Professor Harry Wechsler 
Department of Computer Science 
George Mason University
 
Fairfax, VA 22030

e-mail : wechsler@cs.gmu.edu
www: http:/cs.gmu.edu/~wechsler 
(703)993-1533 (office) 
(703)993-1530 (sec) 
(703)993-1710 (fax)


 

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
 

SPRING   2004

CS777 - Human-Computer Intelligent Interaction
 

Class Information

001 05108 Thursday  4:30 p.m.  -  7:10 p.m.   ST2    430A

Office Hours

Thursday 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. or by appointment (SITE II - Rm. 461)

Textbook

Ben Shneiderman,   Designing  the User Interface – Strategies for Effective Human - Computer Interaction, 3rd. ed.,  Addison Wesley, 1998.

References

R. Cipolla and A. Pentland (Eds.), Computer-Vision for Human-Machine Interaction,
Cambridge University Press, 1998.

A. Jain, R. Bolle and S. Pankanti (Eds.), BIOMETRICS, Personal Identification in Networked Society, Kluwer, 1999.

R. Beacker, J. Grudin, W. Buxton and S. Greenberg (Eds.), (2nd Ed.), Readings in Human
Computer Interaction, Morgan Kaufmann, 1995.

M. Maybury and W. Whalster, Readings in Intelligent User Interfaces, Morgan Kaufmann, 1998.

G. Langton (Ed.), Artificial Life - An Overview, MIT Press, 1997.

P. Maes (Ed.), Designing Autonomous Agents, MIT Press, 1994.

Contents

The course covers current interdisciplinary research and technological advances in Human - Computer Interaction (HCI), Human-Centered Systems (HCS) and BIOMETRICS. In every day use of computers to solve human problems, a central and crucial factor is the flow of information and control between human and machine. Towards that end SMART INTERFACES would adapt the interface medium to meet specific users’ needs and demands.  The emergence of human-centered interaction buttresses the utilization of both verbal and nonverbal communication to create a richer, more versatile and effective environment for human activity. Human-centered design is problem-driven, activity-centered, and context-bound.  It employs computing technology as a tool for the user, not as a substitute. The emphasis is on supporting human activity using adaptive and smart interfaces rather than on building (fully) autonomous systems that mimic humans.

 

One approach to HCS employs intelligent system technology and seeks to make HCI systems "team players" in the context of   human activity, where people and computer technology interact to achieve a common purpose. Another approach for HCI focuses on building effective computational tools, known as SMART INTERFACES for modeling, interpreting, fusing and analyzing cognitive and social interactions such as speech, vision, gesture, haptic inputs, and/or affective state expressed using body [and face] language. The goal for smart interfaces is to expand on the human perceptual, intellectual, and motor activities.  The technology and tools proposed should have the added benefit of developing a framework by which one can improve our predictions of the consequences of various interface decisions on behavior.

 

Complementary to HCI is the field of BIOMETRICS, which is concerned with the need to authenticate ourselves to machines. Biometrics is a measurable, physical characteristics or personal behavioral trait used to recognize the identity, or verify [authenticate] the claimed identity, of an enrollee. Biometrics include physical (physiological) and behavioral characteristics. Biometrics can’t be forgotten, transferred, lost or forged.

 

The course emphasizes that human behavior encompasses both apparent performance and the hidden mental state behind performance.  Towards that end we discuss an integrated system approach that can measure the corresponding perceptual and cognitive states of the user, and adapt the HCI and reconfigure the computing environment for enhanced human performance and satisfaction.  Students are expected to complete a term project and to make an in depth presentation on a topic related to Human Computer Intelligent Interaction (HCII) / HCS / SMART INTERFACES / or BIOMETRICS. 

 

 

Grade Policy

 

- Semester project of your HCI choice as team project 60%
- in depth presentation / survey report on HCI topics related to your project 20%

- class presentation on reading assignments 20%

 

Important Dates

 

Spring Break -- March 12

Last day of Classes -- April 29

Project & Survey Presentation -- April 29 and May 6