User studies and systems evaluation

This course is about how people use information systems. The course provides a theoretical and practical introduction to studying users' information searching, system interaction, and evaluation of information systems. Therefore, the course focuses on methods for user studies and systems evaluation to support appropriate test designs. The course also centres on the core concepts of information needs and relevance as the starting point for information searching and measuring satisfaction of retrieved information.

The course language is English.

None.

The student should have the following learning outcomes upon successful completion of the course:

Knowledge

The student has

• advanced knowledge and insight about methods for user studies and systems evaluation.
• advanced knowledge about central concepts, and methods for user studies and systems evaluation.
• advanced knowledge about how to conduct user studies and systems evaluation.

Skills

The student can

• reflect on central concepts and methods for user studies and systems evaluation.
• assess relevant methods, and combinations of these, for user studies and systems evaluation.
• use advanced knowledge of central concepts and methods to conduct user studies and systems evaluation.

General competence

The student is able to

• disseminate and give an account of methods for user studies and systems evaluation approaches.
• analytically assess relevant methods, and combinations of these, for user studies and systems evaluation.
• independently design, plan, and conduct different types of user studies and systems evaluation.

The course takes on campus in weekly classes.

Examples of teaching forms are: Lectures, class discussions, dialogue-based teaching, group work, student presentations, and supervision. The students receive feedback during class discussions, dialogue-based teaching and supervision.

The student conducts a small-scale empirical user study or system evaluation and reports and discusses it in the term paper.

The empirical study can be made individually or in groups of 2-3 students. However, students write the term paper individually.

No coursework requirements or compulsory activities.

The student writes a term paper reporting the empirical study. The student decides on the focus and research problem of the empirical study within the frames of the course and in agreement with the course responsible.

The term paper is written individually.

The term paper amounts 12-14 pages (A4). The front page, the table of contents, tables, diagrams, screenshots, the list of references, and appendices are excluded.

Font and font size: Arial / Calibri / Verdana 12 points. Line spacing: 1.5.

The term paper can be written in either English or Norwegian (or another Scandinavian language).

If the term paper does not pass, the student must submit a revised term paper. Note: no supervision is offered in the case of revision of the term paper.

All aids are permitted, as long as the student follows the rules for examinations, source use and referencing, and OsloMet's guidelines for using artificial intelligence (AI) in student assignments.

Grading scale A-F.

The exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner.

At least 10% of the exam papers, or at least 10 submissions, will be assessed by two examiners. The grades awarded for the papers assessed by two examiners form the basis for determining the level for all the exam papers.