Out of Context: A Course on Computer Systems That Adapt To, and Learn From, Context
MIT's Media Arts and Sciences seminar tackles context-awareness in computing: how systems might sense their environment, weigh which details matter, and infer a user's intent from actions rather than explicit input. Weekly material draws on machine learning, embedded sensors, information visualization, philosophy, and psychology, comparing how each field defines and handles context. Students read and critique about three papers a week, then complete a final project that can be either a written paper or a working computer implementation. The course materials, available through MIT OpenCourseWare, include the syllabus, reading list, and assignment descriptions rather than recorded lectures. It suits learners already comfortable with technical papers and looking for a graduate-level, discussion-driven treatment of what makes hardware and software context-sensitive, rather than a beginner introduction to the topic.