Unit information: Interactive Devices (Teaching Unit) in 2022/23

Unit name	Interactive Devices (Teaching Unit)
Unit code	COMS30054
Credit points	0
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Roudaut
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	COMS10016 Imperative and Functional Programming and COMS10017 Object Oriented Programming and Algorithms I or equivalent. COMS10013 Mathematics for Computer Science B or equivalent. COMS20009 Interaction and Society or equivalent. Probability and statistics and skills in programming.
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	EITHER Undergraduate students in Year 3 must choose Assessment Unit COMS0055 Interactive Devices OR M-level students must choose the Masters Level Assessment Unit, COMSM0058 Interactive Devices. Please note, COMS30054 is the Teaching Unit for Interactive Devices. Students can take this unit in either their third or fourth year, and must also choose the Assessment Unit for their year group.
Units you may not take alongside this one	None
School/department	School of Computer Science
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Unit Information

Modern interactive devices are reshaping the ways in which we interact with technology and with the world around us. This unit will introduce advanced topics in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research, with a particular emphasis on the design and development of custom interactive devices. We will cover a wide range of sensing technologies and the input and output techniques that have enabled computing systems to move beyond traditional desktop paradigms.

This module teaches concepts and skills required to design, prototype, and build new interactive devices - that is, software and physical objects that respond to user input and enable new types of interactions. We will also consider how these technologies can be brought to bear in addressing important societal issues, e.g. healthcare, education and sustainability. Over the course of the Unit you will learn about cutting edge HCI research on interactive devices and will also have the opportunity to design and build your own interactive device.

Your learning on this unit

Successful completion of this unit will enable students to:

1. Critically analyse interactive systems using design critique and reflective thinking techniques;
2. Design and build interactive devices - including hardware and software prototypes;
3. Use quantitative and qualitative techniques to evaluate user experiences.

In addition, fourth year students taking the Masters Level assessment will have the ability to peer review another piece of work in this area

How you will learn

The module will combine lectures, workshops and student presentations:

• 12 hours of lectures will be focusing on relevant techniques in sensing and actuation for interaction, design and evaluation approaches, low and high-fidelity prototyping, research skills, critical thinking, group work, and user interface programming. We will also consider research papers at recent HCI conferences.
• 24 hours of design workshops will allow students to work in groups to design and develop an interactive device prototype.
• 4 hours of demonstration by the students.

How you will be assessed

Coursework (100%)

Year 3 students

Assessment will be 100% coursework. The overall marks are broken down as follows:

• 40% - build and interactive device - assessed through a demonstration to public event
• 40% - write a final report (in the format of CHI paper 6-10 pages) and a video of the device in use
• 10% - fill in the group wiki
• 10% - write an individual assignment - review one paper each. 500 words max

OR

M-level students

The assessment will be the same than for Year 3 but the student in Year 4 will additionally have to provide and additional individual work were they will have to peer review some of the paper written by the other group, they will have to peer review two other papers and provide a review of 500 words max for each of the papers. The overall marks are broken down as follows:

• 32% - build and interactive device - assessed through a demonstration to public event
• 32% - write a final report (in the format of CHI paper 6-10 pages) and a video of the device in use
• 8% - fill in the group wiki
• 8% - write an individual assignment - review one paper each. 500 words max
• 20% - write two peer-review of another group work and participate in a mock-up program committee. 500 words max each

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. COMS30054).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.