Current Topics in HCI (Summer 2026)
Class Information
| Lecture | Tue, 10:30 - 12:00 (Starting Tue, Apr 21) Room 2.73 Im Süsterfeld 9 |
| Lab | Wed, 12:30 - 14:00 (Starting Wed, Apr 22) Room 2.73 Im Süsterfeld 9 |
| Language | English |
| Credits |
6 |
Exams
| 1st Final | 29.07.2026 |
| 2nd Final | 01.09.2026 |
Limited Course Seats
This course is limited to 51 seats. To take part in this course, you need to:- Register for the course in RWTHonline
- Sign the Declaration of Compliance and scan it
- Name the file CTHCI26_DoC_matriculation number_last name.pdf (e.g.: CTHCI26_DoC_123456_schulte.pdf)
- Upload it to this Sciebo folder
Deadline: Tuesday, April 21, 2026, 23:59
Seats in the class will be assigned after the first lecture, so everybody is welcome to attend the first lecture.
This class covers basic research methods and current research trends in Human-Computer Interaction. We use a mix of recent book chapters and papers from conferences and journals of the last few years to give you an idea of how HCI research is conducted, and of the hot topics that are being worked on in the international research community. Examples from past years include interactive textiles, augmented reality, and personal fabrication.
The class explains the differences between empirical, ethnographic, and systems research in HCI, and how to quickly retrieve and evaluate information from existing literature, a skill you will need for your Master's thesis and future research work in HCI.
The first part of the class consists of weekly lectures about HCI research methods. In the second part of this class, the lectures present new topics in HCI research.
Goals
- Understand types of research and methods in HCI
- Practice how to retrieve and evaluate information from the literature ⇒ Prepare for thesis and future (research) work
- Learn about up-to-date developments in Human-Computer Interaction from recent HCI conferences and journal articles
- Meet our PhD students and learn about our research areas, to find a favorite topic and advisor for your thesis
This course has limited seating. You need to register to obtain a seat in this course.
Contact
For any questions about the class, please contact Kristina Hörrmann.
Syllabus
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1) Class Organization & Research Contributions in HCI Part 1
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Tue, Apr. 21
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2) Research Contributions in HCI Part 2 & Contribution Statements
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Tue, Apr. 28
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3) Research Approaches in HCI Part 1
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Tue, May 12
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4) Research Approaches in HCI Part 2 & Experimental Research & Publishing HCI Papers
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Tue, May 19
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5) Writing a Review & Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses Part 1
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Tue, June 2
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6) Quantitative and Qualitative Analyses Part 2
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Tue, June 9
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7) HCI Design Patterns Part 1
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Tue, June 16
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8) HCI Design Patterns Part 2
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Tue, June 23
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Current Topics: Shape Changing Interfaces (Sarah Sahabi)
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Tue, June 30
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Current Topics: tbd
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Tue, June 30
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Current Topics: tbd
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Tue, July 7
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Current Topics: tbd
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Tue, July 14
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Current Topics: tbd
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Tue, July 14
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Project Presentations
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Mandatory attendance!
Tue, July 21
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Project Presentations
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Mandatory attendance!
Wed, July 22
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Final Exams
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Final Exam PT1
Wed, July 29
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Final Exam PT2
Tue, September 1
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Grading
Your grade will be calculated as follows:
| Project | 30% |
| Final Exam | 70% |
You must pass both partial exams to qualify to pass the course
Note: You can only deregister from the course up to three days before the final project presentations
Course Allocation and Registration Guide
Number of SWS: V3+Ü2 (Aachen)
ECTS Credits: 6
Course language: English for all lectures, assignments, and exams
To get a seat in this course, follow the steps in the red box at the beginning of this page.
Fields of Study
- Informatik (M.Sc.)/Angewandte Informatik
- Informatik (GYM+GS,SII)/Hauptstudium/B. Praktische Informatik
- Technik-Kommunikation (M.A.)/2. Hauptfach (Technisches Fach)/Grundlagen der Informatik/isierung Informatik
- TK 2. Fach-Grundlagen der Informatik (M.Sc.)/Wahlpflicht Informatik/Angewandte Informatik
- Media Informatics (M.Sc.)/Multimedia Technologie
- Media Informatics (M.Sc.)/Multimedia Technologie/in Aachen
- Software Systems Engineering (M.Sc.)/Applied Computer Science
- Software Systems Engineering (M.Sc.)/Practical Computer Science
- Software Systems Engineering (M.Sc.)/Areas of Specialization/Media Informatics
All Projects from Summer 2025
Previous Offerings
SS 2025 - SS 2024 - SS 2023 - SS 2022 - SS 2021 - SS 2020 - SS 2019 - SS 2018 - SS 2017 - SS 2016 - SS 2015 - SS 2014 - SS 2013 - SS 2011 - SS 2010 - SS 2009 - SS 2008 - SS 2007 - SS 2006 - WS 2004/2005