First Course in Human Factors Engineering: What Should be Taught

Industry and academia often have differing desires in the introductory Human Factors education of engineering students. Industry seeks solutions to current problems, whereas academia can communicate state-of-the-art concepts without immediate application. This panel session united members of academia and industry for discussion of what topics and structure should underlie a one-semester, introductory, survey course in Human Factors Engineering. Each panel member expressed his opinion of what should be in such a course, followed by discussion aimed at achieving consensus of opinions.