1 CS 420/620 Human-Computer Interaction Fall 2012 Course Syllabus August 28, 2012

2 Outline The Instructor The Students The Course The Texts Initial WWW Pointers Grading Scheme Policies Tentative Schedule

3 The Instructor. Sergiu Dascalu Room SEM-236 Telephone Web-site Office hours:   Tuesday 11:00 am – 12:00 pm (all)   Thursday 3:45 – 4:30 pm (grad students) or by appointment or chance

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

5 The Students Registered: 18 undergraduate students (CS 420) 8 graduate students (CS 620) Prerequisite: CS 302 Data Structures

6 The Course. Classroom: Classroom: SEM- 347 TR 2:30 - 3:45 pm Catalog Description : Catalog Description : Lecture + Lab: 3 + 0; Credit(s): 3 Usability goals, design principles, design processes, prototyping, interface metaphors, interaction styles, interaction devices, software tools, evaluation paradigms and techniques, user manuals, collaborative work, information visualization. Prerequisite: CS 302 Data Structures.

7.The Course Outline : Outline : This course examines topics related to developing and evaluating user interfaces for interactive computer systems. Topics covered include usability goals and principles, user interface design principles, managing development processes, interface metaphors, interaction styles, interaction devices, software tools, user interface builders, evaluation paradigms and techniques, usability testing, user manuals, tutorials, computer-supported collaborative work, information search, and information visualization.

8 The Texts. Required textbook: Ben Schneiderman, Catherine Plaisant, Maxine Cohen, Steven Jacobs, Designing the User Interface: Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction, 5 th Edition, Addison-Wesley, 2009 ISBN (or ) Recommended books A list will be provided soon by the instructor

9.The Texts Lecture notes: Presentations by the instructor Notes you take in the classroom Material (papers, tutorials, etc.) that will be indicated later by the instructor

10 Initial WWW Pointers Required textbook’s related website (Schneiderman et al, 2009): Gary Perlman’s HCI bibliography:

11 Grading Scheme.. Grading scheme for CS 420 students (tentative) Grading scheme for CS 420 students (tentative) Assignments 15% Presentations 8% Midterm tests 32% Project40% Class participation 5%   TOTAL 100%

12.Grading Scheme. Grading scheme for CS 620 students (tentative) Grading scheme for CS 620 students (tentative) Assignments 8% Extra book reading 7% Presentations 8% Midterm tests 32% Project & paper40% Class participation 5%   TOTAL 100%

13..Grading Scheme Passing conditions (all must be met): 50% overall & 50% in tests & 50% in project [and paper] & 50% in assignments, presentations, and class participation For grade A: at least 90% overall, at least 90% in class participation, and at least 60% in tests There are no make-up tests or homework in this course Note that poor class participation can significantly affect your grade

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

15 CS 620 vs. CS 420 For full details, please see the handout given out today For full details, please see the handout given out today In short, grad students enrolled in CS 620 will have extra work (as compared to CS 420) as follows: In short, grad students enrolled in CS 620 will have extra work (as compared to CS 420) as follows: A book reading assignment A book reading assignment A longer class presentation A longer class presentation A project-based paper A project-based paper Lower weight assignments Lower weight assignments Midterm exams will have each at least an extra question Midterm exams will have each at least an extra question

16 Policies Late submission policy: Maximum 2 late days per assignment/project deliverable Each late day penalized with 10% No subdivision of late days No late days for presentations and test Example: a 90/100 worth assignment gets 81/100 if one day late (90*0.9 = 81) or 72/100 if two days late (90*0.8 = 72)

17 Policies Legal notices on the world-wide web: Read and comply with accompanying legal notices of downloadable material Specify references used Do not plagiarize (see next slide)

18 Policies Plagiarism and cheating: Will not be tolerated. Please read the policies of University of Nevada, Reno regarding academic dishonesty: Plagiarism and cheating: Will not be tolerated. Please read the policies of University of Nevada, Reno regarding academic dishonesty:

19 Policies 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.

20 Policies Disability statement: Disability statement: If you have a disability for which you will need to request accommodations, please contact me or someone at the Disability Resource Center (Thompson Student Services - 107), as soon as possible.

21 Policies 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.

22 Tentative Schedule. Week #Dates (T, R)Contents 1Aug 28, 30Lectures, Students’ introduction 2Sep 04, 06Lectures, A#1 given 3Sep 11, 13 Lectures Presentations draw (all), Selection additional texts (CS 620) 4Sep 18, 20 A#2 given, Lecture presentations by students (round #1), A#1 due 5Sep 25, 27Lecture presentations by students (round #1) 6Oct 02, 04Lectures, P#1 given, A#2 due 7Oct 09, 11Lecture presentations by students (round #1)

23.Tentative Schedule 8Oct 16, 18 Lecture, Midterm #1 (October 18) P#2 given, P#1 due 9Oct 23, 25Lectures, A#3 given, Essay given 10Oct 30, Nov 01 Presentations by students (round #2) P#2 due, P#3/Paper given 11Nov 06, 08Presentations by students (round #2), Lecture 12Nov 13, 15 Lectures A#3/Essay due 13Nov 20, -Midterm #2 (November 20) 14Nov 27, 29 Lecture, Presentations by grad students (round #2) 15Dec 04, 06Presentations by grad students (round #2) 16Dec 11Lecture, P#3 & demo (Dec 13 & 14), Paper due (Dec 17)

24 24 Next class Students’ introduction: be prepared to talk a couple of minutes about yourself: CS 620 prepare few slides for a 3-minute presentation. Students’ introduction: be prepared to talk a couple of minutes about yourself: CS 620 prepare few slides for a 3-minute presentation. More on the need for HCI & short videos More on the need for HCI & short videos