CourseDefense, Military Engineering & Land Systems Applications open

Course in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems

Online 300 h course in ethics in human-machine hybrid systems. 6 modules covering ISO 9241-210 (human-centred design), ISO 11064 (ergonomic design of control centres) and Unity. Dedicated tutor and open enrolment.

Duration300 h
ModeOnline
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute certificate

Course in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems — studying from Australia

Defence is one of Australia's largest engineering employers, with major programmes in land systems, naval platforms, aircraft and integrated systems managed through the Department of Defence. Land systems engineering supports armoured vehicles, weapons and logistics equipment, often through prime contractors and local industry partners. Industry involvement is strongly encouraged through the Defence industry policy framework. Engineers work on sustainment, capability development, systems integration and safety assurance, typically in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne and regional defence precincts.

Fees for Australia: A$1,180 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.

Relevant bodies in Australia

  • Department of Defence
  • Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG)
  • Australian Defence Force (ADF)
  • Standards Australia

Typical roles

  • Defence Systems Engineer
  • Land Systems Engineer
  • Military Engineering Officer
  • Capability Sustainment Engineer

Questions from Australia

How does defence engineering recognition work in Australia?

Defence engineering in Australia is largely run through the Department of Defence and its industry partners, which set their own security clearance and qualification requirements. Engineers Australia is the professional body for accreditation. SEIUM's private qualifications are not accredited by these bodies, so recognition is for employers or the relevant body to decide.

Which Australian employers hire in defence and land systems?

Australia has defence prime contractors, the Department of Defence, and specialist land systems firms. Many of these roles require Australian security clearances, which depend on citizenship and background checks rather than course completion. Ask employers how they weigh private qualifications against experience and clearance requirements.

Is the course manageable with a job, and does it need a visa?

The programmes are 100% online and taught in English, so you can study from Australia without a student visa. Specialist courses take 300 hours, diplomas 800 and master's 1,900. An assigned technical tutor supports you, fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible.

Virtual lab · try it before you enrol

Take the controls.

Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.

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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Understand the architecture of human-machine hybrid systems.

02

Measure the operator's workload, attention and situation awareness.

03

Identify automation biases and calibrated trust problems.

04

Apply person-centred design principles to critical interfaces.

05

Analyse the distribution of responsibilities between person and system.

06

Evaluate experimentally a hybrid system using ethical criteria.

07

Develop an integrating project on responsible human-machine interaction.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Human factors engineer wishing to specialise in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems.
  • Human-machine interaction designer wishing to specialise in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems.
  • Researcher in applied cognitive psychology wishing to specialise in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems.
  • Specialist in human-centred AI wishing to specialise in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems.
  • Control systems engineer wishing to specialise in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems.
  • Usability evaluator wishing to specialise in Ethics in Human-Machine Hybrid Systems.
  • Graduates in engineering or sciences seeking to enter the aerospace industry.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ISO 9241-210 (human-centred design)
  • ISO 11064 (ergonomic design of control centres)
  • MIL-STD-1472H (human engineering criteria)
  • IEEE 7001-2021 (transparency of autonomous systems)
  • ISO/IEC TR 24028 (trustworthiness of artificial intelligence)
  • ISO 10075 (mental workload)
  • Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act)
Syllabus

6 modules · 300 h

  1. 1.1What a human-machine team is
  2. 1.2Allocation of functions between person and automation
  3. 1.3Levels of automation and their history
  4. 1.4Adaptive automation
  5. 1.5Use cases: piloting, process control and diagnosis
  6. 1.6Expected benefits and unintended effects
  7. 1.7Ironies of automation
  8. 1.8Human factors vocabulary
  9. 1.9Sources and reference literature
  10. 1.10Exercise: describe the allocation of functions of a system
  1. 2.1Information processing model
  2. 2.2Situation awareness and its loss
  3. 2.3Mental workload and its measurement
  4. 2.4Attention, vigilance and fatigue
  5. 2.5Working memory and its limits
  6. 2.6Interruptions and task resumption
  7. 2.7Automation that shifts workload instead of reducing it
  8. 2.8Out of the loop and skill degradation
  9. 2.9Night work and circadian rhythms
  10. 2.10Practice: measuring workload in a task
  1. 3.1Calibrated trust in automation
  2. 3.2Automation bias and complacency
  3. 3.3Distrust and disuse of the tool
  4. 3.4System transparency and its effect on trust
  5. 3.5Useful explanations versus decorative explanations
  6. 3.6Communicating uncertainty
  7. 3.7Decision-making under time pressure
  8. 3.8Distributed decision-making in teams
  9. 3.9Perceived and actual responsibility
  10. 3.10Practice: designing the trust communication of a system
  1. 4.1Principles of person-centred design
  2. 4.2Interface design for critical tasks
  3. 4.3Alarms, alerts and their management
  4. 4.4System modes and mode confusion
  5. 4.5Feedback on what the machine is doing
  6. 4.6Control transfer and transitions
  7. 4.7Designing for automation failure
  8. 4.8Accessibility and user diversity
  9. 4.9Usability evaluation with real users
  10. 4.10Practice: redesigning a problematic interface
  1. 5.1Meaningful human control and its design
  2. 5.2Attribution of responsibility in the mixed team
  3. 5.3Decision traceability and logging
  4. 5.4Professional autonomy versus recommendation
  5. 5.5Worker surveillance and its limits
  6. 5.6Training and maintenance of competences
  7. 5.7Investigation of incidents involving automation
  8. 5.8Performance metrics for the human-machine team
  9. 5.9Applicable human factors standards
  10. 5.10Practice: ethical and human factors assessment
  1. 6.1Choice of system and task
  2. 6.2Task analysis and allocation of functions
  3. 6.3Workload and situation awareness assessment
  4. 6.4Design of interaction and transitions
  5. 6.5Design of human control and traceability
  6. 6.6User evaluation plan
  7. 6.7Training and competence maintenance plan
  8. 6.8Ethical and responsibility analysis
  9. 6.9Project report
  10. 6.10Project defence
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

Training 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine study with work.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Unity, Tobii Pro Lab, NASA-TLX, MATLAB, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Trials are studied using real procedures from workload studies with NASA-TLX, eye tracking on interfaces and experiments on trust in automation. Assessment is continuous per module plus the final integrating project.

Accreditable laboratories(EN ISO/IEC 17025) with a rotor test rig, EMC/Lightning pre-compliance, HIL/SIL, vibration/acoustics.
Evidence-oriented thesis:safety case, test plan, compliance dossier and operational limits.
Industry mentoring:lecturers with experience in training, , eVTOL/UAM and flight test.
Flexible format(hybrid/online), international cohorts and support from SEIUM Career Services.
Ethics and safety:safety-by-design approach, cyber-OT, DIH and compliance as its pillars.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Choice of system and task

Understand the architecture of human-machine hybrid systems.

Task analysis and allocation of functions

Measure the operator's workload, attention and situation awareness.

Workload and situation awareness assessment

Identify automation biases and calibrated trust problems.

Interaction and transition design

Apply person-centred design principles to critical interfaces.

Human control and traceability design

Analyse the distribution of responsibilities between person and system.

Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Human factors engineerHuman-machine interaction designerResearcher in applied cognitive psychologySpecialist in human-centred AIControl systems engineerUsability evaluator
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • No prior degree is required.
  • Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
  • Sufficient level of Spanish to follow the reading of technical regulations.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 300 hours spread over 3 to 5 months. That is between 10 and 15 hours per week on average, compatible with a full-time job.

The programme uses Unity, Tobii Pro Lab, NASA-TLX, MATLAB. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.

A SEIUM own diploma upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. It is in-house training, not an official Ministry title.

Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the advanced programme. Check the recognition policy when you enrol.

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