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IS41590

Academic Year 2025/2026

Professional HCI Practice (IS41590)

Subject:
Information Studies
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Information & Comms Studies
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Kevin Doherty
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
Blended
Internship Module:
Yes
Module Type:
Professional/Work Placement Module
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is increasingly a field and profession concerned with the realities of our everyday work and lives. This module will provide MSc in HCI students the opportunity to bridge through experience the theory and practice of HCI, by engaging in reflection on the relationship between HCI as a field of study and academic discipline, and the everyday work of an HCI professional encompassing domains and responsibilities as diverse as to include design, research, development, management and reflective practices.

The primary deliverable for this course will take the form of a visually-compelling report communicating challenges identified, insights gained, processes followed, methods adopted and concept solutions developed during the everyday work and reflexive practice of a human-computer interaction professional. This report will be developed through interaction with and presented to the module coordinator and external stakeholders upon conclusion of the module.

Note that to take IS41590 you must have independently coordinated an internship or work placement to run during the Spring trimester. While you may register for IS41590 from the date at which registration opens in August, your eligibility to take the module will be confirmed through contact with the module coordinator during the Autumn term.

Neither the module coordinator nor School of Information and Communication Studies will directly support students in attaining internships nor work placements relating to IS41590; given the initiative expected of students of this module and as a question of fairness to all students of the programme.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:



• Describe the everyday practices and combination of skills entailed in the work of the human-computer interaction professional today

• Define, explain and appraise the scope of the work of the human-computer interaction professional in today’s workplaces

• Employ human-computer interaction and related theories to inform and structure everyday design, research, development, management and reflective practices

• Develop a reflexive approach to professional life, to serve as the foundation for a meaningful human-computer interaction career

• Describe ethical challenges in the human-centred design of technology and engagement with stakeholders

• Communicate and justify in effective written, visual and oral form your own positionality as a human-computer interaction professional

• Collaborate with expert colleagues, among team members and across disciplines for the duration of an internship or work placement

Indicative Module Content:

This course draws upon theory and methods from the fields of human-computer interaction, positive computing, leadership, implementation science, and organisational psychology. The course will additionally focus on the opportunities and challenges of professional life as a human-computer interaction professional today, encompassing interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving and decision-making, as well as the importance of developing a reflexive approach to work.



Students will learn to select among - and leverage for their actioning in practice - tools, methods and theory to inform and enhance the work of the human-computer interaction professional; from methods including reflexive diaries, cultural probes, collaboration personas, observational, insider- and auto-ethnographic techniques to self-determination, behaviour change and normalisation process theories — as means to inform effective work practices and positive, collaborative workplace cultures.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

4

Tutorial

4

Autonomous Student Learning

117

Total

125


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This course will consist primarily of independent report-writing and project work - entailing reflexive diary completion, ethnographic and secondary research, method-development and reflective phases - supported and informed by lectures on pertinent human-computer interaction theories and methods, leadership skills and workplace cultures as well as regular interactions with the module coordinator and peers.

Regular feedback on processes, methods and concepts will be provided by the module coordinator and obtained through peer discussion and feedback in parallel. Formal assessment of students’ learning will be made upon conclusion of the course on the basis of a final oral presentation and submission of a visually-compelling written report.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Reflective Assignment: A visually-compelling written report entailing each student's reflections on their experience as a human-computer interaction professional Week 10 Graded Yes
70
Yes
Viva Voce: A visually-compelling spoken presentation entailing each student's reflections on their experience as a human-computer interaction professional Week 12 Graded No
30
No

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 22, 24, 26 Mon 12:00 - 13:50