Instructor

Professor Chang Xiao

Meeting Time and Location

Regular Lecture Session
TuTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM, lead by Prof. Xiao.
685-725 Comm Ave CAS B20

Project Discussion Session
Mo 12:20PM - 1:10PM or 1:25PM - 2:15PM, lead by Lai Lei.
665 Comm Ave CDS 701

Course Learning Outcomes

  • Gain a basic understanding of HCI as a research field.
  • Connect modern AI tools with HCI research questions and methodologies.
  • Gain familiarity with seminal research across various topics in HCI, especially Human-AI Interaction (HAI).
  • Determine the research approach that best fits a research question; identify variables of interest for empirical investigation; and design qualitative, quantitative, and hybrid studies.
  • Carry out a project investigating an original research question in HAI.
  • Write an academic paper reporting on research design and findings.

Course Structure

This course consists of three distinct modules: Seminar, Methods, and Project. Each module features unique learning objectives and class activities.

Seminar

The Seminar module explores emerging research areas in HCI. Each session focuses on a single specific research topic. Students are expected to read one to two research papers per week and collect relevant information related to the topics that will be discussed.

A seminar typically consists of a combination of the following activities:

  • Instructor-led Lectures: Sessions usually begin with a 30-minute introductory lecture provided by the instructor. This overview serves as a primer for the field, contextualizing the research topic, explaining its significance, and reviewing foundational work.

  • Paper Discussion and Critique: A student will be asked to give a fast-forward summary of a research paper. Following the presentation, students will offer their critiques of the paper and discuss the research direction in general. Students will then engage in a panel discussion to debate the paper’s strengths, limitations, and any missing details.

  • Group Synthesis: Students will be divided into groups of 6–7 to discuss broader research questions in a structured format. Each group will select one representative to share the group’s collective findings and synthesis with the class.

Methods

The Methods module reviews essential research methodologies in HCI. Each session is dedicated to one specific category of methods and typically consists of the following activities:

  • Instructor-led Lectures: The instructor will deliver a lecture to establish the foundational knowledge, theoretical background, and practical steps for the specific method being discussed.
  • Student-led Mini-Lectures: Students will introduce a specific sub-task or variation of the main method, or present a case study illustrating how the method is effectively applied in real-world research.
  • Hands-on Practice: Students will apply the techniques learned during the lecture to obtain data and perform analyses on it.

Projects

This module is mainly for students to work together toward the final project; however, our TF will also give lectures on practical skills and tools that are useful for the final project, and also for students to conduct experiments and user studies in a concentrated period.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required to take the course. However, strong programming skills and basic statistical analysis skills are preferred.

Textbook

There is no required textbook for this class. The instructional content for the seminar and method module will include individual research articles that will be posted by the instructor on the course website. We also recommend to read Research Methods in Human-Computer Interaction, Second Edition, by Jonathan Lazar, Jinjuan Heidi Feng, Harry Hochheiser (2017) (digital version freely available through the BU Library). Software requirements for assignments will be provided in the assignment handouts. All other materials will be provided by the instructor.

Workload

This is a highly interactive class, and you are expected to attend class activities as much as you can as the engagement is a major part of your final score. These are the activities and workload expected for this class:

  • Reading 1-2 papers every week. This is required for everyone (not only the paper presenter).
  • Participating in group discussions with your peers.
  • Presenting the group synthesis after the discussion.
  • Conducting hands-on data collection like interviews, surveys, and measurements with your peers.
  • Attending other students’ user studies.
  • Preparing mini-lectures in the methods sessions.
  • Working collaboratively towards a final project on a selected topic.