Overview of courses at Madeira-ITI

The list below shows, in alphabetical order, the courses taught by the members of Madeira-ITI. Click on a course title for further information. These courses are part of our programs in Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Science.

3D design
3D modelling
Rendering
Lighting simulation
Cinematography
3D Design
7.5 ECTS
Jos van Leeuwen
MHCI
LDMI
Spring

The objective of this course is to gain competences in designing and producing 3D scenes and creating visualisations thereof, both still images and animations. Topics include: geometric 3D modelling, CSG, Meshes, light, colour, texture, perception, lighting models and properties of lights, environmental effects, camera properties and camera movement, animation.

User study
Interface and interaction design
Iterative design cycle
Rapid prototyping
Design Studio
7.5 ECTS
Monchu Chen
MHCI
Autumn

Students work as teams to finish a semester-long HCI project where they go through several design, implement and evaluate cycles.  Each team will develop a product/service to solve a given design problem.  Students are strongly encouraged to submit their work to international design competitions, such as the one in CHI conference.

Phenomenology
Ethnomethodology
Tangible computing
Social computing
Embodied Interaction
7.5 ECTS
Ian Oakley
MHCI
Autumn

This class approaches interaction design from the perspective of phenomenology. It is concerned with humans as embodied actors interacting in the world in the absorbed and unreflective manner of everyday experience. This standpoint is of particular relevance to emerging HCI disciplines of tangible computing and social computing. The goal of this approach is to create interaction experiences for users which are seamlessly intertwined with the surrounding physical and social environment.

Cognitive psychology
Perceptual psychology
Accident analysis
Case studies
Human Factors
7.5 ECTS
Ian Oakley
MHCI
Autumn

This course uses theory and research from human factors, cognitive science, and social science to understand and design the interactions of humans with the built world, tools, and technology. The course emphasizes current work in applied domains such as automotive design, house construction, medical human factors, and design of information devices. The course also will emphasize not only individual human factors (e.g., visual response, anthropometry) but also the organizational arrangements that can amplify or correct human factors problems.

Activity modeling
Model-driven inquiry and design
User and task modeling
User interface architecture
Abstract prototyping
Modeling tools and languages for interaction design
Human-Centered Software Engineering
7.5 ECTS
Larry Constantine
Nuno Nunes
MHCI
Spring

This course discusses the fundamentals of human-centered software engineering an emerging discipline that focus on bridging SE and HCI in an attempt to solve the outstanding problems of modern software development. Students are introduced to the main methods and techniques of HCSE through the comprehensive activity-based design method pioneered by Larry Constantine.

SE and HCI processes; Activity modeling; Model-driven inquiry; User modeling; Model-driven architecture; Abstract prototyping; Instructive interaction; Model-driven inspections.

Interaction design
User needs study
Usage scenarios
Ideation
Concept validation
Rapid prototyping
Video sketching
Interface and Interaction Design
7.5 ECTS
Jos van Leeuwen
Valentina Nisi
MHCI
Spring

An interface provides the framework, elements, and resources for a “conversation” to take place between (i) people and people, (ii) people and places, and (iii) people and products. An interface should subtly convey an expectation of what the product can do and provide feedback on actions taken.

Usability engineering
Prototyping
Interaction techniques
Interface design
Programming Usable Interfaces
7.5 ECTS
Monchu Chen
MHCI
Spring

This course is a combination programming course and design studio, and is for those who want to express their interactive ideas in working prototypes.  Students will learn how to use programming languages, how to design and implement effective GUI interfaces, and how to perform rapid, effective iterative user tests. The course will cover several prototyping tools and require a number of prototypes to be constructed in each. These will range from animated mock- ups through fully functional programs. The course will also cover usability testing of interactive prototypes.

Ubiquitous computing
Context-awareness
Sensing
Security
Privacy
Smart homes
Research topics in Ubiquitous Computing
7.5 ECTS
Vassilis Kostakos
MHCI
MEI
Spring

This course is designed to

  • Introduce students to the theoretical and technical aspects of ubiquitous computing
  • Help students identify those characteristics that make successful ubiquitous systems
  • Provide experience in developing a ubiquitous system or application
  • Develop students’ critical thinking and writing, and presentation skills
Experience design
Interaction design
Service Design
7.5 ECTS
Nuno Nunes
Valentina Nisi
MHCI
Spring

Companies are turning to design to address the opportunities and challenges faced by the shift to a knowledge-based service-centered society.

Online communities
Regulating behaviour
Privacy
Online games
Mashups
Social Web
7.5 ECTS
Vassilis Kostakos
MHCI
MEI
Autumn

This course is designed to

  • Introduce students to the theoretical aspects of how online communities operate
  • Help students identify those characteristics that make social websites succeed or fail
  • Provide experience in becoming part of a social website
  • Develop students’ critical thinking and writing, and presentation skills
Software architectures
Software Architectures
7.5 ECTS
Leonel Nóbrega
MEI
Spring

Architectures for Software Systems aim to teach you how to design, understand and evaluate systems at an architectural level of abstraction. By the end of the course you should be able to:

Advanced UI programming
Interaction techniques
Software Architectures for User Interfaces
7.5 ECTS
Leonel Nóbrega
MHCI
Spring

This course is designed to:

  • Introduce students to the basic organizing principles found in interactive software
  • Provide experience with user interface implementation
  • Explore advanced interaction techniques

It is intended for students with a strong CS background and assessment is mainly through programming projects: students are expected to produce advanced, functional user interface projects using a wide range of technologies and approaches.