Course Overview
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to forms of contribution in several major areas of research in Human-Computer Interaction. Course activities are based in a combination of readings, active discussion and reflection on readings, and a self-defined group project. Across all of these, the course considers HCI research in terms of:
- Contribution: what knowledge is gained through research activities.
- Method: how research activities are structured to demonstrate contributions.
- Framing: why contributions are valued, through motivation, language, theory, or understanding that can contextualize activities and contributions.
Course readings emphasize a combination of historic framing papers and more recent contributions. Discussion and reflection emphasize consideration of readings in terms of their contributions, methods applied in those contributions, and framings of those contributions. The group project asks students to extend consideration of contributions, methods, and framings to their own activities. The combination of course activities is therefore intended to help students examine what the HCI research community considers a contribution across a variety of contexts, thus helping prepare students to understand and make meaningful contributions in these and other areas of HCI research.
This course is explicitly not focused on iterative design methods or associated theory commonly emphasized in HCI practice. We do not assume a strong background in HCI (i.e., there is no undergraduate HCI prerequisite), but students seeking an introduction to effective design or an iterative design process will be better served by CSE 440.
Learning Objectives
- Be able to differentiate forms of contribution in HCI research.
- Be able to describe prior fundamental results that frame areas of HCI research.
- Be able to articulate new contributions relative to such framings of areas of HCI research.
- Be able to consider, evaluate, and apply common HCI research methods.
Course Staff
James Fogarty
he/him
Anant Mittal
he/him
Course Coordination
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Contact
Email course staff at <cse510-staff [at] cs.washington.edu>.
Please do not email individual course staff. Using the course staff email list promotes both staff coordination and a more prompt response. Emails to individual course staff will typically have the staff email list added to any response.
Although we may provide a Slack channel for lightweight communication, course staff cannot respond to individual inquiries via Slack. Slack messages to individual staff will be redirected to either the public channel or the staff email list.
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Course Time & Location
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00-11:20.
The Calendar will provide any non-standard times, locations, or staffing.
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Office Hours
By appointment.
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Canvas
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Drive
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13vHGA0QND7_KURsE6gJNiPZzF26Kxk65?usp=sharing
Course information and material will provided primarily on this website.
Canvas and Drive will be used when appropriate for limiting access to course information and materials.
Assignments
Course assignments consist of:
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Readings and Discussion Posts
Typically two readings per class, with a discussion post due before class.
The Calendar will provide any day-specific revisions to this reading structure.
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Presentations and Discussions
Student-led in-class presentations and discussions of readings.
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Project
Defined in terms of a proposal, a pair of self-defined milestones, and a final report.
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Reflections
Reflections on readings and research in terms of contribution, methods, and framing.
Grading
Much of the grading in this course is necessarily subjective. We will attempt to communicate expectations and feedback throughout the course, but it is your responsibility to communicate with us if you would like additional guidance in this regard.
The overall course grade will be computed as follows:
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15%: Reading, Discussion Posts, and In-Class Small Group Discussion.
As described in Readings and Discussion Posts and in Presentations and Discussions.
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15%: Student-Led Presentations and Discussion Facilitation.
As described in Presentations and Discussions. All students are expected to take on an appropriate share of student-led presentations and discussion facilitation, including coordinating with course staff to ensure coverage of all necessary roles.
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45%: Project.
- 5%: Proposal Preparation and Document.
- 5%: Milestone 1 Report and Presentation.
- 5%: Milestone 2 Report and Presentation.
- 30%: Final Report.
Project proposal and milestone grading will emphasize progress and preparation to engage with feedback. Strong grades will result from honest presentation of project status and preparation for a conversation that can support the project (e.g., realistic and concrete proposals, clear discussion of advice that a project currently needs). Proposals or milestones that are less than candid and thoughtful (e.g., vague, incomplete, oversold) fail to take full advantage of an opportunity for feedback.
Project final report grading will then emphasize overall project execution, appropriate presentation of project activities (e.g., clarity of activities, contributions, and methods), and reflection.
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15%: Reflections.
As described in Reflections.
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10%: Participation.
A participation grade corresponds to course goals for students to actively develop skills in discussing research activities, contributions, methods, and framings (e.g., when discussing existing research, when discussing ongoing research). Participation will therefore include engagement with in-class discussions and other course activities.
Participation will also include appropriate contribution in group assignments.
If necessary, the grades of specific assignments may also be adjusted based on participation and contribution.
Late Policy
We generally expect all assignments will be submitted according to deadlines in the assignment description. If there is a constraint or an emergency impacting your ability to submit an assignment, contact the course staff before the assignment deadline by email to the course staff list.
We will do our best to be accommodating amidst requirements and expectations of the course (e.g., expecting clear and early communication regarding any constraints, understanding that assignments supporting in-class discussion serve little purpose after that discussion, understanding that assignments support engagement and grading throughout the course).
Regrade Policy
Any request for grade clarification or a re-grade must be submitted by email to the course staff list. Requests will only be considered within 7 days of the release of a grade.
Because reflection grading is both subjective and anonymous, we will be highly averse to revisiting the grade of a reflection. We will proactively work to promote fairness in the grading of these assignments, and students should expect that we will decline a request to revisit the grade of a reflection (e.g., because we cannot preserve anonymity in such a request).
Upon calculation of final grades, we will explicitly check for any particularly unfortunate effects of rounding (e.g., adjusting a pre-rounding final grade of 3.649 to instead give a 3.7). This is intended to provide peace of mind that final grades were not defined by any minor point deduction.
Expectation of In-Person Participation
The course heavily emphasizes required in-person activities, including student-led presentations and discussions. Full engagement with and contribution in group project activities also requires in-person participation. In-person participation is therefore a required component of the course, will be included in participation grading, and can also impact grading of other course activities. Remote participation will not be supported.
Absence-Related Communication
If you will be absent for any reason, contact the course staff before class by email to the course staff list. We will track absence-related communication as part of the expectation of in-person participation, including any context you want to share about the need for an absence. We will do our best to be accommodating amidst requirements and expectations of the course.
COVID-19 Safety, Recordings, and Zoom
There may be reasons you cannot or should not participate in-person, including COVID-19 exposure or symptoms. Our goal is for this course to provide an opportunity for learning without undermining safety, and we all share responsibility for preserving safety of this learning environment. Please review and adhere to COVID-19 related guidance, including:
We will aim to record course sessions (e.g., unless a guest indicates they do not want to be recorded). Recorded sessions will be available for review within Canvas. However, we expect recordings will be of relatively poor quality and they are obviously an incomplete proxy for a discussion-focused course. Nevertheless, recording may sometimes be the best available option.
We may also use Zoom as an accommodation (e.g., due to illness, due to requirements of a guest). Zoom participation will use meeting information provided by email and in Canvas.
Accommodations and University Policies
Additional university policies apply (e.g., regarding Academic Integrity, Conduct, Disability Resources, Face Coverings, Religious Accommodations):
https://registrar.washington.edu/curriculum/syllabus-guidelines
Please do not hesitate to contact the course staff regarding these or any other accommodations. We are happy that you are here and want to support your engagement in this learning environment.
Contributing
This course website lives on GitHub: