CQUniversity Unit Profile
COIS12036 Human-Computer Interaction
Human-Computer Interaction
All details in this unit profile for COIS12036 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

This unit shows the importance of designing easy-to-use Web-based applications. Topics include the underlying theories of human-computer interaction, design principles, guidelines, evaluation, and social and individual impact. Practical hands-on include the design, development and testing of a Web-based application using contemporary software development tools.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 2
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisite: COIT11222 Programming Fundamentals

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2024

Brisbane
Cairns
Melbourne
Online
Rockhampton
Sydney

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Practical and Written Assessment
Weighting: 20%
2. Practical and Written Assessment
Weighting: 35%
3. Practical and Written Assessment
Weighting: 45%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation

Feedback

Foster more student interaction.

Recommendation

Explore the use of interactive learning tools, such as coding simulators or web development sandboxes, which can encourage collaborative and engaging learning experiences among students.

Feedback from Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation

Feedback

Web design could material could start earlier.

Recommendation

Consider introducing HTML by Week 4 and shifting the current Week 4 materials, which focus on Usability Testing, to the last week. This change could facilitate an earlier start on the final assessment.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Describe the relationship between human computer interaction and interaction design
  2. Demonstrate the main principles of interactive design through critical evaluation of an appropriate interactive Web-based application.
  3. Demonstrate how human-computer interaction design and development methods are employed during the development of human-computer interaction prototypes and end user testing.
  4. Apply the knowledge of human-computer interaction design and development methods in the construction of a small interactive Web-based application.
  5. Demonstrate the knowledge and skill sets required in using appropriate software tools in the development of interactive Web-based application.

Australian Computer Society (ACS) recognises the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). SFIA is in use in over 100 countries
and provides a widely used and consistent definition of ICT skills. SFIA is increasingly being used when developing job descriptions and
role profiles.


ACS members can use the tool MySFIA to build a skills profile at https://www.acs.org.au/professionalrecognition/mysfia-b2c.html
This unit contributes to the following workplace skills as defined by SFIA. The SFIA code is included:

  • User experience analysis (UNAN)
  • User experience evaluation (USEV)
  • Information content publishing (ICPM)
  • Program ming/software development (PROG)
  • Testing (TEST)

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 20%
2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 35%
3 - Practical and Written Assessment - 45%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes

Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 20%
2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 35%
3 - Practical and Written Assessment - 45%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
  • Notepad or Notepad ++
  • Website browser: FireFox, IE, Chrome
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Andrew Chiou Unit Coordinator
a.chiou@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 04 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 1 | Introduction Into HCI

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 11 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 2 | Usability Heuristics

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 18 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 3 | Interaction Design and Personas

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 25 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 4 | Design, Prototyping & Construction

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 01 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 5 | Evaluating Interface Designs

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 1 Due: Week 5 Friday (5 Apr 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Vacation Week Begin Date: 08 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 15 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 6- HTML Introduction

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 22 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 7- Getitng started with CSS

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 2 Due: Week 7 Friday (26 Apr 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 8 Begin Date: 29 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 8- Styling navigation with CSS

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 06 May 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 9- Advanced CSS and responsive Design

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 13 May 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 10- Media Query

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 20 May 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 11 - JavaScript and Web forms

Chapter

Online reading list and resource

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 3 Due: Week 11 Friday (24 May 2024) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 12 Begin Date: 27 May 2024

Module/Topic

  • Week 12- Javascript 2

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

 
Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 03 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 10 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Practical and Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Assessment 1

Task Description

Synopsis

The objective of this assessment is to assess students' comprehension of the concepts and skills taught in the HCI Tutorials from Weeks 2 to 5. Students should combine all their tutorial answers from Weeks 2 to 5 into a single well-structured and formatted document and submit it by the due date of week 5.

Objective: To assess students' comprehension of the concepts and skills taught in the HCI Tutorials from Weeks 2 to 5.

Submission: Online via Moodle

Format: Submit a single document consolidating your tutorial answers from Weeks 2 to 5.

Length: Not predetermined - Refer to In-class tutorial questions for length requirements, if applicable.

 

 

Submission Requirements:

A. Combine all your tutorial answers from Weeks 2 to 5 into a single well-structured and formatted document (e.g., Word doc).

B. Save the document in either Microsoft Word or PDF format.

C. Use the following format for the file name: "Last Name_First Name_Student ID".

  1. All submissions must be original and free from plagiarism. Instances of plagiarism will lead to disciplinary action. If external sources or AI assistance were utilised, proper referencing must be included.
  2. Ensure that your name and student ID are clearly displayed at the top of the document.

Note: Submit the tutorials from Weeks 2 to 5 as a single, consolidated document by the assessment due date, rather than submitting them individually on a weekly basis or as separate files.

Marking Criteria Marks
Completeness of the document, including all tutorials from week 2 to 5 40
Quality of content, including accuracy and presentation 40
Effective use of references where appropriate 10
Relevance of the design and/or implementation of solutions 5
Document or report presentation 5

 


Assessment Due Date

Week 5 Friday (5 Apr 2024) 11:45 pm AEST

Online via Moodle


Return Date to Students

Marked assignments will be returned approximately 2 weeks after the submission deadline.


Weighting
20%

Minimum mark or grade
Students must submit this assignment to pass the unit.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Criteria


The following criteria will be used to assess the quality of your report:
Criteria

Relevance to Principles of HCI:
• Arguments and assertions are sound.
• Arguments and assertions are supported by HCI principles.
• Arguments are developed consistently and logically.
• Demonstrates understanding of the HCI subject matter and applying this competently to the review.

Presentation:
• Report professionally presented.
• Grammar and spelling.
• Written style and expression.
• Citation and references.
• Overall presentation.
• Within minimum and maximum word limit.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Detailed instructions are available from the Moodle unit website.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Describe the relationship between human computer interaction and interaction design
  • Demonstrate the main principles of interactive design through critical evaluation of an appropriate interactive Web-based application.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence

2 Practical and Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Assessment 2

Task Description

Synopsis

The overall task is divided into two phases. The following description should be read as a whole for both Assessment 2 and Assessment 3.

Design and develop a website incorporating elements of human-computer interaction principles. The end result is to demonstrate the viability and user acceptance of the specific user interface employed by the website.

Assessment 2

  • Carry out user and task analysis to gather user and system requirements.
  • Based on the initial findings and the technical specification, develop a preliminary design (i.e. low-fidelity 'paper' prototype) of the specified user interface.
  • The prototype will be used to test your initial design concepts and ideas. 
  • Submit a report documenting the prototype, design process, initial user feedback and recommendations on how to improve the design.

Assessment 3

  • Based on the low-fidelity prototype developed in the previous phase (Assessment 2), develop a high-fidelity prototype as a proof-of-concept.
  • Evaluate the prototype and carry out a user test.
  • Submit a report documenting the prototype, design and development process, user test and any further work required.

Note that these are not programming projects in themselves. The primary purpose of both projects is to ensure that students adopt best practices and adhere closely to HCI principles during the process of designing and developing interactive user interfaces.


Assessment Due Date

Week 7 Friday (26 Apr 2024) 11:45 pm AEST

Online via Moodle


Return Date to Students

Marked assignments will be returned approximately 2 weeks after submission deadline.


Weighting
35%

Minimum mark or grade
Students must submit this assignment to pass the unit.

Assessment Criteria

  1. Overview and description of the project
  2. User and task analysis
    1. Alternative user tasks have been considered
  3. Design and system requirements
    1. Alternative designs have been considered
  4. User testing and feedback
    1. Adhere to HCI principles
    2. Main features of the initial design and intended purpose
  5. Low fidelity prototype
  6. Presentation (professionally presented, grammar and spelling clear)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Detailed instructions are available from the Moodle unit website.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Demonstrate how human-computer interaction design and development methods are employed during the development of human-computer interaction prototypes and end user testing.
  • Apply the knowledge of human-computer interaction design and development methods in the construction of a small interactive Web-based application.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skill sets required in using appropriate software tools in the development of interactive Web-based application.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence

3 Practical and Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Assessment 3

Task Description

Assessment 3 is a continuation of Assessment 2. Please see the task description for Assessment 2 for details.


Assessment Due Date

Week 11 Friday (24 May 2024) 11:45 pm AEST

Online via Moodle


Return Date to Students

Marked assignments will be returned after exam certification date.


Weighting
45%

Minimum mark or grade
Students must submit this assignment to pass the unit.

Assessment Criteria

  1. Overview and description of project
  2. User test
    1. Walkthrough scenario
    2. Results for performance of the webpage
    3. Results for the test user performance
  3. Features
    1. Evidence of features working as described
    2. Innovative
  4. Recommendations
  5. High fidelity prototype
    1. Interface adheres to HCI principles
    2. Webpage functionality demonstrated
    3. Final usability and expert review of website
  6. Presentation (professionally presented, grammar and spelling clear)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Detailed instructions are available from the Moodle unit website.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Demonstrate how human-computer interaction design and development methods are employed during the development of human-computer interaction prototypes and end user testing.
  • Apply the knowledge of human-computer interaction design and development methods in the construction of a small interactive Web-based application.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skill sets required in using appropriate software tools in the development of interactive Web-based application.


Graduate Attributes
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Critical Thinking
  • Information Literacy
  • Information Technology Competence

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?