Most real-world design involve groups of designers from diverse backgrounds and conflicting interests. These design tasks extend over the multi-year life cycle of a product, with changes and improvements being required by a changing world, new users requirements, and new technologies.

This course will deal with design (meaning the creation of artifacts), the nature of design processes and how computer systems can support them. The course will cover new design research relevant to the following areas: lifelong learning, software design, human-computer interaction, cognitive science, artificial intelligence and computer-supported collaborative work.

Outline of Topics:

design, learning, lifelong learning, organizational learning creativity, nature of design processes, design methodologies, management of design processes, knowledge-based design support systems, domain-oriented design environments, design rationale, design memories, evolutionary design of complex systems, computer-supported collaborative learning, communities of practice and interest, learner-centered design

Texts:

1) D. A. Norman, "Things That Make Us Smart", Addison-Wesley, 1993
2) T. Winograd, "Bringing Design to Software", Addison-Wesley, 1996
2) Additional course material handed out by the instructor

Guest Lecturers:

The course will be enriched by presentations from professional designers and design methodologists.

1. Interest in: design and learning processes (as they occur in software design, multi-media design, writing, architectural design, urban planning, ...), innovative uses of computational technologies for learning, design, and collaboration
2. Background Knowledge in some of the following areas: human-computer interaction, software design, cognitive science, learning, education, architecture, environmental design, artificial intelligence, graphic arts, ......

critical reading of the research literature, active engagement in the course by doing a project, engagement in personally meaningful problems, and an interest in interdisciplinary problems.

Note:

This course is open to interested undergraduates.