Course Description

Principles of human-computer interaction applied to the design of educational courseware. Usability engineering, with a focus on the audience and learning objectives. Interface design principles. Human-computer dialogs. Multimedia as a communication tool, using images, audio, and video. Multimodal input devices and strategies.

Course Objectives

This course has two goals. The first goal is to teach principles underlying the effective design of multimedia courseware. This includes an introduction to multimedia, concepts of usability engineering, and principles of sound user interface design. From this, students should gain an appreciation and understanding of how multimedia courseware is developed, and the ability to apply design principles taught in the class. The second goal is to give students practical experience developing and integrating multimedia learning materials. Students will learn to use Adobe Dreamweaver and Flash.

At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to …

• Design an interactive multimedia course module for a given audience and topic.
• Develop a prototype of their design incorporating multimodal input and multimedia output.
• Evaluate their prototype and specify appropriate modifications.

Textbooks

We will be using the following textbook:

R.C. Clark and R.E. Mayer, E-Learning and the Science of Instruction, 2nd Edition, Pfeiffer (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), 2008, ISBN 978-0-7879-8683-4.

I also recommend the following book for learning Flash:

E.A. Vander Veer and C. Grover, Flash CS3: The Missing Manual, O'Reilly, 2007, ISBN 0-596-51044-6.

In addition, readings from the current literature will be assigned. These may be found in the Course Materials section of the Blackboard site for the course.

Course Materials

Course Requirements

• Term Project - 60%
Over the course of the semester, you will develop an integrated set of instructional multimedia as described on the Assignments page. Grades will be based on 1) how appropriate the instructional module is for the intended audience; 2) learning value derived from the module; 3) aesthetics (including usability); and 4) creativity.
 
• Participation - 10%
You are required to present your assignments to the class on the dates they are due. This grade will also include attendance and in-class discussions of readings.
 
• Final Exam - 30%
A closed-book in-class final exam will be given at the end of the semester. Readings from the text, along with any additional materials discussed in class, will be covered. A study guide will be provided on the last day of class.

Advisories

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Any suspected instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/.

The University at Stony Brook expects students to maintain standards of personal integrity that are in harmony with the educational goals of the institution; to observe national, state, and local laws and University regulations; and to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty is required to report disruptive behavior that interrupts faculty’s ability to teach, the safety of the learning environment, and/or students’ ability to learn to Judicial Affairs.

My Own Advice

Think of me as your cranky client. There may be times when you disagree with what I say. You may think that some things are a matter of opinion, or that you are right and I am wrong. Just remember that I am the one giving out the grades. When I make a suggestion, be sure to listen, because it may have an impact on your final grade.

Start your assignments and your project early. That way if you have trouble, you can get help in time to finish your assignment by the due date. This will also help you to avoid a last-minute crunch in the lab.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. If you don't understand something, it's likely that your classmates don't understand it either. Raise questions in class. If you need further explanation, come see me during office hours. If you can't make my office hours, send me email. Be sure to do this before you get hopelessly lost.

Work with other students. I do not mean that you should copy each other's work (which will not be tolerated). Rather, you should learn from one another. If you can't figure out how to make something work, see how your colleague did it. It is also useful to discuss different ways of approaching a problem.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you anticipate any problems with this class. If alerted to them early on, I may be able to accommodate your needs.

Schedule

Classes are divided into two parts: theoretical and practical. Readings indicated as chapters are from the textbook; titles without links can be found in the Documents section of Blackboard. All readings will be discussed on the day listed. Assignments are due on the date listed, and will be presented in class on that date. Please note that this schedule is approximate, and subject to change.