CTIN 575 • Health and Interactive Entertainment Research Lab
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“Interdisciplinary success is based upon exploration and curiosity in the service of solving a problem or answering a question, which may or may not yield the kind of tangible result we expect from [disciplinary] research.”1
Fall 2023 Theme: “Self-love II: Building Resilience Through Oral Histories”
(Read Dear Student Letter in GDrive for theme details.)
Emerging transdisciplinary research methods for conducting formative or summative evaluation of interactive entertainment-based interventions.
Prerequisite
Permission of instructor. Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and doctoral students. Taken as Credit/No Credit.
Course Overview
Students will participate in lectures and labs that focus on one or more emerging research methods that are translatable to a new problem space. Students will be introduced to the methods and how these were developed and used in previous cases and will then be asked to apply these methods to a new set of challenges. These challenges may be proposed by the students and could be aligned with their current projects or be set by the priority areas and partnerships of the lab. The types of deliverables expected are instruments, datasets, reports, and prototypes that are both qualitative and quantitative. Students will be working together as a group in the lab or in the field as needed. Students will also acquire standard skills in ethics and the challenges of dealing with sensitive topics and vulnerable populations.
Course Objective
The purpose of this course is to disseminate emerging transdisciplinary research methods for conducting a formative or summative evaluation of interactive entertainment-based interventions. The goal is to introduce the need and development of these methods via lectures, teach the students the basic skills and instruments to apply them, and then challenge them to use them on one or more new problem spaces during the semester.
Course Requirements
(subject to change):
Unit Registration: Register for 2 units if you only wish to participate in the labs and 4 units if you wish to apply the methods to a current project that can benefit from this method.
Lectures – In-person and/or remote participation allowed. Schedules may need to be modified to take advantage of emerging resources (experts, field trips). You can also participate asynchronously if you are only registering for 2 units and observe the recorded lectures with discussions, read assigned materials, and submit your weekly report.
Readings & Resources – Some foundational readings will be provided, as well as access to survey instruments and other USC tools for data collection and analysis.
Ethics – Students will be required to obtain the CITI training on doing research and complete iStar training if they will be doing any formal data collection.
Labs – Students must apply the methods to a new problem space and document and deliver their data, process, and notes in the end. If multiple application areas are being explored, scheduling will be adjusted to accommodate what is best for the project, its data collection needs, and the various stakeholders. Feasibility will be prioritized. This is meant to be a course with flexible participation so long as the students are completing their interdependent goals.
Project completion/Schedule – Students are expected to compose a ~ ½ page research diary of completed activities by email to everyone during the lab periods or by the end of the week. The instructor will provide additional requirements if necessary.
Final – see schedule in GDrive.
Course Materials – All required books, films, and readings for the course are available for free via the USC Library and ARES Course Reserves.
Grading Criteria: The course will be graded Credit/No Credit, and students will need to do B-level work or better to get a grade of Credit. Students will be asked to grade their teammates in a private survey (40%), to self-evaluate (20%), and to submit their weekly reports (20%). The final report is worth 20%.
Detailed Plan & Schedule In GDrive.
FINAL
Students registered for 2 units will need to wrap up any group documentation loose ends and submit a final reflection on how this could be applied speculatively to their work and how this project scale and be applied to their field of interest as an exhibit, game, research study, etc. (1000 words max). Students registered for 4 units will apply this method or adapt this method as needed to their own projects and submit a final presentation as outlined above with a deadline negotiated with the instructor by the end of the grading period. For either report, students can also deliver it as a final in the form of a video, scientific poster, or another submission that is useful for their field of study or any format where they could get a submission credit useful in their careers.
Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems
Academic Integrity
The University of Southern California is a learning community committed to developing successful scholars and researchers dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and the dissemination of ideas. Academic misconduct, which includes any act of dishonesty in the production or submission of academic work, comprises the integrity of the person who commits the act and can impugn the perceived integrity of the entire university community. It stands in opposition to the university’s mission to research, educate, and contribute productively to our community and the world.
All students are expected to submit assignments that represent their own original work and that have been prepared specifically for the course or section for which they have been submitted. You may not submit work written by others or “recycle” work prepared for other courses without obtaining written permission from the instructor(s).
Other violations of academic integrity include but are not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabrication (e.g., falsifying data), collusion, knowingly assisting others in acts of academic dishonesty, and any act that gains or is intended to gain an unfair academic advantage.
The impact of academic dishonesty is far-reaching and is considered a serious offense against the university. All incidences of academic misconduct will be reported to the Office of Academic Integrity and could result in outcomes such as failure on the assignment, failure in the course, suspension, or even expulsion from the university.
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Recording a university class without the express permission of the instructor and announcement to the class, or unless conducted pursuant to an Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) accommodation. Recording can inhibit free discussion in the future, and thus infringe on the academic freedom of other students as well as the instructor. (Living our Unifying Values: The USC Student Handbook, page 13).
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