Consider taking this new course during Spring term 1998:

ED-E 591 Applied Cognitive Science

taught by

Wolff-Michael Roth

Lansdowne Chair, Applied Cognitive Science and Science Education

[click here for course schedule]

Course Objectives

Consider these two questions:

  1. Have you ever wondered what makes people so competent in their jobs or hobbies?
  2. How do people learn and become competent?

This course is designed to look into some answers to these questions. We take a look at how people know and learn in a variety of situations and from a variety of perspectives. These perspectives include traditional information processing cognitive science and artificial intelligence, Heideggerian cognitive science and artificial intelligence, anthropology, cognitive anthropology, sociology of scientific knowledge, ethnomethodology, and historical and philosophical approaches to the study of human knowing and learning. The research literature on cognition in everyday contexts includes:

  1. doing scientific research e.g., using PCR as a way to test for DNA (remember O. J. Simpson and David Milgaar?)
  2. piloting Puluwat Island canoes across large bodies of ocean, navy vessels, and commercial airliners
  3. doing mathematics in different jobs in dairy factories
  4. making bets of streetcorner bookies
  5. selling candies in Brazilian street markets
  6. doing math in the supermarket and in schools (teachers and other, "just plain folks")
  7. coordinating activities in airports (operations rooms and towers)
  8. learning physics, biology, and engineering in innovative school science environments [Examples]
  9. playing Tetris, bagging groceries in supermarkets, cooking in commercial kitchens

In addition to descriptions of these activities, we read about some of the principal modeling techniques including production systems and neural networks. And we learn about ways of doing the research to find out more about people's competence in various domains. Some of the activities include the collaborative analysis of real data using the frameworks and techniques from the readings.

Readings

Selected readings from the cognitive science literature from the perspectives indicated above. These will mainly be articles to get the broadest range possible, and allow for students to suggest and contribute readings from their own areas of interests. [Reading List]

Assignments

Students will work on a project to be negotiated with the instructor. Possible projects include (a) a small study and reporting of knowing and learning in an area, (b) review of a body of literature in one domain or on one topic, (c) prepare a proposal for a related masters or Ph.D. research project, and (d) conduct and report on a project of modeling with a production system or neural network. Students will prepare drafts of their work on which they receive feedback as the course develops.

Admission

Graduate students from all departments and faculties are welcome. Please check with Dr. Roth (Tel: (250) 721-7885 or email [mroth@uvic.ca]).