Last update: 1 December 2005
This course introduces user interfaces and the tools and mechanisms to create and prototype them. Students work in small groups and learn how to design user interfaces, how to realize them and how to evaluate the end result.
Cross-listed to: AS/AK/ITEC 3461 3.0
Prerequisite: AK/AS/SC/COSC 2011 3.0
or AK/AS/SC/COSC 2031 3.0 or AK/COSC 3501 3.0 or AS/AK/ITEC 2011 3.0.
Degree credit exclusions: AS/AK/ITEC
34613.0. Not open to students who successfully completed AS./SC/COSC 4341 3.0
or AS/SC/COSC 4361 3.0 before Fall 1999.
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Introduction
· Console applications vs. GUI applications, sequential programming vs. event-driven programming, interaction techniques, WIMP concepts
· User interfaces
· Input model, event-driven model, output model, window managers, containment hierarchy, model-view-controller concept, graphical user interfaces, widgets, text interfaces, direct manipulation
· Mechanisms for creating user interfaces
· UI prototyping, window design and component layout, programming languages (one or more of Python, Perl, Tcl, Java, Javascript, Visual Basic), GUI builders, interaction devices (input & output devices), WWW user interfaces
· Introduction to human-computer interaction
· Human sensory and cognitive limits and capabilities, guidelines and basic principles for UI design
None - but see 'Weekly Readings' below.
Assignments are due by midnight on the specified date and are to be submitted electronically with the 'submit' command in Ariel (unless otherwise specified). The midterm will be held during class time.
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Work |
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Due |
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Weight |
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Sunday, October 9 |
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5% |
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Midterm exam (in class) |
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Thursday, October 20 |
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30% |
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Sunday,
November 13 |
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10% |
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Sunday, December 4 |
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15% |
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Final exam |
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Friday, December 16, 9:00-12:00, room
CLH M |
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40% |
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Readings are assigned weekly. Four
copies of each of the readings are available for 2-hour loan from the Stacie library.
These books are not very expensive and are available from most bookstores (and
online from chapters.ca) should you wish to purchase them instead.
The readings will be discussed in
class, and material from the readings will appear on exams. The readings are
taken from the following:
Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, Doubleday 1990, ISBN
0-385-26774-6. Basic Books 2002, ISBN 0-465-06710-7. (Formerly The
Phychology of Everyday Things)
On reserve in the Stacie Library under TS 171.4 N67 2002
Alan Cooper, The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Sams 1999, ISBN
0-672-31649-8.
On reserve in the Stacie Library under QA 76.9 H85 C673 1999
David W. Martin, Doing Psychology Experiments,
Wadsworth 2000, ISBN 0-534-24871-3.
Available for download here.
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Reading |
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Date |
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The Design of Everyday Things, Chapter 1 |
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Thursday, September 15 |
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The Design of Everyday Things, Chapter 2 |
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Thursday, September 22 |
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The Design of Everyday Things, Chapter 3 |
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Thursday, Sept 29 |
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The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 1 |
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Thursday, October 6 |
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The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 2 |
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Thursday, October 13 |
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No reading this week, due to midterms |
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Thursday, October 20 |
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No reading this week, due to midterms |
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Thursday, October 27 |
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The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 3 |
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Thursday, November 3 |
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The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 4 |
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Thursday, November 10 |
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The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Chapter 5 |
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Thursday, November 17 |
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·
The CSE 3461 Course Website: http://www.cs.yorku.ca/course/3461/
· Java 2 API: http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/
· Download Java 2 (version 1.5.0): http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.html
· Java Swing tutorial notes: http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/TOC.html
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Event |
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Date |
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Fall term classes begin |
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Wednesday, September 7 |
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Rosh Hashanah (no class) |
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Tuesday, October 4 |
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Sunday, October 9 |
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Thanksgiving Yom Kippur (no class) |
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Monday, October 10 (university closed) Thursday, October 13 |
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Midterm exam (in class) |
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Tuesday, October 25 |
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Marked midterm exams returned |
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Thursday, November 3 |
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Sunday, November 13 |
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Last date to drop course without penalty |
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Friday, November 11 |
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Last class of COSC3461 |
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Thursday, December 1 |
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Sunday, December 4 |
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Fall term classes end |
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Monday, December 5 |
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Fall term exams begin |
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Thursday, December 7 |
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Final exam |
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Friday, December 16, 9:00-12:00 , room CLH M
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Fall term exams end |
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Wednesday, December 21 |
Course enrolment is handled by the
Computer Science Undergraduate Office. Instructors can not 'sign students in'
to this course.
Students are required to attend the lectures,
submit the assignments, and write the midterm and final for the section in
which they are enrolled. (Note that assignments and exams may differ between
the two sections.) For questions pertaining to changing your enrolment status,
please visit the Computer Science Undergraduate Office.
Students are expected to attend the
lectures. Although much of the course information will be posted on the web,
additional information will be given during the lectures that is not posted on the
web. Students who skip lectures do so at their own peril!
The assignments for this course are to
be done in groups. Groups shall contain three students, and all students in a
group must be enrolled in the same section. The grade for an assignment is
recorded for each group member. It is up to the members of each group to ensure
the equitable distribution of assignment work. Assignment submissions from
groups with fewer or more students will not be marked. Students may reconfigure
their groups throughout the term, but not in the 15 days before the assignment
due date.
For the purpose of marking,
programming assignments are required to compile and execute on Ariel. Software
developed on other platforms should be verified on Ariel before submission.
Assignments are due by midnight on the
specified date and are to be submitted electronically with the 'submit' command
in Ariel (unless otherwise specified). Late submissions will not be accepted
(see 'Late assignments' below).
Assignment marking will use letter
grades (see the explanation of the letter grades below).
Late assignments will not be accepted
and will receive a zero grade unless arrangements have been made with the
instructor prior to the due date. Exceptions to the late policy will be
made only under very special circumstances (e.g. serious illness) and only with
proper documentation (i.e. a letter from your doctor). Missed midterms will be
handled in the same manner.
Once returned, marked assignments and exams should be reviewed by students, and any request for remarking should be submitted to the instructor within one week. Requests must be accompanied by a written description of the marking error. Only problems of mark addition, and serious marking errors will be considered - remarking requests of a frivolous nature may result in your mark being lowered.
The following is a guideline to the
grading scale used. It is a copy of the York University official grading
scheme. The first number within the parenthesis is the numeric equivalent of a
grade. It is typically used in order to derive weighted averages of multiple
letter grades. The range that follows the number is used to map a numeric grade
(out of 9) to a letter grade.
A grade of C means doing what was
asked for, a B means doing a good job on what was asked for, and an A means
doing an excellent job and showing originality. Originality in the
undergraduate environment means doing things that were not explicitly asked for
but are useful additions or extensions of the work - doing things above and
beyond the call of duty.
A+ (9, 8.5...9) Exceptional - Thorough
knowledge of concepts and/or techniques and exceptional skill or great
originality in the use of those concepts and techniques in satisfying the
requirements of a piece of work or course.
A (8, 7.5...8.4) Excellent - Thorough
knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with a high degree of skill
and/or some elements of originality in satisfying the requirements of a piece
of work or course.
B+ (7, 6.5...7.4) Very Good - Thorough
knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with a fairly high degree of
skill in the use of those concepts and techniques in satisfying the
requirements of a piece of work or course.
B (6, 5.5...6.4) Good - Good level of
knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with a considerable skill in
using them in satisfying the requirements of a piece of work or course.
C+ (5, 4.5...5.4) Competent -
Acceptable level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with
considerable skill in using them to satisfy the requirements of a piece of work
or course.
C (4, 3.5...4.4) Fairly Competent - Acceptable
level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques together with some skill in
using them to satisfy the requirements of a piece of work or course.
D+ (3, 2.5...3.4) Passing - Slightly
better than minimal knowledge of required concepts and/or techniques together
with some ability to use them in satisfying the requirements of a piece of work
or course.
D (2, 1.5...2.4) Barely Passing -
Minimum knowledge of concepts and/or techniques needed to satisfy the
requirements of a piece of work or course.
E (1, 0.5...1.4) Marginally failing
F (0, 0...0.4) Failing