Computer Science

This course provides a study on file structures and database management. It examines logical database design, from the relational model to the basic physical level in order to understand and recognize the need for secondary storage media in various use cases. The course also covers the following topics: static and dynamic properties of the relational model; base structures; auxiliary structures; database management systems; storage paradigms.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. The course content is divided into three distinct parts. The first part of the course discusses the evolution of the discipline from Human Computer Interaction to User Experience Design, focusing on the human, the computer, and their interaction. The second part of the course is on usability analysis and design, topics include a systematic discussion of the techniques and standards for the management of the process of user experience design, with particular attention to the phases of usability analysis (with and without the participation of users), and the user- and goal-oriented usability design methodologies. The third part of the course examines the guidelines, patterns, and methods for usability design. During this section the course discusses, with historical aspects, the framework on which the concrete aspects of usability design is based, and strong attention is given to the problem of usability for web applications and mobile apps.

This course explores the mechanisms, implications, and ethics of an environment where artificial intelligence plays an increasingly important role. Students consider the science behind the headlines to help students develop an informed opinion regarding the complexities of the use of AI in society. Students also examine the conceptual frameworks behind AI methodologies and the sources of the data on which they operate. This course provides an introduction to computational thinking on what sort of problems AI can realistically be expected to help with. Students analyze a series of case studies highlighting the use of AI in work and society.

This course in information science involves an individual course of study and is usually carried out under the supervision of an academic advisor. Students conduct and assist in research done in the Human-Computer Interaction Lab in the Information Science department. The course focuses on researching eye trackers and designing user studies using the eye trackers and collaborating with other lab projects.

The International Internship course develops vital business skills employers are actively seeking in job candidates. This course is comprised of two parts: an internship, and a hybrid academic seminar. Students are placed in an internship within a sector related to their professional ambitions. The hybrid academic seminar, conducted both online and in-person, analyzes and evaluates the workplace culture and the daily working environment students experience. The course is divided into eight career readiness competency modules as set out by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which guide the course’s learning objectives. During the academic seminar, students reflect weekly on their internship experience within the context of their host culture by comparing and contrasting their experiences with their global internship placement with that of their home culture. Students reflect on their experiences in their internship, the role they have played in the evolution of their experience in their internship placement, and the experiences of their peers in their internship placements. Students develop a greater awareness of their strengths relative to the career readiness competencies, the subtleties and complexities of integrating into a cross-cultural work environment, and how to build and maintain a career search portfolio.