Topic outline

  • Online exam

    The exam will take place on December 11 (Friday) 13.00 - 16.00 (Helsinki time). It will be done in MyCourses and Zoom. Instructions are sent separately per email on Dec 9. Note that you must be able to login to Zoom using the Aalto account (guest accounts are not permissible in the exam). You should also have a form of identification (Aalto Student ID card or an official photo ID) at hand. Keep video on during the time you attend the exam. 

    Open book exam

    This is an open book exam. You can keep your chosen materials available and use the Internet. You are not allowed to exchange information with other people during the exam.

    Grading

    Maximum number of points is 50. The minimum required for passing the course is 25. Grading emphasizes conceptual understanding over mathematical precision. Please note that equivocated answers -- i.e., fishing points by generating answers that are blatantly false or might in real life have damaging consequences -- will be penalized by deducing points.

    Contents and learning objectives

    Primary material: 1) Lecture slides and 2) first tasks of each assignment sheet. These are sufficient for a passing-to-good grade. Pay attention to topics marked as "Learning Objectives". Secondary materials: To aim for the highest grade, we advise reading papers marked as optional in Materials as well as papers flagged in the assignments. 

    Format and task types

    The exam will consist of 10 tasks, each task worth of max. 5 points. The following task types may be used to test general understanding:

    • Definition: E.g., define a concept in text or by a diagram.
    • Explanation: E.g., explain a concept, model, or theory briefly in text or by a diagram.
    • Assessment of a theory or model: E.g,. analyze pros and cons of a given theory, model, or concept.
    • Short essay: E.g., provide an account of some phenomenon in interaction from a perspective coming from the course materials. 

    The following task types may be used to test the ability to apply knowledge to practical problems. In these problems:

    • Analysis: E.g., given a design, analyze its different aspects from the perspective of a concept, model, or theory.
    • Comparison: E.g., given two designs, analyze their pros and cons from the perspective of a concept, model, or theory.
    • Numerical problem: E.g., given a design, identify the value of some property or outcome using a model.
    • Re-design: E.g., given a design, propose a simple improvement by reference to a concept, theory, or model.
    • Assessment of a design: E.g., given a design, analyze its pros and cons using appropriate models, concepts, or theories provided in the course. Assessment can be verbal or numerical.
    Examples of exam tasks from previous years are given in Materials > Rehearsal.pdf