I. Course Number and Credit:

HCI 590 3-6 S.H.

II. Course Title:

HCI Professional Internship

III. Course Description:

A graduate level course for students who wish to participate in a semester long internship designed to provide a pre-professional experiential learning opportunity in Human Computer Interaction. Students will be placed in an approved internship position that will provide opportunities to extend classroom learning and allow students to apply the fundamentals of HCI design including methodologies derived from their academic program.

IV. Prerequisites:

Undergraduate degree in Psychology or Computer Science or permission of the instructor and the completion of HCI 501 Introduction to Human Computer, HCI 510 HCI Methods I and HCI, 520 Programming User Interfaces. Students must obtain the written approval of a faculty sponsor for the graduate faculty in the HCI program. The faculty signature denotes approval of the internship placement site and its suitability for experiential learning. Students must complete a formal, written learning agreement prior to starting the internship.

V. Justification for Course:

A professional internships in HCI provides students seeking graduate education in HCI an opportunity to apply and critically analyze theoretical concepts in a working setting under the direct supervision of a practicing professional and a graduate faculty sponsor from the college. This collaboration allows the student to gain an understanding of the structure and organization of their placement, the current status of the professions related to HCI, and the nature of the work environment they will be entering. The internship should provide the student an opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the work of an HCI professional, including his or her responsibilities to the organization and the skills, abilities and attitudes necessary to be effective in the position.

VI. Course Objectives:

     1. To provide graduate students with the opportunity to analyze and apply theoretical concepts and/or  skills from the study of HCI in a professional work setting.

     2. To assist graduate HCI students in the synthesis and integration of theory and practice by examining the work of one or more professional practitioner.

     3. To expose the graduate student to the literature and career training opportunities HCI professionals utilize to stay current in their field of employment.

     4. To assist the graduate HCI student to utilize experiential learning opportunities through reflection, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation in a supervised HCI internship under the direction of a graduate faculty sponsor.

     5. To provide the graduate HCI student an opportunity to gain knowledge and appreciation of the ethical responsibilities associated wit the work of a practicing HCI professional.

     6. To enable the graduate student to gain a clear understanding of the importance to becoming a productive team member of an organization.

VIII. Methods of Instruction:

Graduate students will complete al requirements as stated in the learning agreement. The requirements will specify.

     1. Description of the graduate students responsibilities while at the site and/or any additional preparation   necessary to the success and completion of the internship. The time commitment required of the student will be indicated, minimally 120 hours on site for three graduate credits.

     2. A clearly formulated set of learning objectives will be stated in terms that will facilitate measurement of the graduate students actual mastery of knowledge, skills attitudes and application of academically derived information related to the HCI internship placement.

     3. All methods of evaluation developed by the graduate faculty sponsor in concert with the graduate student will be documented in the learning agreement and directed at the basic learning objectives established as appropriate to the specific internship placement. Such methods of evaluation may include but are not limited to, a detailed reflective journal, work samples, a portfolio of all work completed for the internship site, periodic written reports and/or review papers on topics deemed relevant by the graduate faculty sponsor. Every graduate student will complete a final paper summarizing the internship, analyzing the learning outcomes attained, reflecting on ethical, personal, economic, and social significance of the work accomplished and commenting on the professional work site itself.

     4. Graduate student performance will be documented, in part, by a written evaluation of the student’s actual performance at the internship site by the site supervisor. This information may be shared with the student pending approval by the site supervisor and will be forwarded directly to the graduate faculty sponsor to help formulate a final grade.

IX. Course Requirements:

     The specific course requirements for each internship will be stipulated in the graduate student’s learning agreement.

X. Method of Evaluation:

Students will be evaluated by their faculty sponsor with input from the site supervisor.

XI. Resources:

The participating departments have the faculty resources and expertise to provide graduate faculty sponsors for the HCI internships.

Barbeau, J. E. and Stull, W. A. (1990). Learning from Working: A Guide for Cooperative Education/Internship Students. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western Publishing Co. Evans, N. (1995) Experiential Learning for All. Herndon, VA: Cassel. Harvey, D. F. and Brown, D. R. (1995). Experiential Approach to Organizational Development. Paramus, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Hobbs, T. (1992). Experiential Training: Practical Guidelines (2nd Ed.). New York: Routledge. Jackson, L. and Caffarella, R. S. (1994). Experiential Learning: A New Approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Keaton, M. T. (1994). Experiential Learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Kendall, J. C. (1986). Strengthening Experiential Education Within Your Institution. Raleigh, NC: National Society for Internships and Experiential Education. Kraft, R. J. and Kielsmeir, E. (Eds.) (1994). Experiential Learning in Schools and Higher Education. Boulder, CO: Association for Experiential Learning. Littrell, J. (1991). From School to Work – A Cooperative Education Book. South Holland, IL: The Goodheart-Willcox Co.