CSC8612 : Sustainable Human-Computer Interaction
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Simon Bowen
- Lecturer: Dr Caroline Claisse
- Owning School: Computing
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aims of this module are:
1. To introduce students to the field of sustainability within Human-Computer Interaction, its key concepts,
technologies and professional practices.
2. To provide a contextual and historical understanding of sustainability in HCI and the shifts in how the
field has conceptualised and studied sustainability over time.
3. To provide students with knowledge of different HCI methods for understanding sustainability in terms of
citizens, users, stakeholders, contexts and requirements
4. To give students practical experience of basic methods for sustainability design and evaluation
Outline Of Syllabus
1. Introduction to the field of Sustainable HCI (SHCI): human and more than human-centred design of technology
2. Sustainability design lifecycle
3. Sustainability evaluation techniques
4. Contexts and challenge areas for sustainable interactive technologies
4.1 SHCI in the home and the work-place: Individual and collective behaviour change
4.2 SHCI in the wild: Experiencing, sensing, and interpreting the natural world
4.3 SHCI and health: Scaling environmental and health justice
4.4 Planetary eco-systems: Designing for climate change, net zero and action.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 12 | 1:00 | 12:00 | Core course content delivery (1 lecture per week for 3 weeks) |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 56:00 | 56:00 | A portfolio with 2 parts: group report in conference pictorial style responding to a design brief & demonstrating learning & application of SHCI principles, and an individual submission of personal reflections on SHCI readings discussed in class and their relevance to the group project. (2000 words) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | Skills in developing evaluation methods and techniques (1 practical per week for 3 weeks) |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 6 | 2:00 | 12:00 | Directed research and reading preparation for classes. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | Weekly synchronous discussion of reading material (1 per week for 3 weeks) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 4 | 2:00 | 8:00 | Drop-in tutorials and feedback discussion (1 per week for 4 weeks) |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
As the students will originate from a diverse range of disciplinary backgrounds, the teaching of this module is intended to combine opportunities for introductory reading and learning around the history of sustainability in the context of Computing more broadly and in more specifically in the context of human-computer interaction. Critical analysis and reflection on how approaches and concepts of human and more-than-human interaction with technology have changed over time will be key to session delivery.
Students will receive a series of video lectures on relevant topics covering the history and development of the field of SHCI. They will also be directed to read specific text book chapters and research papers prior to weekly group teaching sessions. Students will be expected to take an active role in discussing this work. Online materials will be made available to introduce practical skills for developing prototypes and evaluations using sustainability principles. Students will try out these different methods, collecting user data.
Students will be expected to write short reflective commentaries on papers they have read and discussed in class to support deep learning. They will be expected to produce notes about the practical skills they have been developing and publish this content using online blogs.
At the end of the module, students will be assessed on a final portfolio that brings this accumulated knowledge together, discussing the issues and concepts of the history of SHCI in relation to the practical skills they have been developing.
Students are expected to spend time studying independently outside of the group teaching sessions. Independent study will be focused around the students identifying further background literature in SHCI of relevance to their specific areas of interest and critical reflection on how methods of studying human behaviour and environmental data relate to technological contexts and issues of import at specific times in HCI history
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2 | M | 100 | A portfolio with 2 parts: group report in conference pictorial style responding to a design brief & demonstrating learning & application of SHCI principles, and an individual submission of personal reflections on SHCI readings discussed in class and their relevance to the group project. (2000 words) |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 2 | M | Group presentation on emerging project work for critical class feedback |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The assessment has one formative component, and one summative component. The formative component includes giving a class presentation for group feedback on emerging considerations for the group project. The summative assessment will be a portfolio submission and includes two parts: 1) an individual reflection and summary on SHCI principles and wider relevance to contemporary computing. 2) description and findings from using these principles to either design a prototype or evaluate a prototype. This portfolio gives practical experience of industry standard reporting formats using written and visual content creation for these kinds of activities and demonstrates competence in the skills evaluated alongside transferable communication skills.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CSC8612's Timetable