Introductory Human Factors Engineering Courses: What is Currently Taught

Abstract

Course syllabi were requested from 43 U.S. undergraduate engineering programs to assess the structure and content of introductory Human Factors Engineering courses. Such information is valuable for new faculty and those who want to redesign their courses. Educators in industry also must constantly evaluate their courses to ensure their material is current. Syllabi were received from 27 of the programs. Factors considered were textbooks, credits, ABET credit categories, grading, and TA usage. Course topics were analyzed by frequency of appearance across the courses. The most popular topics were vision and hearing-related, displays, anthropometry, and workspace evaluation and design. Less popular topics, included liability, technical writing, shiftwork, and occupational stress.

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