Ph.D. in Informatics / Human-Computer Interaction Track Qualifying Exam Process

Doctor of Philosophy in Informatics / Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Track

The Qualifying Examination

The qualifying examination is aimed at assessing students’readiness to carry out successful, independent research in the HCI discipline.

The qualifying examination must be taken after the student completes their second year in the PhD program, regardless whether the student is full-time or part-time. In other words, part-time students will NOT be given extra time to complete their course work. As such, all course work as defined by the PhD Plan of Study in Year I and II must be completed by this time (end of Spring of second year). It is very important that students work with their advisor to work out a course schedule to make sure they complete all necessary courses in preparation for the written qualifying exam.

Written Examination

1. The purpose of the written examination is to assess the breadth and depth of the student’s knowledge of the HCI discipline.
2. Questions on the written examination will draw both from the content presented in those core HCI courses that the student has completed at the time that he or she sits the qualifying exam and from the research area-specific references identified as part of that student’s individual reading list. The questions will be set by a group of faculty who are familiar with the content of the core courses in consultation with other members of the faculty and the student’s advisor as necessary.
3. Students who do not successfully complete the written exam can retake it only one additional time, and this retake will be offered within one month of the first attempt.
4. The specific format of the written exam may slightly vary in number of questions, length and logistical aspects year by year. The format below reflects the general parameters of a typical format of the written exam.
5. The written exam consists of two parts:
   
   Part A: Breadth Exam (5 hours, to be completed in-class individually but with access to the student’s books, notes, and online resources)
   The purpose of the breadth component of the written exam is to evaluate the student’s broad understanding of HCI theories, methodologies, and the existing research literature. The questions require the student to make connections across material presented in the core HCI courses, and, in most cases, demonstrate the application of this content to their own research area(s). The breadth exam will generally consist of 6 questions, covering multiple areas of the HCI discipline taught in the program; students will be expected to select 3 questions and answer them coherently and comprehensively, citing references as appropriate. Note that actual number of questions available and to select from may vary year by year.
   
   Part B: Depth Exam (take-home exam, to be completed individually within one week)
   The purpose of the depth exam is to evaluate the student’s understanding of how his or her own area of research fits into the larger context of HCI research. The student will be HCI PhD Qualifying Examination v4.0 (October 2018) Page 3 of 7 presented with one (potentially multi-part) individualized question, prompt or problem space that will require a synthesis of ideas found in his or her customized reading list as well as content from the HCI core courses, including both theory and research methods. Some tasks that a student might be asked to complete in this portion of the exam may include performing a design space analysis of a research area based on a comprehensive literature review or developing a detailed and well-grounded research proposal. The individualized depth exam is handed out to the student immediately upon submission of their breadth exam answers.

Oral Examination

1. The purpose of the oral examination is to assess the student’s overall ability to articulate reflective, critical and in-depth responses on the core topics of the discipline, as studied in both required and elective courses. The student will be asked to provide a brief (5 min) oral overview (with no slides) of their Depth exam responses; questions and discussion led by the faculty will follow. The oral exam also provides an opportunity for the student to provide more in-depth answers to the questions asked in either the breadth or depth components of the written exam..
2. Only those students who will successfully pass the written exam will be scheduled for an oral exam.
3. The oral exam will last approximately one hour for each student.

Results and Dates

1. Tentative date for the breadth component of the written exam: The first week in August of the student’s second year in the program. However, since specific dates may change, all students are advised to clear their schedule for the first three weeks of August for the written exam.
2. Due date for the depth component of the written exam: One week after the breadth component of the written exam was taken.
3. Tentative date for the oral exam: If the student passes the written examination, approximately one week after the depth component of the written exam is submitted.
4. Students who do not successfully complete either the written or oral portion of the examination can retake that portion of the exam a second time but only for one part, either written or oral. That is, failure to pass either the written or oral portion of the examination on a re-take will result in dismissal from the program.
5. Any substantiated allegations of academic misconduct while sitting the qualifying examination (e.g., plagiarism or collaboration) will be grounds for immediate dismissal from the program.
6. When a student passes both the written and oral portions of the qualifying examination, he or she advances to candidacy.

For any question on the qualifying examination process, please refer to the chair of the Department of Human-Centered Computing, Dr. Davide Bolchini (dbolchin@iu.edu).