Course+Outline

The course outline is available here and is appended below.

This page and the assignment pages are locked and cannot be edited. If you see something wrong in these spaces that needs correcting, feel free to note this to Mike or David. 1158777428

toc =CCT333H5F - Fall 2006 - Imagining the Audience in a Wired World=

Synopsis
This course proposes that the design of technological artifacts is best informed by attention to the actions and requirements of the end-user and their surroundings.

Students will learn various techniques of understanding user needs requirements and apply this knowledge to real world situations. By the end of this course, students will have worked in groups to analyze and propose design alternatives of a technological artifact of their choosing.

Instructors
Prof. Michael Jones Office: S319 Email: michael.jones5@sheridanc.on.ca Phone: (905) 845-9430 x 5555 Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-3pm, Thursdays 5-6pm

David Gelb Email: david.gelb@sheridanc.on.ca Available during lab sessions (Tuesdays 6-9pm)

We are both readily accessible by email, and will attempt to answer any questions electronically as rapidly as possible. That noted, do try to give a 24-48 hour window for responses, especially over the weekend.

Main Text
Benyon, D., Turner, P. & Turner, S. (2005). Designing Interactive Systems: People, Activities, Context and Technologies. Harlow, UK: Pearson Educational

Times/Locations
Lecture: Tuesday 3:00-5:00pm, Sheridan J102 Labs: Tuesday 6:00-9:00pm, Sheridan J323

Unless otherwise noted, lectures focus on course material in the form of instructor-led seminar discussion. It is expected that students will arrive prepared to discuss relevant course material for the class, including but not limited to the assigned readings for the class.

Labs will be reserved for individual and/or group work on course assignments, especially as the semester draws to a close and project deadlines become more pressing concerns. We will encourage dialogue and provide one-on-one assistance on any conceptual or technical questions that are relevant to your projects as required.

Assignment Structure
Further details regarding assignment requirements will be released and discussed as the course progresses.

1. Technology Design Analysis (October 3rd) (20%)

Students will pick two technological artifacts (one online, one physical) and analyze them according to the most relevant usability and user experience principles noted in the Preece reading.

For further information, consult the Assignment 1 page and FAQ.

2. Wiki – Usability Analysis Glossary – (Final date for edits: Dec 8th – ongoing participation/content building required) (25%)

This course will be using Wikispaces to foster collaborative investigation on issues of relevance in this course. Specific guidelines will follow in labs.

The main deliverable for the course Wikispace will be the collaborative creation of an online glossary of key usability terms.

This assignment contains three parts:

a) Content (10%) - Students are encouraged to pick one concept of relevance to technology design and understanding user experience in context and develop 2-3pp. (approx 500-700 words) of instructive, factual content to explicate the concept. b) Community building and maintenance (10%) – Wikis depend on continual effort by community writers to create a sustainable and active intellectual space. Our class Wiki is no exception, and this effort will be rewarded accordingly. The Wiki is your space – 10% of your final mark will be allocated to your efforts to making this space a constructive learning experience. c) Analysis and Reflection (5%) - In a short (1-2p.) paper, outline what contributions you have made to the course Wiki and share your reflections, concerns and suggestions for future Wiki users in CCIT.

For further information, consult the Assignment 2 page and FAQ.

3. Technology Redesign Project– (Nov 28th) (30%)

The final deliverable of the course is a group project (3-4 people) involving analysis and redesign of a technological artifact of your choice. There are many possible avenues of investigation – during lab, we will work with project groups to help formulate a viable project. The only requirement is that the artifact in question must involve an analysis of user experience.

5% of the final grade will be reserved for the group’s formation and proposal, due Oct. 24th. 5% will be reserved for presentation of the group’s final project, Nov. 28th. 20% will be reserved for the quality and effectiveness of the work created. Specific criteria will be discussed and outlined while groups are formed in the first half of the course.

4. Final Test – Dec. 5th (25%)

There will be one term test in this course, held during the last lecture period (Dec 5th). This test will cover all assigned readings and seminar material, and will privilege application of course concepts vs. simple regurgitation of facts, dates, or authors. Specific content covered and question structures will be discussed later in the semester as part of exam review.

Important Policy Notes
Students should familiarize themselves with Senate Policy described in the UTMCalendar: http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/regcal/WEBcalendar.html

Academic Honesty
Students are expected to be informed about plagiarism and familiar with the Faculty Rules and Regulations, Code of Behavior on Academic Matters and Code of Student Conduct (see UTM 2005-2006 Calendar), which state your rights, your duties and provide all the details on grading regulations.

Academic honesty is a serious matter and will be treated accordingly. The UTM calendar summarizes UTM policy on p. 25. Violations of academic honesty include:

• Using unauthorized aids on a test (e.g., “cheat sheets”) • Looking at someone else’s answers on a test • Plagiarism (representing or submitting someone else’s words or work as your own) • Making up sources or facts for an essay or report • Falsifying official documents or grades • Submitting the same essay or report in more than one course without permission • Impersonating another person at an exam or test, or having someone impersonate you

How Not to Plagiarize by Margaret Procter is an excellent primer on what consistitues plagiarism and how to avoid it. You are responsible for creating material that conforms to this level of citation, and thus are strongly encouraged to read it. Ignorance of these basic fundamentals is no excuse.

http://www.utoronto.ca/ota/issues/plagsep.html

Access to Learning
The University accommodates students with disabilities who have registered with the AccessAbility Resource Centre and Sheridan College’s Disability Services centre. Please let me know in advance, preferably in the first week of class, if you will require any accommodation on these grounds. (2006-07 UTM Calendar Section 6.2 AccessAbility Resource Centre)."

Professional Etiquette
This course encourages lively constructive debate around topics that can be ethically sensitive. Students are expected to treat their colleagues in a respectful manner in all class, lab and online discussions. We will discuss particulars of what this means in the first class and create a mutually binding code of ethics and etiquette. If you feel that someone is acting in violation of these principles, you are encouraged to first attempt to resolve the issue directly. Should this not be successful and/or you feel that you cannot faithfully do so, bring your concerns to Prof. Jones at the soonest possible opportunity.

Due Dates and Lateness
For both individual and group assignments, you must submit assignments on the specified due dates. Make sure you are aware of due dates.

Computer glitches are not valid excuses for a late assignment – make sure you back up your work and save it to multiple locations (e.g., USB keychain drives, floppy disks, email copies to yourself and others, etc.)

You may submit late work the following day before 4 p.m., but the assignment will receive a 20% late penalty in fairness to those who have completed their work on time.

Work submitted later than the following day with no explanation will not be accepted unless accompanied by a valid University of Toronto Medical Certificate The certificate is available at: [|http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3reg/forms.html].

The student must provide official medical evidence proving that events beyond his/her control prevented the submission of the assignment on the given due date. There is no penalty, and the late work is accepted until the length of time the evidence warrants. Please contact Prof. Jones at the earliest opportunity should you find yourself in this situation.

Students who miss a term test will be assigned a mark of zero for that test unless they can document a compelling reason for missing it. Students in that position must submit a written request within one week of the missed test to Prof. Jones with appropriate medical documentation. If the request is accepted, a different make-up will be scheduled or the weighting of other term work will be increased by the amount of the missed test.

Class Schedule
Sept. 12 - Introduction to course Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 1

Sept. 19 – Usability and User Experience Preece, J. et al. (2003). Chapter 1

Sept. 26 – People, Activities, Context and Technologies Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 2, 3

Oct. 3 – Cognitive Psychology of Users Technology Design Analysis Due Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 5, 15

Oct. 10 – Simple User Interaction Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapter 6, 15

Oct. 17 - Qualitative Research Methods Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 18, 19

Oct. 24 – Quantitative Research Methods Group Proposal Due Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 20, 21

Oct. 31 – Complex User Interaction Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 7

Nov. 7 – Scenarios and Requirements Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 8,9

Nov. 14 - Prototypes and Evaluation Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 11, 12

Nov. 21 – Special Topics: CSCW? Benyon, Turner and Turner, Chapters 29, 30

Nov. 28 - Special Topics: Technology and Learning Project Presentations TBA

Dec. 5 - Final Test (25%)