A course affiliated with the Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center

Fall 2012

Carnegie Mellon: Robotics 16-764, 12 credits ¹
Pitt: REHSCI 3711

When: Fridays 12:00-2:50 ²
Where: Newell-Simon Hall 3002 (Carnegie Mellon, across from the Roboceptionist)

Overview
This immersive course teaches and demonstrates ethnographic methods for understanding the context in which new technology will be deployed. These include fieldwork, passive and active observation, secondary analyses, and novel computer-assisted approaches. This class will help students characterize and understand the practices, preferences, and needs of end users, the surrounding environment, and the associated societal factors that will affect technology success. The class will emphasize Quality of Life Technologies for people with disabilities and older adults but the methods learned are applicable to any domain where humans and systems interact. Students will work in teams to document and analyze actual contexts in the local area, and will complete a term project to characterize specific opportunities for technological intervention.

Note: This class will provide many universal skills with respect to technology insertion and selection. It happens to be within the QoLT domain but the benefits of this class will have a much broader impact.

Class topics and activities include:

• Methodologies (field-centric, not "lab coat")
• Demographics, trends, etc
• General principles
• Case studies
• Field trips
• Team project characterizing opportunities for technological intervention

Other details:

• Grad level, juniors & seniors welcome
• No prerequisites
• All majors welcome

If you have any questions, please contact Aaron Steinfeld, steinfeld@cmu.edu.

Instructors

-   -