Course Syllabus

Revised 8/30/2004

Course Number and Title: EDIT797 Performance Based Design

3 Credit Hours – Fall 2004
www.pcd-innovations.com/EDIT797-Fall2004

Instructor: Gary J. Dickelman

Telephone: (703) 622-9747 e-mail: [email protected]
Office: TBD Office Hours: SR - SS (FOTR hours)

Textbooks
Required:

Dickelman, Gary (2003), EPSS revisited: a lifecycle for developing performance centered systems. Silver
Spring, MD: International Society for Performance Improvement; ISBN 1890289-15-9 (available in the
bookstore for purchase shortly).

Not required, but recommended:

Excerpts that are assigned during the class will be made available to students at no cost:

Cooper, Alan (1999) The inmates are running the asylum: why high tech products drive us crazy and how
to restore the sanity. Indianapolis,IN:SAMS (ISBN: 0672316498 )

Gery, Gloria (1991), Electronic performance support systems: How and why to remake the workplace
through strategic application of technology. Tolland,MA: Gery Associates; ISBN: 0964622300.

Norman, Donald A. (1988) The design of everyday things. New York,NY:Doubleday ISBN: 0385267746
(Paperback re-issue March 1990)

_______________ (1993), Things that make us smart: defending human attributes in the age of the
machine. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company

_______________ (1998), The invisible computer: why good products can fail, the personal computer is so
complex and information appliances are the solution. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press

Rossett, Allison (1999), First things fast: a handbook for performance analysis. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer; ISBN: 0787944386

Course Description: EDIT797 is a practical introduction to the business imperative and development
lifecycle for creating, implementing, and evaluating performance-centered systems. The course
distinguishes the characteristics and development methods of performance-centered systems from those of
machine, data, human, and user-centered system. The course provides complete expositions and protocol
for analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of performance-centered systems within
a dynamic, innovative and exciting real-world framework.

Objectives: Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Articulate the business imperative for performance-centered design.

2. Define performance-centered systems and distinguish them from machine, data, human, and user-
centered system;
3. Articulate attributes and behaviors of performance-centered systems;
4. Analyze business performance gaps and determine how they can be filled with performance centered
system techniques;
5. Design, develop, and implement performance-centered systems and system components using PCD
protocol;
6. Conduct performance-centered system evaluations;
7. Use a commercial software package to create performance-centered system components.
 EDIT797 - Performance Based Design – Fall 2004

Learning Modes: Lecture, demonstrations, interactive discussions, on-line collaboration, asynchronous

reviews, and cooperative learning.

Course Format: This course will be conducted as a graduate-level seminar and laboratory course.
Participation in all learning events is expected; practical performance-centered system development work is
mandatory to successfully achieve the course objectives. Participants will construct a knowledge base of
readings, course notes, PCD protocol, and sample modules.

Evaluation: Course grades will be based on the following:

Interaction evaluation: 50 points

PCD Projects: 300 points
Research paper: 150 points
TOTAL 500 points

How the Objectives will be evaluated:

The general means by which the objectives are evaluated are as follows:
1. Define, delineate, and describe the concepts stated in the objective through your class interactions
(assignments and participation);
2. Elaborate on the concepts of the objectives in the research paper through application, discussion,
and/or evaluation of PCD; and
3. Demonstrate your ability to apply the concepts of the objectives in your PCD project to a
measurable performance outcome in some business or organizational context.

1. Articulate and actively Throughout the course you must demonstrate that you approach
apply the business performance problems from the perspective of their business imperatives.
imperative for Besides merely stating the business imperative, it must be reflected in all
performance-centered aspects of the PCD lifecycle, starting with analysis. The business focus of
design: each course component - your interactions (aka participation and
assignments), research paper, and PCD project - are the means of
evaluating mastery of this objective.
2. Define performance- Mastery of this objective is demonstrated through analysis and design
centered systems and activities throughout the course. How you approach a performance problem
distinguish them from and bridge performance gaps with proposed solutions demonstrate your
machine-, data-, human-, understanding of the distinctions between the various types of systems
and user-centered system; listed in the objective. There are numerous opportunities - and requirements
- to demonstrate mastery of this objective in each course component.
3. Articulate attributes and You must be able to list the primary attributes and behaviors of
behaviors of performance centered systems and apply those that are appropriate to
performance-centered specific problems. Mastery is demonstrated via a minimalist approach to
systems and determine PCD ("just enough" attributes and behaviors to measurably fill the
which are appropriate for performance gaps).
specific real-world
business problems;
4. Analyze business Mastery of analysis techniques must be reflected in each of the three
performance gaps and primary components of PCD: Business Process, Human Diversity, and
determine how they can Information. Business gaps must be analyzed for all three components.
be filled with
performance centered
system techniques;

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©2004 Gary J. Dickelman
 EDIT797 - Performance Based Design – Fall 2004
5. Design, develop, and The opportunities for actual implementation of a performance centered
implement performance- system or component is likely not possible during the course, so you must
centered systems using at least address implementation via description and discussion in course
PCD protocol; interactions, the research paper, and implementation planning in your PCD
project. On the other hand, design and development - according to the PCD
lifecycle - must be clearly demonstrated in all three components of the
course.
6. Conduct performance- Mastery of this objective is demonstrated via reviews of existing systems
centered system (e.g., by visiting web sites and/or conducting contextual interviews) and
evaluations; reporting on them in your assignments. Evaluation can form the basis for
your research paper and/or PCD project if you so choose. At the very least,
you will conduct a real PCD evaluation as part of your PCD project.
7. Use a commercially There are a variety of PCD tools commercially available for evaluation
available software purposes. You will be made aware of them and will be required to use one
package to create or more in your assignments and PCD project. Mastery is based on proper
performance-centered application of the tool to meet the performance need and satisfy design
system components. criteria.

Grading Criteria:

A: 450 – 500
B: 400 – 449
C: 300 - 399

Evaluation Criteria:

Evaluation is criterion-referenced. Must demonstrate mastery of PCD process, which means having the
ability to develop a compelling business case and produce real-world systems, job aids, and components.
Must demonstrate the ability to design and create systems and components that support business or
organizational performance through human performance by exhibiting the following characteristics at a
minimum:

• supports performers through best business practices;

• establishes or aids in establishing goals;
• represents and facilitates the proper flow of work;
• minimizes cognitive burden (e.g., translation);
• provides access to supporting resources;
• manages knowledge; and
• stretches the PCD paradigm.

Interaction evaluation refers to the instructor’s evaluation of the quality of a student’s interactions during
the semester, including on-line discussions, graded assignments, or other items designated specifically for
evaluation.

Guidelines for Research Paper: The research paper will be a reasonably scholarly work, consisting of
1500 – 4000 words, referencing the works of at least three (3) leaders from fields and practices that
comprise PCD, prepared according to the standards of the Graduate School of Education. The paper must
address a relevant PCD issue in any or all categories business performance, cognitive science, and
technology infrastructure. Note: Although not formally part of the course evaluation criteria, those
individuals whose papers make a sound contribution to the PCD literature will be given the opportunity to
have their papers published.

Here are some topics for you to consider for the research paper (but please do not restrict yourself to just
these!):

• Performance-centered design for systems that support customer service representatives (i.e., call
center professionals who must retrieve on-line reference material relevant to the business domain
and the customer's question while on the telephone talking with customers)
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©2004 Gary J. Dickelman
 EDIT797 - Performance Based Design – Fall 2004
• Performance-centered systems design techniques for any specific vertical industry
• Supporting user workflow in transaction-based, data-centric systems
• Techniques for creating on-line representations of business tasks
• The proper use of metaphor in performance-centered systems
• The role of affordance in performance-centered design
• Designing performance-centered usability evaluations
• The role of knowledge management in PCD (...and/or vice-versa)
• Performance-centered design considerations for browser-based applications (e.g., how do they
differ from conventional GUI development)
• Performance-centered design for highly dynamic work environments
• Techniques for providing alternate views of data, information, and knowledge in performance-
centered systems
• Performance-centered design issues for information appliances
• Designing passive constraints in performance-centered systems
• Employing reusable knowledge objects in performance-centered design
• Designing for human diversity in PCD
• Organizational barriers to developing and implementing performance-centered systems
• Techniques for determining the appropriateness of PCD for business and human performance gaps
in organizations
• Reachability of hypermedia (data, knowledge, information, reference) content in performance-
centered systems
• The use of visual displays in performance-centered systems
• The roles of media types in PCD
• Quantitative and qualitative returns on investment for PCD

Authors to consider for resources:

Alan Cooper
Donald Norman
Roger Shank
Duane Degler
Gary Dickelman
Lisa Battle
Jakob Nielsen
Brenda Laurel
Gloria Gery
Jonathan Grudin
Larry Constantine
Lucy Lockwood
Geoffrey Moore
Tom Landauer
John Casti
Edward Tufte
Allison Rossett
Barry Raybould
Stanley Malcolm
Marc Rosenberg
Ashok Banerji
Ara Shirinian
Erik Dickelman
Duncan J. Watts
Peter G. W. Keen
Kathleen Sindell
Len Weinreich

...and, of course, check out the Books sections of www.epsscentral.info.

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©2004 Gary J. Dickelman
 EDIT797 - Performance Based Design – Fall 2004
Guidelines for PCD Project: By engaging PCD principles to create critical performance-centered system
components in a course projects, the student must demonstrate abilities in key phases of the performance-
centered systems development lifecycle (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation).
Students may work in groups and submit projects as a group. Group projects must have prior approval. The
main criterion for group projects is that each group member's contribution is well-defined.

Format for Project Proposal

A. Project Name
B. Project Objective
What do you intend to show, prove, or develop? Which elements of the PCD process are the focus of the
project? What is the purpose, who is the customer, and what is critical to success?
C. Project Deliverable
Is the result going to be a working system? - a prototype? - a design specification? - an evaluation? Be
specific.
D. Project Team
Are you going to work alone or in a group? If the latter, who are the members and what roles will each
person play?
E. Business Problem and Business Needs
State the business problem or organizational problem around which your project focuses. This should be a
real problem that has measurable performance gaps - in business/organization and human terms. State
specifically how you expect the PCD activities to contribute to filling the performance gaps.
F. Project Plan Outline
Delineate how your project will proceed from its onset to its conclusion. How will you measure progress
(i.e., what are the interim deliverables and what are the review and approval processes)? When will you
engage each element or subelement of the PCD process? How? If yours is a team project, what are the roles
and responsibilities of each team member with respect to the project tasks and outcomes?
G. Presentation Proposal
How will you present your results? Who will do what (if a team)? What would be the suggested evaluation
criteria to fairly assess your expertise?

Student Evaluation of the Course

Toward the end of the course, Brenda Mueller will distribute an evaluation for the course. It will be
proctored by a student.

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©2004 Gary J. Dickelman