CSC8636 : Complex Data Visualization
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Sara Johansson Fernstad
- 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
Data visualization can be described as the communication of complex data through the use of interactive visual interfaces. It is an increasingly important part of data science and aims to bridge the gap between the human and data, by supporting human perception and cognition to make sense of data analytics outputs.
The aim of this module is to familiarise students with the theoretical underpinnings of visualization techniques for complex data.
This module will introduce the research methodology which underpins visualization design and evaluation of visualization approaches.
Through project work, students will experience the full lifecycle from design of interactive visualization to evaluation of an advanced visualization approach.
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus will cover topics from:
• How, why and when to use visualization.
• The human in the loop – how human perception and cognition influence visualization design.
• Approaches to the visualization of complex data, including: heterogeneous, categorical, ordinal and numerical
data; multivariate and high dimensional data; uncertainty and incomplete data.
• Approaches for interactive and multiple coordinated views.
• Research methodology and experimental evaluation including validation; Design studies; Experimental design
and usability studies.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | Lectures (in person) - with underpinning online material. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 45 | 1:00 | 45:00 | Project work: Main assessed project. |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 35 | 1:00 | 35:00 | Lecture follow-up and background reading. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Practical | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | Practical sessions (in person) in computer lab, with set exercises and coursework support. |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Formative exercise. |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures explain the underpinning principles for the module and technologies that support visualization.
Lectures are complemented by practical sessions to guide the application of these principles using suitable computational tools.
The practical coursework builds up experience working with advanced visualization challenges using a computational toolset that is used to complete a substantive project. The practical work is documented in a reflective report that constitutes the main submission for the module.
The report builds on the lecture work and develops reflection and critical thinking around the application of visualization principles.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 2 | M | 100 | Coursework portfolio and written report that details the design of visualization analysis + reflection on alternative approaches and evaluation, based on key learning (Max 2,000 word). |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 2 | M | The formative assessments include a combination of online quizzes and visualization design exercises, providing an opportunity for students to test their understanding of the taught material. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The formative assessment builds on the lecture work and provide opportunities for students to test and develop their understanding of the taught material.
The summative assessment then tests the students’ ability to apply visualization techniques to solve a problem to a given specification.
The report, which is part of the summative assessment, facilitates and develops reflection and critical thinking around the application of visualization principles and theory, and how they are embedded in the functionality of the application they have developed, as well as critical evaluation of their own work.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CSC8636's Timetable