HCI Disciplinary Commons Portfolio - Fiona Fairlie
Instructional Design Commentary
The methods I choose to deliver the content of my HCI module are, to a certain extent, constrained by practicalities.
Until recently there was a departmental expectation that modules would be delivered using a standard model: six hours of contact time divided into 2 hours of lectures, an hour long tutorial, a two hour lab and an hour of directed study. This restriction has now been somewhat relaxed but the module was delivered using the standard model this semester.
In order to allow more flexibility in teaching and more substantial practical exercises to take place the module was timetabled with the tutorial, lab and directed studies sessions forming a four hour block in a lab/studio with access to computers and space for drawing and practical activities. Each lab group thus had a two hour lecture slot and a four hour practical slot per week.
The instructional design of the module reflects the aim of integrating the theory and the practice of HCI with the practical activities being used to reinforce the concepts introduced in lectures and to encourage students to apply them in concrete situations.
The lectures form an expected part of university teaching, both from an institutional and also a student perspective and are a reasonably efficient way of imparting a large volume of theoretical material to a large number of people in a short time. The lectures on the module are delivered by two lecturers: a colleague with a Graphic Design background and me. I have a more technical training and we bring very different perspectives to HCI. We have taught the module together for a number of years and I feel that the combination of our different subject disciplines have been beneficial to the module.
The activities incorporated in the practical sessions aim to demonstrate the concepts and to encourage students to apply them for themselves. The volume of material covered in the practical sessions has decreased over the last few years with the emphasis now being on encouraging thoughtful application of a few key ideas rather than the completion of a large number of tasks which may end up as a series of unrelated facts in the students' mind.
Students are also expected to study independently. They are extremely well supported by the university library which is very good at purchasing reading list material and making it easily available to students. It also has a wide selection of material available electronically. The recommended textbook for the module is the second edition of Interaction Design by Jenny Preece et al with Human Computer Interaction(2nd edition) Dix et al; Designing the User Interface (4th edition) Shneiderman & Plaisant and Human Computer Interaction Preece et al all listed as possible additional reading. This means that a number of copies of each book is held in the library and so there should be no necessity for students to buy a text book.
The Saltire Centre, which houses the library, has been designed to enhance the student learning experience. On the lower levels informal group study areas facilitate small group discussions. Upper floors become progressively quieter but are still designed to create a relaxed atmosphere. Students have access to computing facilities, can book group study space with equipment (smartboards, plasma screen and whiteboard), and borrow laptops.
Despite the availability of materials and the frequent mention of the importance of independent study in lectures, it is evident that a large number of students do not perceive independent study, other than practical, computer based development work, as necessary until very late in semester.
In addition to the face to face sessions, students have access to online resources via the university’s chosen VLE, Blackboard. This is a popular resource but is used mainly as a repository for learning materials and course documents. Although a subset of the communications tools provided by the system are made available to students and students are required to take part in online discussion activities, there seems little enthusiasm for using the system in other ways. I have tried a variety of strategies over the years but feedback seems to be that for full time students engaged in independent tasks (rather than groupwork) it is quicker and easier to come into a class and ask than to post a query on a discussion board. Interestingly students seem more willing to communicate via MSN – perhaps because they perceive it to be un-moderated.
Additional online resources which are relevant to HCI are provided in the external links section. Many of them are interactive and serve to illustrate the points made in lectures and text books. Although they are not compulsory they have been selected to help students gain a deeper understanding of the module material. However there is little evidence of students choosing to engage with these materials, which they do not perceive to be core.
Updated: 22 April, 2008 | Site
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