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Here in Computer Science we are intending to create a new Human Computer Interaction (HCI) / User Experience (UX) undergraduate programme. This requirement came about because we are increasingly asked by business and industry to provide high quality technical people who understand the user too. We will be training outstanding (A-levels at AAB – STEM) applicants in Computer Science and Software Engineering, but also in HCI / UX by selecting units from Neuroscience, Psychology, and Social Science. In this way we widen student choice, train students in an exciting cross-disciplinary area, and support the needs of industry.

The addition of this new course fits both with the Schools and the Universities 2020 vision. Specifically, it addresses our (5.1) objective of improving the syllabus by improving coherency and ensuring relevancy to industry. The course addresses a known need for which there are defined career paths and associated real world applications. More widely this addition supports the Universities 2020 Strategies for Higher Learning, allowing undergraduate students to develop cross-disciplinary skills and directly applies the ‘Purposes of a Manchester Education (Manchester Matrix)’ so that students develop advanced critical thinking and higher order conceptual reasoning and analytical skills (core HCI Teaching); mastery of a discipline (core HCI Teaching); broad intellectual and cultural interests (cross-disciplinary course nature); a sound preparation for professional and vocational work in a particular area (in consultation with our Industry Club); an informed basis upon which to develop personal values and make ethical judgements (key to HCI). They will also develop key employability skills central to their future success.

Further, this new programme supports professional and statutory body requirements in HCI (currently under-developed) as detailed in the ACM Computer Science Curriculum – and endorsed by the BCS and IET. Indeed, new developments within the HCI subject area are becoming increasingly important for application development, with the blurring of boundaries between desktop and mobile computers and personal devices an increased HCI focus is needed. This need also has the benefit of utilising new areas of staff expertise and eventually may lead to increased research funding from RCUK.

This is how the First year is shaping up: