Syllabus
CS 160 is an 8-week intensive class covering the design, implementation, and evaluation of user interfaces. Topics covered include: user-centered design and task analysis; conceptual models and interface metaphors; usability inspection and evaluation methods; analysis of user study data; input methods (keyboard, pointing, touch, tangible) and input models; visual design principles; and interface prototyping and implementation methodologies and tools. Students will develop a user interface for a specific task and target user group in teams.
Table of contents
- Course Components
- Required Materials and Technology
- Attendance and Participation Policy
- Grading
- Deadlines and Extensions
- Course Culture
- Academic Integrity
- Getting Help
- Tips for Success
- Campus Resources
- Acknowledgements
Course Components
A day by day schedule of topics for the whole summer can be found here. A general weekly schedule of lectures, studios, and discussion times can be found here.
Lectures and Studios
We will have lectures/studios on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 11:00am to 12:30pm in Jacobs 310 every week. Studios will be led by the CS 160 Teaching Assistants, and lectures will be taught by the Instructors. Lectures and studios focus on introducing core HCI concepts and implementing them in practice through projects.
For the first five weeks, lecture occurs three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), studio occurs once a week (Mondays during lecture time). For the last three weeks, studio occurs four days a week (Monday-Thursday), with a few lectures interspersed throughout.
Lecture slides will be posted before the beginning of each lecture. Lectures will not be recorded.
Discussion Sections
Each week, we will cover 2 topics (“A” and “B” in the Weekly Schedule) needed to complete current or upcoming assignments. While lectures and studio focus on introducing core HCI concepts, sections reinforce these concepts and help students improve technical skills. We will offer a total of 6 sections every week, allotting 3 sections per topic. You must attend 1 “A” section and 1 “B” section each week. See below for the detailed attendance policy.
Section slide PDFs will be available in the Section subfolder of the student-facing Drive folder at the end of each week.
Readings
Each week, we will post a handful of readings related to the material covered in lecture that week. Weekly quizzes (see below) will assess your understanding of the readings, and you will be expected to incorporate the information in your project designs.
There is no textbook for this class.
Quizzes
Every week for the first 6 weeks, there will be a quiz that is released on bCourses on Monday and due on Friday (11:59PM) – the exception to this is Quiz 1, which is due on Sunday 6/25 at 11:59PM. The quiz will cover content throughout the week, so we encourage you to complete it progressively during the week instead of waiting until the end. It will be a combination of multiple choice and free-form answer questions and will cover lecture material, readings from any prior week, and readings from the current week. You are permitted to draw upon your notes and any materials you find with proper citation, but you must complete quizzes on your own. This means that you are not permitted to work on them with other people or with the assistance of generativce AI tools, including but not limited to ChatGPT.
There is no midterm or final exam.
Projects
Projects allow students to engage in the design cycle and develop technical skills. In the first 5 weeks, there will be 4 projects, the first 2 of which are completed individually, and last 2 of which are completed in pairs.
Final Project
Using design methodologies and technical skills learned during the first five weeks, students will work in groups of 3-4 for the last three weeks to ideate, prototype and implement a final project. Students will choose their own design methodologies and project topic within a theme. During the last three weeks, final project studio will take the place of lecture and studio on Monday-Thursday. Final project studio provides in-class time for teams to work together and receive feedback from course staff.
Midterm Check-in, Final Evaluation, and Peer Assessments
There will be a midterm and final course survey distributed during Week 4 and 8, respectively, to help us understand how the course is going for you and how to improve it in future iterations. Completion of these surveys will allow you to drop your lowest quiz score (see Grade Breakdown).
At the end of each group project (Project 3, Project 4, and the Final Project), you will also be asked to complete a Peer Assessment letting us know how things went from your perspective. This will be a part of your project grade and will be used to adjust individual scores within groups, if necessary.
Required Materials and Technology
Sketching and Prototyping Supplies
There is no required textbook for this class. However, we request that you obtain a small set of design supplies to help you deliver legible sketches, prototypes, and critique. All materials can be purchased at Berkeley craft or school supply stores like Blick Art Materials, the campus store, or The Ink Stone. You might also find them in the school supply section of your local supermarket or drugstore.
These supplies can also easily be found online (examples are linked below, but please feel free to find comparable ones).
If purchasing any of these materials presents financial difficulty, please reach out to us on Slack.
Description | Use | Notes |
---|---|---|
A notebook greater than 5”x8” with plain unlined paper (e.g., YeeATZ, Paperage, or a Kraft sketchbook) | Sketching and design notebook | You could also use, and might prefer, a notebook pages with light, unobtrusive grid patterns / dot grid patterns. As an alternative, you can use printer paper and a folder to keep it organized. |
Fine-point, black Sharpie (a backup or two recommended) | Lo-fi sketching, emphasis on prototypes | As an alternative, you can use any liquid ink black pen that does not easily smudge |
Steel or clear plastic ruler | Drawing straight lines | |
A camera or scanner | For documentation of physical artifacts (e.g. wireframes, low-fidelity sketches) | A phone camera may suffice |
Example set of materials:
Dot Grid Sketchbook, 9.75” x 7.75” | BLICK Art Materials
Sharpie Permanent Markers, Fine Point, Black Ink (4-Pack) | Amazon.com
Stainless Steel Ruler | BLICK Art Materials
Hardware
As you will be developing web apps, it will be in your best interest to have regular access to a computer or laptop and an Internet connection. It will also be beneficial to have access to a touchscreen device, such as a smartphone. If this presents financial difficulty, we encourage you to reach out to the Student Technology Equity Program (STEP) for accommodations.
Software
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Premiere are provided as part of Adobe Creative Cloud. Adobe Creative Cloud is available to Berkeley students via free download here. Adobe Premiere can be used for concept videos, and Illustrator and Photoshop can be used for hi-fi mockups in the final project and final presentation materials.
We will also be using Figma in this course – Figma is free for students and educators, so be sure to sign up using your .edu email address and verify your account’s student status so you will have access to all of its features.
You may also find the following tools/software/resources helpful to your design or development processes. This is a living list, that we will update – if you have any suggestions for your classmates, tools that you are using or that make your life easier – share with the class via Slack and we’ll add them here!
Canva
Google Slides / Microsoft Powerpoint
Sublime Text
CodePen
JSFiddle
Accounts and Platforms
We will use the following platforms for announcements, communication, submissions, and quizzes.
Platform | Purpose | Description |
---|---|---|
Slack | Discussion and Design Archive | This is our primary platform for communication, announcements, and project sharing. Make sure you join the course Slack, and are receiving notifications. You will document your projects on our Slack workspace. This will let us have a shared archive of everyone’s designs that everyone can view. |
bCourses | Project Submissions and Quizzes | You will submit links to your projects and receive grades through bCourses. Note that we will NOT use bCourses for announcements or communication. If you need to reach us, please find us on Slack, not bCourses. |
GitHub | Project Code | You will create and submit your project code repositories through our course GitHub Classroom. This lets us distribute starter code and keeps all the projects in the same place. |
Google Drive | Project Specs, Slides, and Readings | We will post project specs, lecture/discussion slides, and readings here. Most of these materials will also be linked to in the schedule |
Secondary Communication | If for some reason you need to e-mail us, please do so at cs160@berkeley.edu. Individual e-mails are also listed on the staff page. However, please use Slack when possible for the most timely responses. |
Attendance and Participation Policy
CS 160 is a hands-on class that requires collaborative work and discussion. As such, we expect everyone to attend all studios, all lectures, and 2 discussions a week (1 on Topic A, and 1 on Topic B).
You are expected to attend lectures, studios, and discussions in their entirety. You are considered late if you are not physically present in the room by Berkeley time (10 min past the hour). Everything that we say in class may be included in any assessment and may be difficult to obtain through other channels. At a random point during lectures, studios, or discussions, you may be expected to complete an assignment that will be simple to complete for those in attendance. Lectures, studios, and discussions will not be recorded except in special circumstances.
If you must miss a lecture, studio, or discussion due to an unforeseen health-related circumstance or emergency, you should submit an Excused Absence Request before the beginning of class. If your absence is excused, we will do our best to help you make up what you missed.
You may have up to 3 unexcused absences (no questions asked) over the summer without incurring a grade penalty. Note that this includes absences across all lectures, studios, and discussions. For more unexcused absences, your final grade in the class will be impacted as follows:
# Unexcused Absences | Penalty |
---|---|
3 or fewer | none |
4-5 | 1 grade step (e.g. A to A-; A- to B+; B+ to B; etc.) |
6-7 | 2 grade steps (e.g. A to B+; A- to B; B+ to B-; etc.) |
8-9 | 3 grade steps (e.g. A to B; A- to B-; B+ to C+; etc.) |
10 or more | 4 grade steps (e.g. A to B-; A- to C+; B+ to C; etc.) |
We expect you to participate by contributing to activities in lecture, studio, and discussion and/or by being active on the course Slack. Each project will have a small number of points allocated for participation, which will comprise critiquing your peers’ work in a timely and thoughtful manner. At the end of the course, excellent participation will be taken into account for students with borderline final grades.
Grading
Grade Breakdown
Final grades will be determined with the following breakdown:
40% Projects: The 4 projects (each worth 10% of your final grade) will be graded with a detailed rubric. These rubrics will be released with the grades. All submissions should adhere to the guidelines for full credit. Projects 3 and 4 are pair projects and will be submitted with a peer feedback assessment. Barring unusual circumstances that are brought to the attention of the instructors, pairs should expect to receive the same grade on pair projects.
35% Final project: Final projects take place during the last three weeks of class in assigned groups of 4-6. For grading, we will take into account several aspects of the final project process: teamwork and participation, observation/need-finding, evaluation, implementation, and deliverables (e.g., presentation, poster, article). A peer feedback assessment form will be submitted with the final project that will help us determine if any individual grade adjustments must be made.
25% Quizzes: There will be 6 weekly quizzes, the lowest grade of which will be dropped as long as you complete a midterm and final course survey. The average of your quiz scores will make up 25% of your final grade (so if you complete the midterm and final surveys, each quiz will be worth 5% of your total grade). There is no midterm or final exam.
The grading bins will follow the following bins:
Grade | Range |
---|---|
A | [93, 100] |
A- | [90, 93) |
B+ | [87, 90) |
B | [83, 87) |
B- | [80, 83) |
C+ | [77, 80) |
C | [73, 77) |
C- | [70, 73) |
D+ | [67, 70) |
D | [63, 67) |
D- | [60, 63) |
F | [0, 60) |
If the class grade distribution ends up being too low relative to EECS grading guidelines, we may curve grades upwards. We will not curve grades down. We will take high participation into account for borderline cases!
Regrade Requests
If you want a quiz or project regraded, you submit a Regrade Request, no sooner than two days but within two weeks after receiving the grade. Staff will regrade the entire assignment; this means that your grade may potentially drop.
Deadlines and Extensions
Deadlines are 11:59PM on the day listed in the course schedule. However, project deadlines are “squishy”: if you need an extension, file an Extension Request by the official deadline. For individual projects (Projects 1 and 2), we will automatically approve extension requests of up to 24 hours (or 48 hours with documented DSP accommodations). For group projects (Projects 3 and 4), we will automatically approve extension requests of up to 48 hours; only 1 person in the group needs to submit a request. Extensions longer than these will be considered on a case-by-case basis. There will be no extensions on final project deliverables. If you do not file an Extension Request by the deadline, you (and/or your team) will receive a 25% penalty per undocumented late day on that project. Quiz deadlines (11:59PM on Fridays except Quiz 1, which is due on Sunday) are “hard”: you may submit an Extension Request if you have an extenuating circumstance, but consideration will be on a case-by-case basis; start your quizzes early (see quizzes)!
Course Culture
Respect
(taken from CS 161 Summer 2023 Syllabus) As a member of the CS 160 community, realize that you have an important duty to help other students and staff feel respected in helping create an inclusive learning environment. It is our expectation that all interactions with course staff and other students will demonstrate appropriate respect, consideration, and compassion for others. Please remember to be friendly and thoughtful; our community draws from a wide spectrum of valuable experiences. For further reading, please reference the Berkeley Principles of Community and Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct. For exceptionally rude or disrespectful behavior toward the course staff or other students, your final grade will be lowered by up to a full letter grade (e.g., from an A- to a B-) at the discretion of the course instructors. You don’t need to be concerned about this policy if you treat other human beings with even a bare minimum of respect and consideration and do not engage in behavior that is actively harmful to others.
Group Work
When you work in pairs and groups, each group is responsible for making sure that all members are participating. After each project, you will be asked to describe the effort put in by each member of the group, both on specific tasks and as a fraction of the group’s effort. Make sure you discuss this regularly, to make sure your group is in agreement about the work breakdown.
If a group member is not participating, the entire group must meet with the teaching staff. Effective group work, which entails some amount of conflict resolution, is a key skill for success after this class. We would like you to work through conflicts if at all possible, and we will devote some class time to this topic.
Laptops and Hand-Held Devices
Laptops and hand-held devices are permitted for note-taking, documentation, and brainstorming during most lectures, studios, and sections. However, during live critiques, you are expected to close laptops and put away hand-held devices so that you may give your peers your full attention. Failure to do repeatedly may result in a loss of attendance credit.
Etiquette for Dropping the Course
The majority of the work in this course is conducted in pairs and groups. Dropping the course in the middle of a project will have negative consequences for your peers. If you drop the course, do so only after seeing through your current project. Please commit to the course by the time you are assigned to your final project group.
Climate and Incident Reporting
We aim to create a class where students work respectfully with each other and feel they are treated equitably by our course staff. However, we acknowledge that may not always be the case.
If you ever think that you (or another student) are being marginalized, excluded, or being treated disrespectfully, please fill out this EECS Student Climate & Incident Reporting Form. You are also more than welcome to reach out directly to Katherine, Hridhay, or Ace.
Please note that as UC employees, all course instructors and tutors are “Responsible Employees” and are therefore required to report incidents of sexual violence, sexual harassment, or other conduct prohibited by University policy to the Title IX officer. Instructors and tutors cannot keep reports of sexual harassment or sexual violence confidential, but the Title IX officer will consider requests for confidentiality. Note that there are confidential resources available to you through UCB’s PATH to Care Center, which serves survivors of sexual violence and sexual harassment; call their 24/7 Care Line at 510-643-2005.
Academic Integrity
Design is difficult and requires a lot of time and energy. Do not discount the work that designers, both in our class and beyond, put into what they make. Please show the respect that you would like others to give your work. While collaboration, references, and resources are encouraged, passing off someone else’s work as your own will not be tolerated. If you use someone else’s work in any way (e.g., an icon library), you must include credit to them somewhere on your submitted file. Similarly, some assignments involve team collaboration. In these circumstances, your TA will be actively viewing your team’s file(s) and will be able to identify if you try to claim others’ work as your own.
Any quiz, design, or report submitted by you and that bears your name is presumed to be your own original work that has not previously been submitted for credit in another course unless you obtain prior written approval to do so from the instructors. You may use words, images, or ideas authored by other individuals in publications, websites, or other sources, but only with proper attribution. If you are not clear about the expectations for completing a project or taking a quiz, be sure to ask the instructors. You should also keep in mind that as a member of the campus community you are expected to demonstrate integrity in all of your academic work and be evaluated on your own merits. This means that the use of ChatGPT or other generative AI tools to complete project write-ups and quizzes will not be tolerated. The consequences of cheating and academic misconduct — including a formal discipline record and possible loss of future opportunities — are not worth the risk.
If you are feeling overwhelmed or highly stressed by the course requirements, please reach out to the instructors. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated, and will get negative (not zero) points on the assignment. Please familiarize yourself with the UC Berkeley Student Code of Conduct. We expect all students and teaching staff to conduct themselves according to the UC Berkeley Honor Code.
Getting Help
Slack
We use Slack for online discussions and peer critiques. You can use it to ask questions about course concepts, assignments, and logistics. You should post publicly when possible (if you have a question about something, it’s very likely that other students have the same question). You may also privately message any of the course staff via Slack as needed. If you privately ask a question that the course staff thinks might be relevant to the rest of the class, we may ask that you repost it in a public channel.
You are encouraged to respond to each others’ questions and comments! Please be respectful and help each other. Active Slack participation will be taken into account for borderline grades at the end of the summer.
Posts and messages sent on Slack after 9pm will likely not get a course staff response until the next day. Course staff may not be available Saturdays or Sundays.
Office Hours
Office hours are posted on the staff page. If you cannot make anyone’s posted office hours and need help, please reach out to us on Slack, and we will do our best to accommodate you. You may book office hours with Instructors for matters related to course logistics, group conflicts, conceptual discussions, readings, and personal concerns. For technical help or project-specific logistics, we recommend making an appointment with or going to a TA’s office hours.
Accommodations
UC Berkeley is committed to creating a learning environment that meets the needs of its diverse student body including students with disabilities. If you anticipate or experience any barriers to learning in this course, please feel welcome to discuss your concerns with the instructors.
If you have a disability, or think you may have a disability, you can work with the Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) to request an official accommodation. The Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) is the campus office responsible for authorizing disability-related academic accommodations, in cooperation with the students themselves and their instructors. You can find more information about DSP, including contact information and the application process, here.
Tips for Success
The best way to succeed in this course is to be genuinely excited about design and the field of Human-Computer Interaction! The goal is to learn techniques for user-centered interface design and development for you to create useful, effective, and interesting work. Here are a couple tips to help you get the most out of this course:
- Remember that everyone moves at a different pace. Not everyone wants to use the skills learned in this class for the same things; determine your personal goals and interests, and approach our material through your unique lens.
- Pick up shortcuts as you go and share them. It’s more or less impossible for us to share every single possible trick with all the tools, but we will have a running library of tips for you to view and add to on Slack.
- Give and receive critique. Though there will be classes dedicated to this topic, we encourage you to engage in crit outside of class as well. Critique is not meant to be disheartening or intimidating! It can and should be a source of fresh perspectives and inspiration.
- Attend and keep up with demos and hands-on experience provided during lectures and labs. Working on an actual project file is the best and most efficient way to familiarize yourself with the technical tools and build your mechanical skill set.
- Browse and share resources from outside of class. For example, you can browse Figma Community, a built-in part of Figma where creators share their works to the public. Spend some time looking at what’s possible and learning how Figma can be used in creative ways.
- Please reach out to us (Slack is best)! We understand students may be struggling to keep up with schoolwork when they have other, more pressing, worries. We want you to succeed and pursue your own ideas beyond this course, and we’re here to help.
Campus Resources
This comprehensive list has been taken from Sarah Chasins and the CS164 fall 2022 syllabus
Basic Needs Center
The Basic Needs Center (lower level of MLK Student Union, Suite 72) provides support with all the essential resources needed to not only survive, but thrive here at UC Berkeley. Their mission is to support you and work together towards justice and belonging for all. They define Basic Needs as the essential resources that impact your health, belonging, persistence, and overall well being. It is an ecosystem that includes: nutritious food, stable housing, hygiene, transportation, healthcare, mental wellness, financial sustainability, sleep, and emergency dependent services. They refuse to accept hunger, homelessness, and all other basic needs injustices as part of our university.
Berkeley International Office (BIO)
The mission of the Berkeley International Office (2299 Piedmont Avenue, 510-642-2818) is to provide support with all the essential resources needed to not only survive, but thrive here at UC Berkeley. Their mission is to support you and work together towards justice and belonging for all. They define Basic Needs as the essential resources that impact your health, belonging, persistence, and overall well being. It is an ecosystem that includes: nutritious food, stable housing, hygiene, transportation, healthcare, mental wellness, financial sustainability, sleep, and emergency dependent services. They refuse to accept hunger, homelessness, and all other basic needs injustices as part of our university.
Center for Access to Engineering Excellence (CAEE)
The Center for Access to Engineering Excellence (Bechtel Engineering Center 227) is an inclusive center that offers study spaces, nutritious snacks, and tutoring in >50 courses for Berkeley engineers and other majors across campus. The Center also offers a wide range of professional development, leadership, and wellness programs, and loans iclickers, laptops, and professional attire for interviews.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
The staff of the UHS Counseling and Psychological Services (Tang Center, 2222 Bancroft Way; 510-642-9494; for after-hours support, please call the 24/7 line at 855-817-5667) provides confidential, brief counseling and crisis intervention to students with personal, academic and career stress. Services are provided by a multicultural group of professional counselors including psychologists, social workers, and advanced level trainees. All undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for CAPS services, regardless of insurance coverage.
To improve access for engineering students, a licensed psychologist from the Tang Center also holds walk-in appointments for confidential counseling in Bechtel Engineering Center 241 (check here for schedule).
Disabled Students’ Program (DSP)
The Disabled Students’ Program (260 César Chávez Student Center #4250; 510-642-0518) serves students with disabilities of all kinds, including mobility impairments, blind or low vision, deaf or hard of hearing; chronic illnesses (chronic pain, repetitive strain injuries, brain injuries, AIDS/HIV, cancer, etc.) psychological disabilities (bipolar disorder, severe anxiety or depression, etc.), Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Learning Disabilities. Services are individually designed and based on the specific needs of each student as identified by DSP’s Specialists. The Program’s official website includes information on DSP staff, UCB’s disabilities policy, application procedures, campus access guides for most university buildings, and portals for students and faculty.
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP)
The Educational Opportunity Program (119 César Chávez Student Center; 510-642-7224) at Cal has provided first generation and low income college students with the guidance and resources necessary to succeed at the best public university in the world. EOP’s individualized academic counseling, support services, and extensive campus referral network help students develop the unique gifts and talents they each bring to the university while empowering them to achieve.
Gender Equity Resource Center (GenEq)
The Gender Equity Resource Center is a UC Berkeley campus community center committed to fostering an inclusive Cal experience for all. GenEq is the campus location where students, faculty, staff and Alumni connect for resources, services, education and leadership programs related to gender and sexuality. The programs and services of the Gender Equity Resource Center are focused into four key areas: women; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT); sexual and dating violence; and hate crimes and bias driven incidents. GenEq strives to provide a space for respectful dialogue about sexuality and gender; illuminate the interrelationship of sexism, homophobia and gender bias and violence; create a campus free of violence and hate; provide leadership opportunities; advocate on behalf of survivors of sexual, hate, dating and gender violence; foster a community of women and LGBT leaders; and be a portal to campus and community resources on LGBT, Women, and the many intersections of identity (e.g., race, class, ability, etc.).
Multicultural Education Program (MEP)
The Multicultural Education Program is one of six initiatives funded by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund to work towards institutional change and to create a positive campus climate for diversity. The MEP is a five-year initiative to establish a sustainable infrastructure for activities like educational consultation and diversity workshops for the campus that address both specific topics, and to cater to group needs across the campus.
Ombuds Office for Students
The Ombuds Office for Students (Sproul Hall 102; 510-642-5754) provides a confidential service for students involved in a University-related problem (academic or administrative), acting as a neutral complaint resolver and not as an advocate for any of the parties involved in a dispute. The Ombudsperson can provide information on policies and procedures affecting students, facilitate students’ contact with services able to assist in resolving the problem, and assist students in complaints concerning improper application of University policies or procedures. All matters referred to this office are held in strict confidence. The only exceptions, at the sole discretion of the Ombudsperson, are cases where there appears to be imminent threat of serious harm.
PATH to Care Center
The PATH to Care Center (510-642-1998) offers Confidential Care Advocates providing affirming, empowering, and confidential support for survivors and those who have experienced gendered violence, including sexual harassment, dating and intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sexual exploitation. Advocates bring a non-judgmental, caring approach to exploring all options, rights, and resources.
Care Line
The Care Line (510-643-2005) is a 24/7, confidential, free, campus-based resource for urgent support around sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, stalking, and invasion of sexual privacy. The Care Line will connect you with a confidential advocate for trauma-informed crisis support including time-sensitive information, securing urgent safety resources, and accompaniment to medical care or reporting.
Social Services Counseling
Social Services Counseling at UHS provides confidential services and counseling to help students with managing problems that can emerge from illness such as financial, academic, legal, family concerns, and more. They specialize in helping students with pregnancy resources and referrals; alcohol/drug problems related to one’s own or a family member’s use; sexual assault/rape; relationship or other violence; and support for health concerns-new diagnoses or ongoing conditions. Social Services staff will assess a student’s immediate needs, work with the student to develop a plan to meet those needs, and facilitate arrangements with academic departments and advocate for the student with other campus offices and community agencies, as well as coordinate services within UHS.
Student Learning Center (SLC)
As the primary academic support service for undergraduates at UC Berkeley, the Student Learning Center (510-642-7332) assists students in transitioning to Cal, navigating the academic terrain, creating networks of resources, and achieving academic, personal, and professional goals. Through various services including tutoring, study groups, workshops, and courses, SLC supports undergraduate students in Biological and Physical Sciences, Business Administration, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, Social Sciences, Statistics, Study Strategies, and Writing.
Student Technology Equity Program (STEP)
The Student Technology Equity Program connects laptops, Wi-Fi hotspots, and other required technology to students in need.
UC Berkeley Basic Needs Food Pantry
The UC Berkeley Basic Needs Food Pantry (#68 Martin Luther King Student Union) aims to reduce food insecurity among students and staff at UC Berkeley, especially the lack of nutritious food. Students and staff can visit the pantry as many times as they need and take as much as they need while being mindful that it is a shared resource. The pantry operates on a self-assessed need basis; there are no eligibility requirements. The pantry is not for students and staff who need supplemental snacking food, but rather, core food support.
Undocumented Students Program (USP)
The Undocumented Students Program (119 Cesar Chavez Center; 642-7224) practices a holistic, multicultural and solution-focused approach that delivers individualized service for each student. The academic counseling, legal support, financial aid resources and extensive campus referral network provided by USP helps students develop the unique gifts and talents they each bring to the university, while empowering a sense of belonging. The program’s mission is to support the advancement of undocumented students within higher education and promote pathways for engaged scholarship.
Acknowledgements
The syllabus, lecture slides, web content, and assignments of this course are only the most recent iterations of a long history of HCI classes. This iteration of the course, at the very least, draws from prior course materials by Shm Almeda, Nate Weinmann, Janaki Vivrekar, Sarah Sterman, Andrew Head, Amy Pavel, Cesar Torres, Björn Hartmann, Eric Paulos, Valkyrie Savage, Maneesh Agrawala, Scott Klemmer, John Canny, and James Landay.