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MSc in Human Communication and Computing (HCC)

In Brief:

The MSc in Human Communication and Computing (HCC) is a postgraduate programme that aims to prepare people for a future in research or specialist industrial careers. It focuses on Usability Engineering, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), and other fields that are to do with defining productive relationships between people and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

HCC is an interdisciplinary programme that is delivered by the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Psychology at the Claverton Campus of The University of Bath . HCC has been developed to provide an innovative combination of knowledge and skills to meet the needs of individuals and organisations who are confronted with the challenges and opportunities of dealing with one another through technologies.

Human Communication and Computing

Communication technologies have radically transformed our abilities to communicate - with other people and with information systems. These changes empower us all with increased access to information, and the ability to communicate, through diverse media, in increasingly varied situations. Public demand, government policies, commercial pressures and technological innovations generate an increasing need for a workforce with these skills and knowledge.

Key issues in the field include:

how tools shape concepts
creation of new knowledge
relationship between information creators and consumers
the construction of meaning in social contexts
establishing and maintaining shared understanding
mutual and distributed knowledge
value of participation and scenarios in design
representations used in design, both between designers, and between designers and users
context and task-based modelling and design
user requirements, design recommendations and usability evaluation
value of models of collaboration and learning
effective computational enhancement of environments to support collaborative activity

This programme brings together relevant knowledge and skills for understanding, designing and assessing interactive computing technologies. It provides its graduates with a sound basis for persuing a career in as a usability professional or for embarking on further research on the impact and development of valuable and effective interactive systems. Students are benefit from the facilities offered by the University of Bath Careers Advisory Service in helping to establish a rewarding and exciting post-qualification future.

Students are taught in a rich and stimulating environment in which they will learn how to design and evaluate interactive systems to support individual work, person-to-person communication, group-working and collaboration. The University of Bath has an excellent reputation for the quality of its teaching and student experience. It has been consistently rated among the top ten universities in the UK both for the quality of its teaching and career prospects for its students. According to The Times newspaper, Psychology and Computer Science are top-ten Departments to study. In a recent survey, The Times found that UK headteachers think Bath is the best place to study Computer Science.

EPSRC Recognition

The UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has recognised the value of the HCC Programme by making postgraduate studentships available to well qualified UK and other EU applicants. The HCC programme relates to EPSRC's Information and Communications Technologies Core Programme.

Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme

Currently, the UK Home Office Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme (SEGS) offers international students the opportunity to remain in the UK to work for 12 months after graduation. SEGS is open to graduates in subjects that the UK government have identified as of vital importance to the UK economy. e-skills UK the UK skills council for ICT, shows that more companies are reporting skills gaps in the ICT sector. 1000 companies were surveyed and reported these gaps as significant for their business objectives and at the highest level recorded in a year.

The UK Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) recognises HCC as a science and engineering degree course, within the Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) G440 category:
Human-computer Interaction: The study, design and application of principles and techniques aimed at optimising the interaction between computer systems and their human users.
SEGS has recently been replaced by the International Graduate Scheme (IGS), which allows all international students who have completed and obtained a UK bachelor’s degree, Master’s, PhD, postgraduate certificate or postgraduate diploma in any subject, after May 1st 2007, to apply for further leave to remain in the UK to work for a maximum of 12 months. Those graduating with an HCC award are eligible to apply under the IGS scheme.

UKCOSA, The Council for International Education has produced a useful document to help overseas students understand how they are able to work in the UK following graduation. The University of Bath International Office provides help and support for overseas students to make informed decisions during and after their studies.

Programme Aims and Objectives

For full-time students, HCC study commences in September and lasts for twelve months. The first part of the programme consists of two semesters of taught units, with exams at the end of each semester. The remainder of the programme consists of a two-part project. The first part of the project is undertaken in Semester 2; this involves a literature review and a project plan. The second part of the project is undertaken after the second semester exams.

To provide a cross-disciplinary postgraduate taught programme that will:

be pitched ahead of the current technology, and so cater for emerging market needs
address theoretical, empirical, practical and systemic views for the design, and evaluation of the technological and social context of communication systems
give students an understanding of, and expertise in, communication, computer science, cognitive science and the psychology of communication.

To produce graduates who will:

be able to contribute professionally to the world of rapidly growing communication and information technology
understand the effects of these developments on everyday life
be able to undertake professional work or research on the human-technology interface
be competent to deal design issues related to the uses of information and information technology
understand the interaction between these developments and their cognitive, social, contextual and cultural effects
be able to contribute to a broad range of work in communications, in design, communications technologies and their use, policy-making, communications management and in cutting edge research.

Graduates will be competent to understand, and apply their skills in:-

policy-related, research, and development activities
programming and software design
analysing and evaluating the usability of systems
the construction and interpretation of meaning, discourse and rhetoric
methods of analysis, experimentation and model-building
the nature of collaboration and modelling of virtual working environments
the task-artefact cycle and the tensions between human processes and systems
modelling and design of communication systems
social causes and consequences of communication developments.

Academic staff teaching on the MSc in Human Communication and Computing in academic year 2006/07:-

Dr Mark Brosnan, Department of Psychology
Dr Jeff Gavin, Department of Psychology
Dr Hilary Johnson, Department of Computer Science
Professor Peter Johnson, Department of Computer Science
Dr Richard Joiner, Department of Psychology
Dr E O'Neill, Department of Computer Science

Dr Danae Stanton-Fraser

Dr Leon Watts, Department of Computer Science (Director of Studies, HCC)

Curriculum

The programme comprises eight taught units over two semesters and a project in two parts which may comprise theoretical, empirical or design components, and would normally bridge the disciplines involved in the programme. The first part of the Project comprises a literature review and a research proposal; the second part comprises the development of these into an empirical study, and a dissertation that incorporates the report of this. Diploma students will complete the taught units and the first stage of the Project. Masters students will complete the taught units and both parts of the Project.

Students will normally complete the taught units and the project in one year, full-time diploma students in nine months.

The teaching of the programme is a collaboration between the Departments of Computer Science and Psychology. The rapidly developing world of communications increasingly requires skills that draw from disciplines relating to human communication and information processing, to the interface between humans and machines and other artefacts, and to the design of communication systems.

The two strands of the programme reflect the interweaving of skills relating to an understanding of design questions and of the design of collaborative communication systems, and skills relating to an understanding of communication between persons and the interpretation and utilisation of communication, language and meaning. The project will normally involve a study that bridges the two strands of the programme.

The programme will comprise 90 credits for a Masters, and 60 for a Diploma. 48 credits (6 x 8) will be assigned to 8 taught units; 12 credits will be assigned to the first stage of the Project Dissertation and 30 credits to the remainder of the Project Dissertation.

Each taught unit will comprise 12 weeks of classes, seminars or workshops, and 3 weeks of assessment. There will be four units offered in semester 1 and four offered in semester 2. Project work will begin in semester 2 and the first part (12 credits) assessed at the end of semester 2 of the year in which it is to be examined. The second part of the Project (30 credits) will be completed in September of the year in which it is to be examined.

The dissertation project is an essential component of the MSc programme. The final assessment of the course is made on the basis of the taught modules mark and the dissertation mark. To obtain an MSc degree you must pass the taught units and obtain a pass at the dissertation stage. The project must exploit the knowledge and skills acquired during the programme, and apply these to a substantial task.

Unit Descriptions.

The programme is subject to update and revision each year. Note that units and syllabi have been updated for the coming academic year 2007/08. The official catalogue of postgraduate units for 2007/08 is available on the University of Bath catalogue.

Semester 1
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Mandatory Units

Creativity and IT, Department of Computer Science.
Brief description: What is creativity? Is it possible to define creativity? How can the creative process be described, analysed, modelled and judged? What are the hallmarks of creativity in design? Can creativity be taught? Different theories of creativity from different disciplinary perspectives, and different models of the creative process will be presented. Methodological problems in studying creativity will be covered and discussed. The problem of how it is possible to enable people to become ‘more creative, more of the time’ will also be presented and discussed in class. The students will be taught about the myriad potential roles of the computer in supporting, enhancing and enabling creativity, along with different principles and guidelines developed for the design of creativity support tools. How to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of creativity support tools will be considered. Finally, the students will be introduced to a number of different applications developed as potential computer based tools to support creative processes.

CM50147 Programming, Department of Computer Science

PS50067 Communication Theory, Department of Psychology

XX50125 Methodology and explanation, Department of Psychology

Semester 2
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Mandatory Units

CM40149 Collaborative Systems, Department of Computer Science
Brief description: This unit considers the relationship between human collaboration and technologies that support collective activity, such as email and Second Life. If designers intend to build systems to be used by groups of people, they must understand the special requirements imposed by the 'overhead' of collaborative work. Compared to people who work in isolation, group members must expend additional effort, at least to coordinate their actions from moment to moment. In this unit, students will examine group decision support systems; the connection between collaboration and formation of common understanding through mediating technologies; theoretical perspectives on participation; social presence; video-mediated interactions; text-based communication; technologies to support mutual awareness within teams; and the changing physical, social and organisational environments of collaborative computing.

CM50150 Design, Department of Computer Science

PS30100 Interacting with Technology, Department of Psychology

XX50128 Project 1

(Cross departmental)

One additional unit from these two options:

CM50205 Advanced Human-Computer Interaction, Department of Computer Science
Brief description: What is usability? What aspects of humans need to be considered in user centred design? What is effective, useful and engaging interaction design? Students will study participatory design and the role of the end user, and different approaches to evaluation – including analytical, discount, formal techniques. They will go on to consider how one might evaluate emotion and engagement in interactive systems. Additional consideration will be given to theories of collaboration and the design of groupware, together with special application areas including child-computer interaction, accessibility, mobile and pervasive designs, creativity support tools, intelligent and autonomous systems.

PS30116 / PS50119Cyberpsychology, Department of Psychology

Dissertation Period
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XX50129 Project 2

(Cross departmental)

XX50128, Project 1

Aim: To acquire the skills of planning independent research.

Objective: Students will be able to complete a literature review and write a research proposal.

Content: Students will undertake an original piece of work, which would normally bridge the disciplines involved in the programme. The first stage of the Project will involve a substantial piece of work as the grounding of a research proposal. This grounding will typically comprise a literature/conceptual review and which may comprise theoretical, empirical or design components. Students completing the Diploma will be assessed on this report. Students progressing to the masters degree will be assessed and will use this work as the basis for the study that forms the second stage of the Project.

XX50129, Project 2

Aim: To acquire the skills of executing and reporting an original piece of research.

Objective: Students will demonstrate their ability to design, execute and report an original piece of research.

Content: Students will undertake an original project which may comprise theoretical, empirical or design components, and would normally bridge the disciplines involved in the programme. This will normally form the second stage of the Project, of which the first stage (CC9) comprises the literature review and research proposal. Project 2 will involve the conduct of the planned research, its analysis and reporting in a dissertation of between 12,000 and 18,000 words, depending on the nature of the research question being addressed. The disseration will account for 80% of the assessment. A formal presentation, and system demonstration if the research question has required the development of such, will be the basis of the remaining 20% of the assessment.

Projects

The project is divided into two parts: Project 1 and Project 2. Project 1 begins in Semester 2 and is undertaken at the same time as they are working on Semester 2 units. Subject to successfully passing all Semester 1 and Semester 2 unit assessments, Project 2 begins after the end of the Semester 2 exams and continues into early September.

Students define project through discussing their ideas with staff teaching on the MSc at the beginning of Semester 2. A good project puts together the interests of the student with the research expertise of their supervisor. Students first have an opportunity to choose a supervisor in this way, or if they have failed to agree on a project are later assigned a supervisor. Students will meet their supervisors regularly to discuss the progress of their projects.

Projects undertaken with industry are allowed and in this case the student must have both an academic supervisor and an industrial supervisor.

The projects are expected to span the two disciplines which have contributed to the teaching of the MSc, and be relevant to communication and human computer interaction.

Examples of previous projects include:-

An empirical investigation of knowledge gaps and error in a simulated redesign of a cockpit.
An evaluation of a collaborative writing tool.
A meta-evaluation of web qual; an approach to evaluating the usability of web sites.
The role of visual feedback in non-contact musical interfaces.
Analysis of Chinese speakers' communication strategies in CMC.
The impact of group affiliation and facial photographs on trust in e-commerce.
The impact of social networking on remote friendship maintenance.
Social presence in the World of Warcraft.
Making sense of 3D City Models.
Blogito ergo sum: an analysis of groups communicating through web logs.

Assessment

Please note that these regulations may change as further Quality Assurance procedures are put in place across the University. Please contact the Director of Studies for up-to-date details of assessment procedures.

The MSc in Human Communication and Computing is assessed on the basis of the performance in the taught units (by examination and practical work) and the dissertation. Some units are assessed by coursework only and some by examination and coursework.

Examination of the taught units will take place in the examination period at the end of the semester in which they are taught. The programme will be assessed by a combination of examination and coursework.

Coursework and or unseen/seen examinations for each of the 8 taught units will take place at the end of the semester in which they occur.

Part 1 of the Project will be assessed by coursework at the end of semester 2. Part 2 of the Project will be assessed after submission by a date during early September to be determined by the Director of Studies.

Students will normally be required to attain an overall average mark of 50% in their work in Semester 1 and Semester 2 in order to be permitted to progress to the Masters programme.

In addition, students will normally be required to attain a mark of at least 40% in all units, including Project 1.

Students who attain an overall mark of 40% or greater across all units may be awarded a Post-Graduate Diploma in Human Communication and Computing.

Students who attain an overall mark of 70% or above in taught units, and in the Project, will be awarded a Distinction. Students who attain an overall mark of 70% or above in the taught units, and 70% or above in the Project, may be considered for the award of a Distinction.

Teaching Timetable

For HCC students starting in 2007, the academic year runs from Monday 1st of October 2007 through to mid September 2008.

The Semester One timetable and Semeseter Two timetable for the HCC Programme are available "live". The 2007-08 Academic Year Chart is also available for download from the Student Records and Examinations Office.

Teaching periods

Semester One is the first teaching period of the academic year. It begins with Induction Week, Tuesday 25th of September 2007,, through to 14 December 2006 (Semester 1, Week 11), breaks for Christmas, and then recommences on Monday 7th of January 2008 for revision activities.

Semester Two teaching begins on Monday 28th of January 2007,, through to 14 March 2008, breaks for Easter, and then recommences teaching on Monday 7th of April 2008 through to Friday 9th of May 2008.

Examination periods

The Semester One examination period is from Monday 14th of January to Friday 25th of January 2008.
The Semester Two examination period is from Monday 12th of May to Friday 30th of May 2008.

Computing facilities

The University provides a number of laboratories of public workstations and PCs, for use by all registered students, in safe and pleasant environments. A network links these systems to central facilities such as file servers, computer servers and information servers, in addition to Department computers. Users also have access to the Internet and World Wide Web.

In addition to the University's central facilities, the Department of Computer Science has its own research laboratories with a variety of specialist computing equipment. All are connected by ethernet; there are numerous dual-boot PCs (linux and MS Windows) and Apple machines with access to shared laser printers. MSc students are provided with their own computing laboratories, providing 24 hour access to the University's computing resources.

Research Degrees

According to the BBC, analysts Deloitte say the UK has a unique combination of strong scientific research, political environment, economy and thriving community of innovators. This combination means that it can become a High-tech Titan in several areas, including design and innovation in software systems.

Both the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Psychology have active communities of research students, investigating a wide range of issues that concern the design, use and consequences of interactive systems.

Please visit the CS Research Degrees page for more information about studying for a PhD in association with the Human-Computer Interaction group in the Department of Computer Science.

Please visit the Psychology Research Degrees page for more information about studying for a PhD in association with the Applied Cognition and Technology group in the Department of Psychology.

Who to contact?

Programme Secretary, Angela Cobban on tel no: 01225 386965 (email A.M.Cobban@bath.ac.uk).

Director of Studies, Dr Leon Watts, tel 01225 383166, or email L.Watts @ bath.ac.uk

EDGAR P.MOLINA JR.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010