Human-Computer Interaction
CS 6750 A Fall 1999
General course information and policies
Electronic information
The use of electronic technology in the classroom will play a critical
role in this class, for two reasons. First, as with other classes, we
will use electronic means to disseminate information about the class,
such as homework assignments, grades, and general announcements
outside of class. Second, much of the lecture experience will be
captured using the Zen-star system developed by Dr. Abowd and
colleagues as part of the Classroom 2000
project. The information provided on this page concerns the former use
of electronic information. We will try to make as much use as
possible of electronic information exchange. The three major
electronic means of exchange will be electronic mail, a collaborative
Web discussion space and a class World Wide Web (WWW) home page. If
you aren't already familiar with these Internet-based tools, now is
the time to find out.
Electronic mail
Probably the most dependable way to contact the instructor is by e-mail. Whenever you send e-mail,
please make sure you include your full name on the message, as it is
sometimes difficult to decipher student mail addresses.
WWW
You are currently reading text from the class Web pages for CS 6750. There
are a variety of ways to access this page using any of a number of WWW
browsers (lynx, Mosaic, netscape, etc.). For example, you can traverse
links directly from the College of
Computing home page (follow education links and then the class
Websites link)). Or you can access this page directly by
opening the URL (that's WWW-speak for location)
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/AY2000/cs6750a_fall/.
The class syllabus, indicating lecture topics, reading, homework and
lab assignments, will be posted on the class Web page and will be
continually updated throughout the quarter. You should make it a
regular habit to consult the syllabus. (Note: Since the
syllabus is constantly updated, make sure you explicitly reload the
page to ensure that you are looking at the latest version of the
page. )
All project work will be made available via the Web page for the
class. Individual project teams will be responsible for
preparing a Web notebook of project deliverables.
Discussion spaces
In the past, we have made use of a class newsgroup, but its use has
dwindled substantially for a variety of reasons. As an
alternative, we will be making use of a collaborative Web
discussion space, called a CoWeb. More on that as the course
progresses.
Grading
The final grades will be calculated based on the following weighting
scheme. It is possible that this weighting scheme will be adjusted as the
quarter progresses. Any such changes will be announced to the class.
Grade weighting
| Category | Weight |
Individual assignments
(approx. 3) | 15% |
| Group project | 50% |
| Exam 1 | 10% |
| Exam 2 | 10% |
| Final (take-home) | 10% |
Class participation
Peer review | 5% |
Students taking the class pass/fail must receive a B or better to pass
the class. They will need to be active members of a project team, do
the homework assignments and take the exams. Students auditing the
class should not be counted as an active member of a project teams.
Homework
Periodic homework assigments may be given as individual assignments. All
homework must be handed in by the beginning of class on the day the
assignment is due. Homework will be marked down 10% for each full day
(rounded up) it is
late, with or without an excuse. The assignments will be posted on the Web
syllabus.
Homework will be graded and returned within one week of receipt. Any
questions about grading of homework should be directed to a TA within one
week of return date.
Exams
There will be two exams during the semester and a take-home final
exam. All exams will be based on reading, lectures, homework and
group project assignments. The instructor will provide a review class
for the first two exams. The first two exams will be returned within
one week. Questions about exam grading should be directed to the TA
within one week of the return. Adjustments in exam grades will be
rare and could equally well result in a lowering or raising of the
grade.
Group project
A large part of this course will consist of a project done in groups.
More complete information on the project is presented elsewhere. Project groups will
be 3-4 member teams. There will be five
separate project milestones with a written deliverable due for each. There will be
four opportunities for groups to present the progress on their work
during the semester, corresponding to the last four deliverables. The
first three presentations will be in the form of open poster
sessions held during lecture time. The final presentation will be
held during the last week of the semester, with each group being
given a slot to present final results on their project. The
poster and final presentation grades will be graded together with
the associated deliverable.
Class participation/Attendance
A good portion of the learning in a graduate class comes from
intelligent discussion involving the instructor and the students.
Consequently, some portion of your grade will be determined by class
participation. If you don't attend class, you cannot participate, and
your grade may reflect that. I expect that each student will make an
effort to attend all lectures and contribute constructively to the
discussion.
I want to know who you are, so please make an effort to speak in class
and talk to me outside of class. If by the end of the quarter I don't
know your name, it won't necessarily be my fault.
Class participation also includes your active participation in the
group project. At the end of the semester, each student will be
given the opportunity to comment (anonymously, if desired) on
the contribution to the overall project be each individual on
the team. If certain members do not pull their weight, those
members' class participation grade will reflect this.
Other policies
Students are expected to attend all lectures on time. Students are
expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner. This expectation
includes showing up for exams at the appointed time. Late make-up exams
will not be given. Any conflicts with exam times should be brought to
the instructor's attention as soon as possible and in all cases PRIOR
to the examination period.
Students are expected to follow the
Above all, I would like to adhere to the reasonable person principle.
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Last modified: Sun Aug 22 22:11:11 EDT 1999