CSCE 572 - 001: Human-Computer
Interaction
(Fall 2026)
Class
Meeting: Tuesday &
Thursday 1:15PM-2:30PM, Swearingen Engr Ctr 2A21
Course
Instructor: Dr. Yan Tong
Email:
tongy@cse.sc.edu
Storey Innovation Center 2273
777-0801
(office)
Office Hours: by appointment
Class
Homepage:
http://www.cse.sc.edu/~tongy/csce572/csce572syl.pdf
Academic
Bulleting Description:
Interdisciplinary
approach to interaction design, user-centered design, human abilities, survey
development, experimental study methodology, heuristic evaluations, usability
testing, universal design, and accessibility.
Full
Course Description:
Human-Computer
Interaction is a course that focuses
on the importance of human-computer interaction in the design and development
of things people use. Topics covered in
this course will include the capabilities and limitations of users, HCI
methods, the design process, and design evaluation.
Keywords: Interaction design and evaluation,
interaction modes, system usability, human-robot interaction, cooperative
systems, universal design, and accessibility.
Pre-requisites:
Undergraduate or graduate standing
in CSE or permission of the instructor.
Goals
and Learning Outcomes:
The overall goal of this course is
to provide students with knowledge and skills necessary to critically evaluate
system design from a human-centered approach.
The measurable learning outcomes used to determine the degree to which
this goal is being met follow:
Course Textbooks
and Readings:
·
Interaction Design: Beyond
Human-Computer Interaction, (6th Edition), Yvonne Rogers, Helen Sharp, and Jennifer Preece, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, NY, 2023.
To
enhance your learning experience and provide discounted access to the right
course material, this course is part of an inclusive access model called First
Day®. You can easily access the digital materials for the course right from
Blackboard. Three steps to access material:
1.
Log in to your course
2. Select
the Course Materials Link
3.
Begin accessing your materials
For
more information and FAQs, please refer to customercare.bncollege.com.
The University of South Carolina
has already billed you at the discounted price as a course charge for this
course. You have the option to opt-out of this program in Blackboard and
can change your decision to opt in or out until September 1, 2026 11:59 PM.
·
Optional
textbook: Understanding Your Users: A
Practical Guide to User Requirements Methods, Tools, and Techniques, Catherine
Courage, Kathy Baxter, and Kelly Caine, Elsevier,
2005. (2nd edition is fine)
All course materials comply with
copyright/fair use policies.
Course Overview:
This course is designed to provide
students with a variety of contexts for understanding, evaluating, and
implementing human-computer interaction methods and processes. A typical class session will
consist of:
·
Lectures
·
Group
discussion of human-computer interaction material
·
Group
work
A tentative course schedule will
be posted in Blackboard. All course deadlines are listed in Eastern Time Zone.
Course
Communication:
I will be communicating with you
regarding grades and assignments. If you need to get in touch with me, the best
method is via email (tongy@cse.sc.edu ).
Generally, I will reply to emails within 24 hours and will provide feedback on assignments
within 72 hours. You may also post questions pertaining to the course on the
Blackboard Discussion Board. These questions usually will be answered within 24
hours. If you are having trouble with this course or its material, you should
contact me via email to discuss the issues.
Announcements will be posted to
this course whenever necessary. If there is any other information I think is important,
I will send it to your email address you have in Blackboard. It is your
responsibility to ensure that your email account works properly in order to
receive email.
Below is how you check your email
address in Blackboard:
·
Access blackboard.sc.edu
·
Click your name on the main Blackboard
navigation panel on the left
·
Review your email address. By default, Blackboard uses your
university-issued email address
Your email address in Blackboard
coincides with your preferred university email. If you are unsure of your
preferred email, check your account (https://myaccount.sc.edu).
Technology
Requirements:
The lecture notes, links to
articles, assignments, quizzes, and rubrics are located on the Blackboard site
for the course. To complete assignments, you will need:
·
Bring a laptop to class
·
A current Internet browser that is
compatible with Blackboard (Google Chrome is the recommended browser for
Blackboard);
·
Microsoft Word as your word processing
program; and
·
Reliable data storage for your work,
such as a USB drive or Office365 OneDrive cloud storage.
If your computer does not have
Microsoft Word, Office 365 ProPlus package is
available to you free of charge and allows you to install Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access on up to 5 PCs or Macs and
Office apps on other mobile devices including tablets. Office 365 also includes
unlimited cloud storage on OneDrive. To download Office 365 ProPlus,
log into your student (University) email through a web browser, choose Settings
(top right corner), and select software. If you have further questions or need
help with the software, please contact the Service
Desk
(https:/www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_technology_services/support/servicedesk.php).
Minimal
Technical Skills Needed:
Minimal technical skills are
needed in this course. All work in this course must be completed and submitted
online through Blackboard. Therefore, you must have consistent and reliable
access to a computer and the Internet. The minimal technical skills you have
include the ability to:
·
Organize and save electronic files;
·
Use USC email and attached files;
·
Check email and Blackboard daily;
·
Download and upload documents;
·
Locate information with a browser;
·
Programming skills for app or website
development; and
·
Use Blackboard.
Grading System:
All grades will be posted on
Blackboard. You are strongly encouraged to check your scores in Blackboard
regularly. A final letter grade will be assigned based on:
A
(90-100%), B+ (86-89%), B (80-85%), C+ (76-79%), C (70-75%), D+ (66-69%), D
(60-65%), and F (0-59%)
Grading policy
(Undergraduate students):
·
Two
exams (20% each)
·
Individual
assignments (3) (10% in total)
·
Team
project (45% in total):
o
Topic
definition and understanding of the problem report (5%),
o
Design
alternative presentation (5%),
o
Final
project presentation (10%),
o
Final
written report (15%), and
o
Participation
grade (10%)
·
Quizzes
(5) (5% in total)
Grading policy
(Graduate students):
·
Two
exams (15% each)
·
Individual
assignments (4) (10% in total)
·
Literature
review on HCI (10%)
·
Team
project (45% in total):
o
Topic
definition and understanding of the problem report (5%),
o
Design
alternative presentation (5%),
o
Final
project presentation (10%),
o
Final
written report (15%), and
o
Participation
grade (10%)
·
Quizzes
(5) (5% in total)
Note: the graduate students and undergraduate students will have
different versions for both exams, where the graduate students are asked to
answer more questions.
Course
Assignments:
All course deadlines are listed in Eastern Time Zone.
Team project: A big part of human-computer interaction is applying knowledge about human capabilities and limitations, and thus documenting and reducing design problems is a large part of the field. Consistent with this, a semester-long, team-based interface design project will be given in this course. The project will have your team develop an alternative interface for some computer-based application. The project will be broken down into consecutive design phases:
·
Topic definition and understanding the
problem,
·
Design alternatives presentation,
·
System prototype development,
·
Usability tests,
·
Final presentation, and
·
Final written report.
You will be judged on your originality, innovation, and quality. Further details on the project will be communicated often throughout the course.
Certain class periods will be used for your project. You will conduct some kind of activity individually or with your team. Absence from the teamwork not only negatively impacts your team project ultimately, but also peer-assessments from your team members about your contributions to the project, which will affect your participation grade.
The team project will consist of several deliverables during the semester, with the end products being
·
A high-fidelity prototype of your
proposed app/website,
·
A final team presentation, and
·
A final team-written report.
Details and rubrics on these final products will be communicated throughout the course.
Individual assignments include
·
An essay about yourself. (Undergraduate
and Graduate)
·
Completion of an IRB training: You are
required to successfully complete an IRB training to better understand ethical
guidelines that HCI researchers must follow. (Undergraduate and Graduate)
·
An individual written critique
assignment: This assignment will require you to think critically of the
evaluation techniques you learn in class and answer pre-determined questions. (Undergraduate
and Graduate)
·
A case study of evaluation: This assignment will require you to think
critically how to choose evaluation methods to meet the specific objectives. (Graduate
students ONLY)
These individual assignments should be completed individually (DO NOT work in groups)
HCI literature review: Graduate
students are required to conduct a literature review on a selected HCI research
topic and write a report. (Graduate students ONLY)
Exams: There will be 2 exams during the semester. The exams will consist
of True/False, Single/Multiple Choice, Short Answer questions, and Free
Response Questions. The content of the exams will be notified in lecture. Most
of the materials you will be tested on come from class lectures and may or may
not be included in the textbook(s). Make-up exams are not allowed except
excusable absences
(http://bulletin.sc.edu/content.php?catoid=52&navoid=1280#Attendance_Policy) with appropriate documentation
and advanced notice. Please refer to Attendance Policy below for
details. Graduate students will complete additional requirements to get
graduate credits. The exams will be operated via Blackboard.
Quizzes: There will be 5
quizzes during the semester, which will help you to strengthen your
understanding of key concepts learned in class. The quizzes consist of
True/False, Single/Multiple Choice or Short Answer questions. The quizzes will be operated via
Blackboard.
Late Submission
Policy:
A due date will accompany all assignments, quizzes, exams, and deliverables of the team project. All course deadlines are listed in Eastern Time Zone.
Please plan accordingly and complete these assignments in advance of their deadlines to ensure that any unanticipated circumstances do not result in a missed assignment. User error does not qualify you for any kind of makeup or retake opportunity.
Completing and submitting the assignments, quizzes, exams, and project
deliverables by the due date is your sole responsibility. If you are
concerned about missing a deadline, you may want to submit your assignments and project deliverables the day before the
deadline.
Late submissions of assignments, quiz responses, or project deliverables will be accepted if BOTH of the following requirements are met:
· You must contact me in advance of the required assignment, quiz, and project deliverable deadline to make arrangements for its completion.
· You must complete the assignment, quiz, and project deliverable within the week following its due date.
However, late submissions will be subject to the following penalty: 10% will be deducted from your grade for the first day late, and an additional 5% will be deducted on each subsequent day.
Except group presentations and final written report of the team project, you will be granted a ONE-TIME waiver of late submission penalty - you will not be penalized if you submit your assignment in three days after due date. For team deliverables, you cannot use the waiver if any member in the team has used the waiver before. Please notify me in advance when you use this waiver.
Attendance
Policy:
Success
in this course is dependent on your active participation throughout the
course. Class attendance is required as
claimed in University policy. When you miss class, you miss important
information. If you are absent, you are responsible for learning material
covered in class. If you have an excused absence (https://academicbulletins.sc.edu/undergraduate/policies-regulations/undergraduate-academic-regulations), you will be permitted to make
up coursework or complete an equivalent assignment agreed upon with me.
To
arrange excuses for absences that can be anticipated at the start of the term,
you should:
·
Submit a written
request (email is acceptable) stating the dates of the anticipated absence no
later than the end of the second week of the course.
·
Explain the reason for
absence. In some cases, documentation may be required. Please consult the policy (https://academicbulletins.sc.edu/undergraduate/policies-regulations/undergraduate-academic-regulations)
for additional information.
·
Include any request for
make-up work.
To
arrange excuses for absences that cannot be anticipated at the start of the
term, (e.g. legal proceedings or illness), you should, at the first
opportunity, submit in a written request stating:
·
The date of absence
·
The reason for
absence. In some cases, documentation
may be required. Please consult the
policy (https://academicbulletins.sc.edu/undergraduate/policies-regulations/undergraduate-academic-regulations)
for additional information.
·
Any request for make-up
work as soon as reasonably possible after you become aware of the need to be
absent.
Academic
Integrity:
You
are expected to practice the highest possible standards of academic integrity.
Any deviation from this expectation will result in a minimum academic penalty
of your failing the assignment, and will result in additional disciplinary
measures. Violations of the University's Honor Code include, but are not
limited to improper citation of sources, using another student's work, and any
other form of academic misrepresentation. Violations of the University's Honor
Code will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.
Below are some websites for you to visit to learn more about University
policies:
Carolinian
Creed (http://www.sc.edu/creed)
Academic Responsibility
(http://www.sc.edu/policies/staf625.pdf)
Information Security Policy and
Standards
(https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/division_of_information_technology/security/policy/index.php)
Disability
Services:
Student
Disability Resource Center (SDRC) (https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/student_disability_resource_center/) empowers students to manage challenges and
limitations imposed by disabilities. Students with disabilities are
encouraged to contact me to discuss the logistics of any accommodations needed
to fulfill course requirements (within the first week of the semester). In
order to receive reasonable accommodations from me, you must be registered with
the Student Disability Resource Center (1705 College Street, Close-Hipp, Suite 102, Columbia, SC 29208, 803-777-6142). Any
student with a documented disability should contact the SDRC to make
arrangements for appropriate accommodations.
In
this course, students shall give credit to AI tools whenever used, even if only
to generate ideas rather than usable text, illustrations, code, or the HCI
interface. When using AI tools, add an appendix showing (a) the entire
exchange, highlighting the most relevant sections; (b) a description of
precisely which AI tools were used (e.g. ChatGPT private subscription version
or DALL-E free version), (c) an explanation of how the AI tools were used (e.g.
to wrote the code, create the HCI interface, generate ideas, turns of phrase,
elements of text, long stretches of text, lines of argument, pieces of
evidence, maps of the conceptual territory, illustrations of key concepts,
etc.); (d) an account of why AI tools were used (e.g. to save time, to surmount
writer’s block, to stimulate thinking, to handle mounting stress, to clarify
prose, to translate text, to experiment for fun, etc.). Students are NOT
allowed to use AI tools during quizzes, exams, or homework assignments.
Overall, AI tools should be used wisely and reflectively with an aim to deepen
understanding of subject matter.
Lectures:
·
Individual
Assignments:
·
An essay about yourself, due in
Blackboard at 11:59 pm EST, Aug. 25, 2026
Quizzes
and Exams:
·
Quiz #1 has been scheduled for
Thursday, Aug. 27, in class.
Group
project deliverables (each team only needs to submit a single report):