Proposed Schedule and Evaluation

Sept 4 - Course Introduction

Sept 11 - Deadline to propose a question about effective mobile interfaces.  Informal discussion (not marked).

Sept 25 - Literature Review.  Each student will review at least 3 journal and conference papers which are either directly relevant to the question, or contain methods of evaluation which are likely to be applicable to the question.  Each student will give a 15 min presentation, and hand in a short written report (with references).  15 percent will be awarded based on how well the reports identify (1) related work in the literature, and (2) possible methods of quantifying effective user interfaces.

Oct 1 - Experiment Design.  Each student will give a 5 minute presentation and written report on their experiment design, worth 15 percent.  This should be backed up by the literature review, which can be amended as necessary.  Note that experiments are constrained to using fellow students as test subjects.

Oct 8 - Software Design.  A report will be made available for peer review.  10 percent will be awarded for review of peer designs.  No marks will be awarded for the design, but marks will be deducted if there is no design.

Nov 1 - Implementation.  20 percent will be awarded based on meeting design requirements, and being "usable" for our purposes:  i.e. we should be measuring the value in the UI concept, not the quality of the implementation, so a performance must be at a level which does not distract the user from the task.

Nov 22 - Measurement.  We will do this together, so be prepared for a long session and/or multiple sessions this week.

Dec 10 - Interpretation.  Worth 30 percent, this is the most important deliverable, including a 15 minute presentation (with discussion) and a written report.  It will be evaluated on

  - answering the question as well as possible given the sample set (and include a discussion of statistical significance)

  - connection of this problem with the literature

  - significance of conclusions

  - recommendation (where should this idea be implemented and what questions should be asked next)

The focus of this course is on the UI ideas, not on programming.  Nevertheless, there will be programming challenges, which we will try to handle together.  10 percent will be awarded for help provided to fellow students to resolve implementation issues.

RESEARCH ETHICS

You will be required to implement your user interface testing in a way which minimizes the collection of confidential information about testers (other than the participants in the project and the instructor), and to treat testers in accordance with McMaster's policy on ethical research. See McMaster Research Ethics Board.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

You are expected to exhibit honesty and use ethical behaviour in all aspects of the learning process. Academic credentials you earn are rooted in principles of honesty and academic integrity. Academic dishonesty is to knowingly act or fail to act in a way that results or could result in unearned academic credit or advantage. This behaviour can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: "Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty"), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university. 

It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various types of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, located at http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity 

The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty: 1. Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one's own or for which other credit has been obtained. 2. Improper collaboration in group work. 3. Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.

If in doubt, ask the instructor how this applies to your work.

TURNITIN.COM

In this course we reserve the right to use a web-based service (Turnitin.com) to reveal plagiarism. Students will be expected to submit their work electronically to Turnitin.com and in hard copy so that it can be checked for academic dishonesty. Students who do not wish to submit their work to Turnitin.com must still submit a copy to the instructor. No penalty will be assigned to a student who does not submit work to Turnitin.com. All submitted work is subject to normal verification that standards of academic integrity have been upheld (e.g., on-line search, etc.). To see the Turnitin.com Policy, please go to www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity

Personal Information

In this course we will be using subversion, email and other on-line discussion fora. Students should be aware that, when they access the electronic components of this course, private information such as first and last names, user names for the McMaster e-mail accounts, and program affiliation may become apparent to all other students in the same course. The available information is dependent on the technology used. Continuation in this course will be deemed consent to this disclosure. If you have any questions or concerns about such disclosure please discuss this with the course instructor.

Possible Changes

The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their McMaster email and course websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.