About the course
Engineering psychology — often called human factors — studies how people interact with physical and virtual systems, and how to design those systems to reach their full potential. Built for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in psychology, engineering, and computer science, the course moves from theory to method to a real, hands-on research project.
Constructs & principles
Foundational human factors concepts through readings, seminar lectures, assignments, and online discussion.
Methodology of HF
Research methods explored in seminar plus hands-on practice with experimental human-subject research.
Group project
Teams apply theory and methods to a real-world domain — from literature review through final paper and presentation.
Learning objectives
- Understand the importance of human factors principles in system design and evaluation.
- Describe human factors constructs and demonstrate their influence in systems, workplaces, and products.
- Design and conduct human-subject experiments focused on human factors questions.
- Analyze both qualitative and quantitative data and interpret results through human factors theory.
- Present research questions, analyses, and findings in a professional and engaging manner.
- Write an academic paper reporting on research design and findings.
Weekly schedule
Mondays are topical seminars; Wednesdays are research methods. Project deliverables are due Sundays at 11:59 PM.
| Week | Monday — Seminar | Wednesday — Methods | Project deadline |
|---|
Grading
| Assessment | Points |
|---|---|
| Weekly quizzes & reading | 20 |
| Two in-class exams (15 each) | 30 |
| Team project | 50 |
| Total | 100 |
| Letter | Range |
|---|---|
| A | 89.5 – 100 |
| B | 79.5 – 89.4 |
| C | 73.5 – 79.4 |
| D | 63.5 – 73.4 |
| F | below 63.5 |
Course policies
Attendance: Students are expected to attend, arrive on time, and participate. Missing more than two classes for illness or emergencies is handled case-by-case.
Late work: Deliverables lose 20% of the total grade for each day they are late.
Accommodations: Follows Georgia Tech policy. Notify the instructor early — within the first two weeks, or at least two weeks before accommodations are needed.
Use of AI / LLMs: Tools like ChatGPT may aid writing and analysis, but students must verify outputs for accuracy and bias, keep a record of their prompts and revisions, and uphold academic integrity. The instructor is the final judge of submitted work.