Practicum in Human Factors and Ergonomics - Fall 2009
PSYC 5931.01

Administrative Information

Class

Thursday from 5:30 - 7 Bayou Building 2508

Instructor

S. Camille Peres, Ph. D.
Office: B-2617.09
Phone: 281-283-3412
Email: PeresSC@uhcl.edu
Office Hours: (this can be an office meeting, by telephone, or through instant messaging on WebCT)
      Monday 10a - 1p
      Friday 10a - 1p
      or by appointment

Textbook and Materials

Suggested
• Don Norman's jnd.org
• Suggestions from the Nielsen Norman Group
• Suggestions from usability first

Pre requisites

To be enrolled in this class, you must have completed a User Centered Design class as well as a Research Methods class in Social Sciences.

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are to prepare students for working in Human Factors or Human Computer Interaction--either in industry as a Usability or Human Factors professional or in research or academia. For students going into industry, this specifically entails working with stakeholders to ensure that deliverables meets the stakeholders' expectations and standards and are produced in a timely manner. For students going on to doctoral programs, this entails independently working on existing research projects, preparing and submitting conference paper submissions to disseminate the results of this research.

Goals

To accomplish the objectives of this course, students will complete at least one substantial project.

- Students planning on working as a Usability or Human Factors professional in industry will work on projects during the semester. These will be projects with industry stakeholders, real deadlines, and your work on them should result in a professional quality deliverable.

- Student planning on applying to doctoral programs will work on research being conducted in UHCL's RIHM lab. This work should include illustruating a thorough knowledge of the relevant literature associated with the study, independently conducting the activities associated with the research (e.g., developing methods, collecting and analyzing data, writing up results).

- By the 2nd week of class, students will develop a work plan and evaluation criteria for the semester. This will include 1) identify the project(s) they are going to work on for the semester, 2) developing the goals and timelines associated with those projects, 3) creating a grading/evaulation rubric based on the goals and timelines established in #2.

Course Policies

Course Information and Communication Policy
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You are required to regularly check all of the postings made on WebCT. It is each student's responsible for the material on these postings, specifically, if something is posted on WebCT, I assume that you will know the information on the posting.
NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE REGARDING THIS POLICY!
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•For all assignments, you are bound by the university honesty code. Failure to follow this code will result in having the grade for that assignment or exam withheld and your name sent to the Dean of Academic Affairs, in your school, for disciplinary action.

1. Preamble and Code
Academic honesty is the cornerstone of the academic integrity of the university. It is the foundation upon which the student builds personal integrity and establishes a standard of personal behavior. The University can best function and accomplish its mission in an atmosphere of the highest ethical standards. The University expects and encourages all students to contribute to such an atmosphere by observing all accepted principles of academic honesty. This policy is designed to encourage honest behavior and is jointly administered by faculty and students.

2. Honesty Code
The Honesty Code is the university community's standard of honesty and is endorsed by all members of the University of Houston-Clear Lake academic community. It is an essential element of the University's academic credibility. It states: I will be honest in all my academic activities and will not tolerate dishonesty.

Each student is responsible for knowing what consitutues an Honesty Code Violation (Section II on this website). Ignorance of the material on this website will not be an excuse for a violation of the Honesty Code. Almost every year, someone violates this Honesty Code and often it is because they are not aware of what constitutes a violation. Nevertheless, as graduate students I will hold you fully and completely responsible for any violation that occurs. This is not a fun process for anyone and will result in a form going into your permanent record, so I suggest you avoid it by reading the material on the site linked above and following those guidelines VERY closely.

Learning Disabilities
•Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential. Students with disabilities should also contact Disability Services in the Student Services Building.

email: peressc@uhcl.edu