Introduction to Reseach on Mobile Devices
Study plans 2016-2017 - IMT4093 - 5 ECTS

On the basis of

A knowledge of mobile development (eg. IMT3662 and IMT3672). Students with no background in mobile development are advised to enrol in IMT3662 during the first half of the fall semester.

Expected learning outcomes

After successfully completing the program, students possess the following:

Knowledge

understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the mobile technologies
in-depth understanding of development restrictions related to mobile platforms
insight and understanding of the current state of the art research in mobile platforms
an appreciation for future developments in mobile hardware
understanding of different methodologies for research on mobile technologies and mobile usability

Skills

ability to analyze existing interactions with mobile devices
ability to identify strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in the context of mobile technologies
ability to analyze the role of mobility and constant connection for society
ability to critically review literature and case studies on mobile research topics
ability to use insights to solve new problems in the mobile space

General competence

ability to analyze ethical issues related to the use of mobile devices
ability to present and discuss the results of research work, to computer scientists and subject matter experts, and to general public
ability to communicate (in a written form) academic issues, analyses, and conclusions
ability to contribute to innovative thinking and innovation processes

Topic(s)

The topics will include but are not limited to:

mobile technologies: limitations and opportunities
usability of mobile platforms
data logging and user activity metrics (life logging)
efficiency and battery life
recent topics in mobile research
interaction between mobile and cloud technologies
image and video processing on mobile devices
ethical considerations for mobile technologies (e.g. in the context of sensing and data recording)
Legal frameworks for mobile applications: EU, US and Norway
Releasing and updating mobile apps

Teaching Methods

Lectures
Group works
Project work

Teaching Methods (additional text)

This course will focus on recent publications in research on mobile technologies. Each week will have articles about a particular topic. Each student will present and lead the discussion of one or more articles during the course. The learning outcomes from this process will be both understanding research on mobile devices, and the process of reading and analyzing published research articles.

Form(s) of Assessment

Oral exam, individually
Evaluation of Project(s)

Form(s) of Assessment (additional text)

Oral exam, worth: 60% of the final mark
Project, worth: 40%
Both parts must be passed individually

Grading Scale

Alphabetical Scale, A(best) – F (fail)

External/internal examiner

Internal and/or external examiners for the oral exam.
Internal examiner for the project work.

Re-sit examination

Re-sit examination for the oral exam in August. Projects can be resubmitted in agreement with course responsible.

Examination support

None

Coursework Requirements

None

Teaching Materials

This course will use recently published articles which the students are expected to read before each session.