Cognitive Systems Engineering

Lectures:
27 h

Recommended for
Recommended for: Graduate and doctoral students

The course was last given:
Fall 1998 (HMI 602)

Goals
To provide a unified presentation of the concepts and methods of Cognitive Systems Engineering (CSE). CSE is a technical discipline that offers a coherent view on the analysis, design and evaluation of complex human-machine systems, which goes beyond human factors, human-machine interaction and HCI

Prerequisites
Graduate status as HMI student.

Organization
Guided discussions based on reading of prepared material.

Contents
The course presents the main concepts, data, and methods of Cognitive Systems Engineering. The concepts are the basic hypotheses and assumptions about the domain of human work. The data define the empirical basis for CSE, and thereby provide the justification for the concepts. The methods, finally, refer to the consistent and systematic ways in which the concepts and the data of CSE can be applied. The application can have a practical or utilitarian purpose such as in design, i.e., the specification and implementation of a specific (joint) cognitive system. It can also have a more scientific purpose, such as improving the understanding of the set of

causes that have led to a specific consequence, or understanding the way in which various aspects or conditions interact, for instance in the development of automation. Focus on the use of CSE for interface design and evaluation, development of tools and support systems, risk and reliability analysis, and accident investigation.

Literature
Selected papers + draft of forthcoming textbook on CSE.

Teachers
Erik Hollnagel

Examiner
Erik Hollnagel

Schedule
September - December 1999

Examination
Attendance + term paper analysing and specifying decision support for a chosen application.

Credit
5 credits.

Page responsible: Director of Graduate Studies