignments. | 45% |
| One final exam. | 30% |
| One final project. | 25% |
Missed assignments and exams cannot be made up without an official university excuse. Adding this class after the due date of a homework assignment does not constitute an official excuse for missing an assignment.
If you miss (or plan to miss) class(es), you can find lecture notes on the class Web page. You will also be responsible for any other information that is given in class, such as announcements.
The university provides a detailed policy on academic integrity. This policy can be found in the Code of Student Conduct. It is understood that when you sign and submit your homework, term project, and final exam, you are implicitly agreeing to the university honor pledge: "I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this test or assignment."
Academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating or plagiarism) will not be tolerated under any circumstances. If you are having difficulty with any part of the course material, please see me or the TA as soon as possible. I will do everything I can to help you with any course-related problems you may be having. If you are found to be guilty of academic dishonesty, however, you will be subject to academic sanctions, which may include asking to have you suspended or expelled from the course, the program, and/or the university. At a minimum, you will receive no credit for the assignment or exam in question, plus an additional penalty on your overall grade for the course. Your name will be placed on record with the university as having committed an academic offense (multiple offenses during your academic career will result in suspension or expulsion from the university).
All effort will be made to ensure that no students with disabilities are denied any opportunity to successfully complete this course. If you have specific requirements that need to be addressed, please contact me immediately. Possible changes can include (but are not necessarily limited to) rescheduling classes from inaccessible to accessible buildings, or providing access to auxiliary aids such as tape recorders, special lab equipment, or other services such as readers, note takers, or interpreters. This may also include oral or taped tests, readers, scribes, separate testing rooms, or extension of time limits.
This course may not be taken for credit-only grading.
If an extended deadline is not authorized by the Graduate School, an unfinished incomplete grade will automatically change to an F after either (a) the end of the next regular semester in which the student is enrolled (not including summer sessions), or (b) by the end of 12 months if the student is not enrolled, whichever is shorter. Incompletes that change to F will count as an attempted course on transcripts. The burden of fulfilling an incomplete grade is the responsibility of the student. The university policy on incomplete grades is defined in REG 02.50.3 - Grading. Additional information relative to incomplete grades for graduate students can be found in the at Section 3.18.F of the Graduate Administrative Handbook.