HFE4041

Issues in human factors and ergonomics

(SCI)

Offered subject to final approval

Professor Tom Triggs and Associate Professor John Hurst

6 points + 3 hours per week + First Semester + Distance + Students must attend 7.5 hours of seminars in a weekend school on campus + Prerequisites: HFE4012

Synopsis: Ergonomic practitioners have an important role assisting humans cope with technological change. This unit will extend previous units in ergonomic principles and human performance and will consider the topic of human error in detail. This unit will cover current ongoing issues in human factors faced by ergonomic practitioners, and will address: mental workload, shiftwork, ageing, balance, manual handling, and cumulative trauma disorders. The unit will also cover attempts to enhance performance or remediate deficits by means of modern technology. The lecture program will be supplemented by a series of student seminars on current issues in ergonomics.

Assessment: Examination (3 hours, short answer): 50% + Essay (2000 words): 20% + Seminar Presentation: 15% + Essay based on seminar presentation (2000 words): 15%