Multidisciplinary Projects for Human Factors Courses

Abstract

Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work are at the core of human factors research, both in academia and in industry. Working and communicating with those in other disciplines, from computer science to the humanities, is a necessary skill for graduates of human factors programs. Traditional introductory human factors courses include an applied component, usually an individual or group project, that gives students experience with the many tools they will need in the future, from task analysis to making conclusions based on participant data. Here we describe experiences in extending that coursework to include multidisciplinary interactions in applied contexts. Recommendations include using similar methods to broaden human factors education and including experiences with those in different roles and backgrounds than human factors.