2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Engineering Undergraduate major in Industrial Engineering and Economics
Human Factors and Ergonomics
- Academic unit or major
- Undergraduate major in Industrial Engineering and Economics
- Instructor(s)
- Xiuzhu Gu
- Class Format
- Lecture/Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-8 Thu
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- IEE.C304
- Number of credits
- 220
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 1-2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course focuses on a discipline called Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E), especially on topics related to human behaviour and cognitive processes, such as sensation, perception, and cognition. Through lectures, experiments, and examples, students will attain foundational knowledge and basic skills on approaches to designing and evaluating human-machine interfaces and work environments. The content covered in this course is divided into four categories: (1) overview of Human Factors and Ergonomics; (2) basics of human cognition and behaviour; (3) common methods in ergonomics research; and (4) approaches and guidelines to the design of human-machine interfaces and work environments. Students will gain knowledge and skills about some of the methodologies and typical thinking processes involved in the design of human interfaces and management contexts.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Obtain an overview of the human characteristics relevant to work and behavior.
2. Explain the typical methods and thinking processes used in Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E).
Keywords
Human-machine interaction, anthropometry, long-term memory, short-term memory, cognition, workload, fatigue, human error, usability
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
At the beginning of each class, the knowledge and basic skills related to the topics covered are taught. Towards the end of class, students are given experimental tasks or exercises related to the lecture given that day. This course is held over two academic quarters. The class meets once a week.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) | Define ergonomics, explain its history, and provide an overview of its concepts. |
| Class 2 | Methods of Human Factors and Ergonomics (problem solving, methodologies, data collection); eye tracking experiment | Explain the problem solving and data collection methodologies used in the field. |
| Class 3 | Human musculoskeletal system and motion; anthropometry exercise | Explain the human musculoskeletal system at a high level. |
| Class 4 | Human sensory system and perception; visual system experiment | Explain the human sensory system and perception at a high level. |
| Class 5 | Human information processing, cognition and memory; Hick-Hyman's law exercise | Explain the human information processing, cognition, and memory systems, at a high level. |
| Class 6 | Workload, fatigue | Explain the concepts of workload and fatigue and their evaluation. |
| Class 7 | Task description techniques | Explain the outline of task analysis, data acquisition techniques, and description techniques. |
| Class 8 | Task evaluation techniques | Explain evaluation techniques of task analysis. |
| Class 9 | Safety (1): Human error; incident analysis exercise | Define human error and describe its relationship to accidents. |
| Class 10 | Safety (2): Risk management and HRA; THERP exercise | Explain the concept of risk management and the procedures of HRA. |
| Class 11 | Human-machine interface | Explain the concept of a human-machine interface. |
| Class 12 | Usability engineering (1): Definition and measurement; usability goal-setting exercise | Explain the concept of usability and related topics. |
| Class 13 | Usability engineering (2): Usability heuristics | Explain heuristics used in usability design. |
| Class 14 | Usability engineering (3): Usability test | Explain the the procedures of a typical usability test. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend a certain length of time outside of class on preparation and review (including for assignments), for each class.
Students should do so by referring to textbooks and other course materials.
Textbook(s)
None required.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Itoh, Kenji. Ergonomics in highly advanced and matured society (Kou-do Seijuku Shakai no Ningen-Kougaku), Tokyo: Nikka-Giren, (Japanese)
Instruction manuals and course materials are provided during class.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Reports are assessed.
Related courses
- IEE.C302 ： Quality Management
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are necessary, but enrollment in related courses is recommended.