Unit information: Immersive Interaction and Audio Design in 2022/23

Unit name	Immersive Interaction and Audio Design
Unit code	COMSM0127
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Pui Anantrasirichai
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	COMSM0126 Introduction to Immersive Technologies and Arts COMSM0124 Virtual Environment Design
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	None
Units you may not take alongside this one
School/department	School of Computer Science
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Unit Information

Virtual and Augmented Reality technologies have brought spatialised audio and interactive experiences to users. Through understanding the theories of human-computer interaction, audio and interaction design for immersive experiences and intensive practice, this unit will enable and improve your capabilities of creating immersive content and experiences that are both engaging and exciting.

Building on from the Virtual Environment Design unit you will be able to enhance your skills in developing immersive experiences through understanding how interaction and audio design can be utilised. This unit is a core disciplinary competency within the MSc Immersive Technologies (Augmented and Virtual Reality) programme. Intensive practice, labs and assignments are included to strengthen your ability of interaction creation and spatialised audio design.

Your learning on this unit

The unit will inform students with a combination of theory and intensive practice in user experience, human-computer interaction, and interaction design within an immersive experience. From a technological perspective, students will learn:

What you should know before creating an immersive interaction

• Human physiology and virtual/augmented reality
• Ergonomics
• Inputs, output and sensors
• Psychological effects
• Emotional identification
• Accessible design
• Ethical considerations brought about from sensory interaction

Interactive immersive case studies

• Current applications, including games, training, healthcare, etc.
• Combining multimodal sensory, vision, audio, and controllers
• Recommendations and standards

Interaction Environment

• Motion and tracking
• Control devices, hand, finger movement, gestures
• Social interaction

Spatial Audio

• Binaural audio and 3D audio effect
• Auditory perception and rendering

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?

With knowledge of the fundamental theories of immersive interaction and audio, alongside hands-on practice with the professional equipment to enable immersive interaction and audio, you will gain confidence and understanding in order to readily apply these within the immersive technologies job market.

Learning Outcomes

1. Design, develop and implement an immersive experience which successfully utilises interaction and spatialised audio effectively.
2. Evaluate different immersive interactions positioning their practice within the field.
3. Identify, analyse and critically reflect upon the ethical and safety aspects which need to be considered when utilising interaction and spatialised audio in an immersive experience.
4. Develop a professional degree of proficiency with the technologies required to create an immersive experience which utilises interaction and spatialised audio.
5. Professionally plan, deliver and communicate effectively their immersive interaction and audio design process.
6. Critically reflect upon effective collaboration within an immersive interaction and audio production team.

How you will learn

• Practical & teacher supported hands-on development using commercial technologies and equipment.
• Case studies / weekly critiques.
• Group-based coursework is suited to the unit in order to simulate the format of real-world immersive development norms of industry.
• Weekly group-based lab exercises grant the students the opportunity to socially construct their knowledge
• reconstructing and discussing ideas together as a team to develop shared mental models of the course content, while staff support can contribute to these discussions and provide regular, incremental feedback.

How you will be assessed

Summary

100% coursework submission:

• A group produced immersive interaction and audio experience. Students will work in small teams (5-6) to create an immersive prototype. Students will report regularly on their individual contributions which will be used to award individual marks if the contribution of team members is not even: ILOs 1-6

Tasks which help you learn and prepare for summative tasks (formative)

• Practical sessions run in parallel with theory sessions. These practical sessions will follow a lab format, comprised of a lab tutorial with an activity which helps support the students on their learning trajectory towards completion of their immersive interaction and audio experience. As part of their formative assessment, this activity will be validated by one of the unit coordinators or teaching assistants so students get regular feedback on their immersive development process.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)

• Immersive Interaction and Audio Pitch (group presentation + working demonstration) (40%) - Group submission ILOs 1, 4, 5-6
• Immersive Interaction and Audio Design and Development Document (60%) - Group submission ILOs 1-3, 5-6

When assessment does not go to plan

• For students who will be required to undertake a re-assessment if there are enough students a new group will be formed in order to undertake the creation of an immersive interaction and audio prototype. If there are not enough students requiring a reassessment to form a new team or forming a new team is deemed not possible then the student will be required to individually undertake a pro-rata contribution to a creation of an immersive interaction and audio prototype, this may mean that a student only completes a specific stage of a full interaction and audio prototype development.

• Immersive Interaction and Audio Pitch (individual presentation + working demonstration) (40%) - Individual or group submission ILOs 1, 4, 5-6
• Immersive Interaction and Audio Design and Development Document (60%) - Individual or group submission ILOs 1-3, 5-6

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. COMSM0127).

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.