HCI education at the ICT&S Human-Computer Interaction as a cornerstone between technology and society

overall overview of the topic and practical experience. They work in small multidisciplinary , multicultural teams on practical assignments and case studies. The students have an unlimited access to modern laboratory equipment and relevant software applications. The professional development component of the USI program provides students with the necessary skills and attitudes expected from professionals. They receive training in, for example, presentation and discussion skills, working together in a multi-cultural context, technical writing and editing, project management , and time management. This part of the curriculum has personalized components and adapts to individual needs. In the design case, students have to cover a complete transition from user requirements analysis, to design, prototype and concept evaluation. They work in teams of four to five people for a period of six weeks. Each design case has a project owner. This implies that each design case follows the regular pattern of a project, with milestones, progress reporting, and presentation of results. Several of these design cases have been or will be presented at professional organisations (CHI, MobileHCI, ACE, BCS-HCI). The industrial apprenticeships are carried out at companies and research institutions. This is a nine-month period in which the students work independently on an assignment. These projects are supervised by professionals from the companies and the university. They have to fit the pattern of a formal project including the milestones, the progress reporting, and the presentation of results to different stakeholders. The USI students receive a grant from the Dutch government equivalent to a limited-term salaried position, including tuition waiver and employee benefits. About 20 positions are available each year. Companies pay the university a flat fee for the projects that are carried out by the USI students. research interests are in human factors, human perception and behavior, user interface design for easy access and interaction, and methodologies for subjective evaluation of consumer systems and applications. She has been working in numerous EU-IST projects as a scientist and project manager. She is managing director of the postgraduate master's program in User-System Interaction at the Eindhoven University of Technology. She holds a PhD in Technology in the Netherlands. Having worked on a wide range of topics in the field of human-computer interaction, his current research interests concern Awareness Systems, Privacy in Ambient Intelligence, and Usability Testing with Children. Patricia Vinken joined the User System Interaction program in 2001. In her position as coordinator she is …