Extending HCI in the computer science curriculum

Abstract

This paper discusses the teaching of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) at opposite ends of the Computer Science course curriculum. We provide tips on course content within final-year HCI courses. These tips focus on interface dialogue notations which are often either ignored or superficially discussed in HCI texts. By teaching these notations through the specification of real interfaces, their value becomes clear and we ease the problems of students viewing HCI as "woolly and vague". We also describe the ways that we are introducing HCI lecture material into our first year Computer Studies service course. The benefits that we hope to gain include the promotion of students' critical insight into the software systems that they learn, and increased confidence through a reduction in the students' tendency to blame themselves for the problems encountered while using software systems.