Course content

This course provides a comprehensive understanding of human factors and their critical role in the safe operation and design of remotely operated and autonomous operations. It emphasizes the importance of human-centered design in addressing the challenges of automation and remote operation in various industries, such as maritime, oil&gas, and energy. Participants will explore the theoretical foundations of human factors, ergonomic principles, and best practices for designing user-centered interfaces for autonomous operations.

The course covers key topics such as:

• Principles of human factors and ergonomics in a safety-critical context
• Human-centered design for safety and usability
• Design standards for safety-critical operations
• Addressing design-related errors and minimizing risks in highly automated systems
• Integration of human factors into the design of safety-critical workstations, such as ship bridges or remote operation centers
• Prototyping and evaluating user interfaces for autonomous operations
• Understanding and designing for workload, situational awareness, and user needs.

Through interactive seminars and project-based exercises, participants will gain hands-on experience in applying these concepts to real-world maritime scenarios.

Learning outcome

Upon completing the course, participants will be able to:

Knowledge:

• Understand the principles of human factors and their application in maritime design.
• Recognize the role of human-centered design in ensuring safe and effective autonomous ship operations.

Skills:

• Apply ergonomic and human factors principles to assess safety and usability in safety-critical environments.
• Develop and evaluate prototypes for user interfaces and control systems in autonomous and remote operations.
• Use analytical tools to identify and mitigate risks in safety-critical operations.

General competence:

• Critically analyze design choices for their impact on human operators in autonomous systems.
• Communicate design insights and safety recommendations effectively within interdisciplinary teams.
• Advocate for human-centered approaches in the development and deployment of technologies in safety-critical domains

Learning methods and activities

Seminar-based, combining lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises.

• Seminars: Lectures and guided discussions on key topics in human factors and human-centered design.
• Group Exercises: Hands-on activities such as prototyping, role-playing, and risk analysis.
• Project Work: Participants apply course concepts to develop and test design solutions for maritime operations.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Participants are recommended to have a basic understanding of maritime operations and safety and familiarity with design or engineering principles.

Required previous knowledge

The admission requirement is twofold:

1. Completed degree of 180 credits
2. Minimum of two years of relevant work experience

You must document employment with a certificate from your employer describing the type of job and work tasks, full-time equivalent percentage and duration.

If you do not have a bachelor's degree or equivalent completed education of at least 180 credits, you can request an assessment of prior learning of your admission criteria.

Course materials

• Selected readings on human factors, ergonomics, and safety in autonomous systems.
• Relevant standards and guidelines for ergonomic design in maritime operations.

A detailed list of course literature will be available at the start of the course.