HCDE 419: Concepts in Human Computer Interaction

This course introduced students to a broad range of concepts in Human-Computer Interaction, beginning with its early roots in efforts to ‘augment intellect’ using computers and spanning other important paradigms such as ubiquitous computing, tangible computing, technology for behavior change, social computing, crowdsourcing, and accessibility. Students also examined methods of user research design that extend beyond surveys and interviews, including ethnography and value-sensitive design, and learned about and critically examined important ethical issues related to HCI, specifically, and technology more broadly.

I taught this course across 2 quarters from December 2023 to March 2024, and made changes to the curricula every quarter based on student feedback. I introduced the Discussion Leader student role, assigning readings each week to different students who would be responsible for leading in-class discussions on the source material, and the Show and Tell format, asking students to bring to class each day a designed artefact that exemplified the day’s concept.