BSc Computer Science (Human Computer Interaction) / Course details

Year of entry: 2021

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Course unit details:
Sensory Systems for Human Computer Interaction

Unit code	BIOL22341
Credit rating	10
Unit level	Level 2
Teaching period(s)	Semester 1
Offered by	School of Biological Sciences
Available as a free choice unit?	Yes

Overview

"Sensory Systems" takes an integrated look at how information from the outside world is processes by a nervous system. Focussing on the neuronal cell and circuit level of the senses in primates, it also compares "sense" across species, and expands to examine how senses are integrated and interpreted at a cognitive level.

Pre/co-requisites

Unit title	Unit code	Requirement type	Description
Excitable Cells: the Foundations of Neuroscience	BIOL10832	Pre-Requisite	Compulsory

BIOL10832 is a compulsory pre-requisite of BIOL22341

Aims

To understand:

how external stimuli impact upon central neural pathways to give rise to perception,

the nature and extent of sensory systems from periphery to CNS, with emphasis on the higher mammalian systems, but including appropriate comparative comparisons,

basic elements of the cognitive processes involved in sensory interpretation and reaction.

Category of outcome

Students should:

Knowledge and understanding

Be able to:

- comprehend the ability of nervous systems to access, integrate and interpret sensory information.

Introduction to comparative sensory physiology (1 module)
Chemoreception: gustation and olfaction (2 modules)
Vision: eye, retina and the vision we don’t see (3 modules)
Comparative aspects of colour vision (1 module)
Thalamus – ‘gateway to the cortex’ (1 module)
Primary visual cortex and higher visual cortices (3 modules)
Audition: Transduction and interpretation of sound (2 modules)
Somatosensation: mechanoreceptors, somatosensory pathways and

somatosensory cortex (3 modules)

Plasticity and phantom limbs (2 modules)
Pain: pathways and perception (1 module)
Multisensory Integration: higher aspects of sensory processing (1 module)

Syllabus

Introduction to comparative sensory physiology (1 module)
Chemoreception: gustation and olfaction (2 modules)
Vision: eye, retina and the vision we don’t see (3 modules)
Comparative aspects of colour vision (1 module)
Thalamus – ‘gateway to the cortex’ (1 module)
Primary visual cortex and higher visual cortices (3 modules)
Audition: Transduction and interpretation of sound (2 modules)
Somatosensation: mechanoreceptors, somatosensory pathways and

somatosensory cortex (3 modules)

Plasticity and phantom limbs (2 modules)
Pain: pathways and perception (1 module)
Multisensory Integration: higher aspects of sensory processing (1 module)

Teaching and learning methods

All lecture material will be offered in advance on Blackboard. An appropriate mini-exam will be provided for week 7 and a forum for discussion. "Interesting examples" of non-lecture materials, designed to highlight aspects of the lecture-based material, will be provided.

Assessment methods

Method	Weight
Other	10%
Written exam	90%

Assessment task

Length

How and when feedback is provided

Weighting within unit (if relevant)

1) Online eTests

Weekly e-Tests

2) End of Semester Exam

2 essays (from 6)

30min

2hrs

(Note: 48hrs if online)

After each test has closed

After exam results are released

10%

90%

Feedback methods

Feedback for the online tests is automated and will be provided after each test closes. The blackboard online discussion board will be used for specific questions so that all students and staff can view and comment on these. Alternatively, students can e-mail staff directly and the question will be transferred to the discussion board, anonymously, along with the answer. There will be a feedback session after the exam. The format of this session will be dependent on the current covid-19 situation.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures	22

Independent study hours
Independent study	78

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Nicholas Glossop	Unit coordinator

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