GRAPHICS AND VISUALIZATION - TECHNIQUES AND TOOLS - A COURSE FOR POSTGRADUATES OF ALL DISCIPLINES

There is a need to train young researchers across a wide spread of dis ciplines in how to make the best use of graphics and visualization. Th is paper describes a course organised by the UK Advisory Group on Comp uter Graphics (AGOCG) in January 1993, aimed at new postgraduate stude nts who were looking to use visualization in the exploration and prese ntation of their data. To cater to a wide range of backgrounds, only g eneral computer literacy was assumed-and no programming skills were as sumed. The course mixed education-through a series of lectures to conv ey fundamental knowledge, pass on useful experience and instill enthus iasm-and training-through a series of practical exercises and ''challe nges'' where the students learned how to use commonly available softwa re to solve real visualization problems. A course video was produced b y the students at the end of the week-long course. The paper describes the content of the course, the challenges set, and raises issues for discussion in planning future such courses.