Undergraduate HCI Programs at Carnegie Mellon University

1. The Undergraduate Major and Minor in HCIHuman Computer Interaction InstituteSchool of Computer ScienceCarnegie Mellon University Vincent Aleven Newell Simon Hall 3135 aleven@cs.cmu.edu

2. What is the HCII? Our Mission • Engineering & Design: To create effective, usable, enjoyable experiences with technology through interdisciplinary research and teaching in design, computer science, the behavioral and social sciences, and engineering • Science: To understand the impact of technology on individuals, groups, and organizations.

3. The Philosophy of the HCI undergraduate programs Take excellent students with depth in one discipline relevant to HCI and give them the educational opportunity to “walk in the shoes” of the other disciplines. Make the students more effective members of interdisciplinary teams in industry Prepare students for leadership in HCI-related industries

4. Educational programs for undergraduates • Second major: • Formal admissions with ~50% admissions rate • 11 courses, including a final project • Guaranteed admission to core courses • Minor • No formal admission, just sign up • 7 courses • No guarantees in getting into courses • After one core course, access to other core course guaranteed

5. On the Philosophy… • Undergrad education HCI will provide students • Basic skills for designing and implementing user-centered software • Appreciation of the varied skills necessary to make useful, usable & satisfying interactive products • Ability to communication with specialists in other areas • It will not make software developers into designers or psychologists into programmers. • It is not a second degree.

6. Human-Centered DesignThe User is Not Like Me Human FactorsCognitive PsychologyMotivationGroup behavior ColorLayoutGraphic Design Interaction Design Interviews Surveys Experiments Think alouds Heuristic evaluation Focus groups Cognitive walk-throughs Statistical analysis Flash, Director, Visual Basic, HTML, Databases, Java, C++, GUI toolkits, UI architectures

7. What makes the HCII dynamic? • CMU has the best Human-Computer Interaction program in the country • One of the few (only?) with an undergraduate major • Tight integration of • Technology • Behavioral Science • Design • Breadth and Depth • Students from SCS, CFA and H&SS • Interdisciplinary faculty

8. What students like about the program • Interdisciplinary • Project focused • Flexible • “Working with people from other disciplines “ • “The interdisciplinary nature. I learned a lot from having courses outside my major and from working with people that have different focii” • “Courses were project oriented” • “Applying the skills I learned in classes to research projects” • “Without this major, I would have never discovered my enjoyment for creatively solving problems with constraints and business needs.” • “The professors. I was lucky because all of the core classes … were taught by professors who were well-respected in the field and clearly knew their stuff”

9. HCI Second Major Curriculum 4 Pre-requisites 3 Core courses + 4 Electives Senior project

10. HCI Second Major Core Courses Introduction to User Centered Research and Evaluation Use empirical and analytical methods to figure out what users of systems want and will find easy and fun to use and learn Test whether you delivered the right experience Basic Interface Design/Interaction Design Fundamentals Translate between problem definitions and innovative designs Technology core differs by technical skill Programming Usable Interfaces (non-CS majors) Software Structures for User Interfaces (CS majors) UI lab (sections on GUI, mobile applications, web applications) Capstone Project

11. HCI Second MajorSenior Capstone Project Course Goals • Apply HCI skills on a semester-long project • Work in interdisciplinary teams (3-5 people) • Work with clients • Integrate skills gathered over the curriculum • Learn to write reports & give presentations

12. Mattress Factory: Interactive Archive of Past Installations

13. Controls for a Semi-Autonomous Orchard Tractor

14. Now in use in CMU classrooms! Classroom Controls

15. 3D Dentistry

16. 2013 Projects

17. Quote by a student about the capstone project “I had the chance to use HCI methods and understand the basis for them. We had to constantly test and change things based on the very specific needs of our users. Things that seemed so simple to us were like a foreign language to them. It really helped drive the entire point of HCI home to me.”

18. Human Factors Social Web Gadgets Educational Games Applied Cognitive Psych Rapid Prototyping of Computer Systems Advanced Topics UI Software Usable Security & Privacy Visualization & i-Pad programming Computer Supported Cooperative Work Speech Recognition and Understanding Applied Machine Learning Introduction to Product Design Assistive Technology Smart Homes Personalized Online Learning 2 Restricted Electives + 2 Others • http://www.hcii.cmu.edu/undergraduate-electives • Many electives offered by the HCII • >100 others in other part of the university • Business, CFA, H&SS, CS, Robotics, Entertainment Technologies

19. Skills: How to build interactive devices (AKA: “”!) • Add to your toolbox of techniques: Prototyping simple µcontroller-based electronic devices Concepts:What can be done with them from an HCI perspective Join the struggle:build somethingfor the user! taught by Scott Hudson

20. Design of Educational Games05-418/05-818 HCII – Vincent Aleven The potential of digital games to improve education is enormous. However, it is a significant challenge to create a game that is both fun and educational. In this course, students learn to meet this challenge by combining principles and processes from game design and instructional design.

21. Steven Dow ASSISTANT PROFESSOR social media micro-task crowds A-B testing crowdfunding storyboarding needfinding making a pitch brainstorming prototyping EMAIL: spdow@cs.cmu.edu WEB:www.cs.cmu.edu/~spdow Crowd-Driven Innovation COURSE NAME

22. Developing iPad Applications for Visualization & Insight

23. Virtual Reality Perceptually Based Decisions Eyewitness Testimony Cognitive Tutoring Learning To Read Spatial Thinking Speech recognition and synthesis Rational vs. Emotional Marketing Automated Language Understanding Neural Plasticity and Remediation Expertise & Sport Sleep Learning Applied Cognitive Science05-395 (R. Klatzky)

24. Personalized Online LearningVincent Aleven • Learners are different and personalized learning is far more effective than one-size-fits-all approaches. This course covers a number of proven personalization techniques used in advanced learning technologies. • One of the techniques is the use of cognitive modeling to personalize practice of complex cognitive skills in intelligent tutoring systems. This approach, developed at CMU, may well be the most significant application of cognitive science in education and is commercially successful.

25. Independent Study • Many students do an independent study to explore a particular area in depth • Personalized, a negotiation between the student and a professor • Can be in any department, just like any other elective • Often grows out of personal contacts after taking class with an instructor • I send out announcements at beginning of semester

26. Minor Just sign up & complete courses No guarantees 1 Prerequisites Freshman-level programming 2 Core courses Designing Human-Centered Systems (DHCS) Combines User Centered Research + Programming Usable Interfaces Design for HCI (DHCI) Combines Interaction Design Fundamentals + Interaction Design Studio 4 Electives No Project HCI Second Major Formal admissions process Guaranteed slots for core courses 4 Prerequisites Freshman-level programming Interaction Design Fundamentals Statistics (introductory) Cognitive psychology 3 Core courses User Centered Research Interaction Design Studio HCI Programming (PUI/SSUI) 4 Electives Capstone Project Comparison of Requirements

27. Designing Human-Centered Systems (core course for the Minor) • How to design human-centered systems that people find useful and usable • Into to designing, prototyping, evaluating user interfaces • Cover theory and practical applications of HCI concepts • Lecture-style, discussion, homework, class presentations • Big group project

28. MHCI 3 Prerequisites Freshman-level programming Interaction Design Fundamentals Statistics (thru multivariate regression) 4 Core courses User Centered Research Interaction Design Studio HCI Programming (PUI/SUUI) HCI Pro-seminar MHCI Project (2 semesters; 60 units) 5 Electives BHCI 4 Prerequisites Freshman-level programming Interaction Design Fundamentals Statistics (introductory) Cognitive psychology 3 Core courses User Centered Research Interaction Design Studio HCI Programming (PUI/SSUI) BHCI Project 4 Electives BHCI vs MHCI Requirements Similar goals, quite a bit overlap!

29. Accelerated Masters Option • Complete a masters degree in 2 semesters past undergrad degree • More in-depth project course • 5 electives (most at Masters level) • Pro-seminar (outside lectures & meetings with visiting HCI researchers and professionals)

30. Careers In HCI • Undergraduates get good jobs & job offers (AY 2011/2012 data)

31. Other reasons for getting an HCI 2nd major / minor • More interesting problems to work on • More interaction with stakeholders • Creative expression • Working on the parts of computers that everyone sees • Fame • Personal interest • Career security, etc.

32. APT Accenture Adobe Amazon Amazon.com Apple Inc Applied Predictive Technologies Athena Health Bank of America Global Markets Technology Boeing Brulant/Rosetta CGI Cengage Aplia Deloitte Democratic National Committee Deutsche Bank Digg Discovery Engine Dobly Endeca Epic Systems Extractable Facebook Fuild Inc General Electric Co. Goldman Sachs Google Green Hills Software HPTi IBM Intuit JPMorgan Chase Jonnson & Johnson Kaiser Permanente LearningBop Lockheed Martin LotterShelly Manhattan Associates, Atlanta McKinsey Merrill Lynch Microsoft Moment Design NASA New York Times NextJump Oracle OutSystems PNC Bank Palantir Technologies Precor PwC R/GARatheon Ready at Dawn Studios Companies Where B/MHCI Alumni Work • Riberbed • Rosetta Stone • Round Arch • RoundArch • Roundarch • Salesforce.com • Schematic • Schoolnet • Shiny Entertainment • Speaker Text • Tagged • Teach for America • Team Detroit • Thermo Fisher Scientific • Thomson Reuters • TripAdvisor • UBS Investment Bank • Union pacific railroad • University of Michigan • VMware • Vanguard • Vistaprint • Wizzard Media • WorldEvolved Services • Yadseiir • Yahoo • Yinzcam • Zazzle Plus ~15% have started their own companies

33. ~25-30 Students / Graduating Year Applications due by March 8, 2013 (Friday before Spring Break) Follow instructions on the website Statement of purpose (Why is HCI for you?) Proposed course schedule (Can you fit everything in?) Letter of reference (optional) www.hcii.cmu.edu/Academics/Undergrad/applying/applying.html Decisions announced April 1, 2013 (well before Fall Registration Week) Criteria QPA (threshold  3.0+) Relevance and clarity in statement of purpose Viable plan for completing major Diversity & relevance of courses taken Available Slots Admission to the Major

34. Chances of Admission (2011) • Freshman: • 8/16 • 50% • Mean GPA=3.6 • Sophomores & Juniors • 26/38 • 68% • Mean GPA=3.5 • If you don’t get in at first attempt, apply again next year!

35. Vincent Aleven Director of Undergraduate Program 3531 NSH aleven@cs.cmu.edu 412 268-5475 Robert Kraut Director of Undergraduate Program 3515 NSH robert.kraut@cmu.edu 412 268-7694 Indra Szegedy Program Coordinator 3526 NSH indras@cs.cmu.edu 412 268-4431 More Information

36. Questions?

37. CMU Court Reservation System Now in use at UC! Basis of (failed) small business!

38. Computer Science Technology Consulting in the Community Web Application Development Engineering Software Intensive Systems Human Aspects of Software Engineering Architectures for Software Systems Computers and Security Artificial Intelligence More Popular Electives Design • Designing Identities • Understanding Perception Through Design • Design‚ Management and Organizational Behavior • Designing for Service • Mapping and Diagramming • Color and Communication • How Things Are Made • Product Planning • Sketching and Modeling • Industrial Design Fundamentals • Conceptual Models • Methodology of Visualization • Typographic Play Behavioral Sciences • Perception • Human Information Processing and Artificial Intelligence • Interpersonal Relationships • Evolutionary Psychology • Research Methods for • Cognitive Psychology • Social Psychology • Developmental Psychology • Learning Sciences • Organizational Behavior • Human Expertise • Applications of Cognitive Science • Cognitive Modeling