>From Francis: > > I'm currently studying IxD at undergraduate level > with the Open University http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01M364) <snip> > > The OU doesn't offer an entire first degree in IxD > in the way you propose, > but includes my current course > as an optional or required component in > a number of degrees, such as "Computing and Design". >
The Open University offers two courses: - M364 Interaction Design, which is a 3rd level undergraduate course based on the textbook 'Interaction Design' by Sharp, Rogers and Preece - M873 User Interface Design and Evaluation, which is a postgraduate course and from which the textbook 'User Interface Design and Evaluation' was later created. (Declaration of interest: I was an author of the course and the subsequent textbook, but I got a flat fee - if you register, it gives me a warm feeling but no royalties) In fact, there's not a huge gap in level between these two courses. M364 is more theoretical; M873 is more aimed at practitioners, and its objective is to turn you into a 'beginner usability expert' as one of my students so memorably put it. Despite the different titles, I'd say that the subject matter is much the same. M364 can count towards a wide range of undergrad degrees; M873 can count towards some postgrad diplomas and you could add a dissertation to get a masters'. However, you'd be doing a lot of courses that aren't all that relevant to user experience. In the past, Whitney Quesenbery and I have speculated about putting together a 'diy' masters-equivalent programme at the OU by studying a selection of their courses like this: M873 User Interface Design and Evaluation http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01M873 D844 Ethonography http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01D844 M865 Project Management http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01M865 D840 Introduction to research: basic skills and survey methods http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01DT840 and the courses required for the Certificate in Web Applications Development http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?Q01C39 A programme like this would give you a pretty good background but unfortunately wouldn't actually give you a specific qualification (apart from the Certificate). If you did want to try it, sign up soon: it looks like the last presentation of M873 will be in May of this year. Best Caroline Jarrett ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... disc...@ixda.org Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
