Personal Computers and Their Uses

Resources:

Handouts during the semester

Conference proceedings & Journal articles

Class Web Page: http://www.esu.edu/~mjochen/Teaching/CPSC570/f08/

Course Overview:

This course will introduce you to the research process (as applied within the computer science discipline) and equip you with the requisite skills to conduct high-quality research, suitable for publication in competitive, peer-reviewed venues. These goals will be accomplished by reading, presenting, and critiquing recently published scholarly work in the field of computer science. The culminating activity in this class will be the preparation and presentation of a research proposal that could serve as the basis for your research topic and plan towards the M.S. or Ph.D. degree.

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. Conduct a thorough literature review/search, to define the current state of the art within a given sub-discipline of computer science.

2. Critically review a presented/published body of work.

3. Thoughtfully compose a well written problem statement – one that could serve as the basis for a thesis statement.

4. Present research findings in a manner that would be accepted by an audience of peer reviewers.

Requirements:

The following work will be required of you throughout the semester:

Read and review current scholarly work (weekly)
Present scholarly work and a critical review of that work (weekly)
Preparation and presentation of a complete research proposal/plan, to include:

Literature review to determine the current state of the art.
Identification of current open problems within the discipline based on the results of the literature review.
Formulation of a well defined problem statement, chosen from the list of open problems.
Formulation of a clear research plan to solve the defined problem.

An exam based on the work presented during the semester

Important Dates:

Keep in mind that these dates are approximations, the actual dates will be announced in class.

Event	Approximate Date
Presentation/Critique of Assigned Papers	Ongoing - Weekly
Turn in Bibliography for Literature Search	September 10
Turn in Revised Paper & Background Section	September 29
Turn in Revised Paper & Open Issues	October 15
Turn in Revised Paper & Research Plan	November 3
Turn in Completed Paper & Slides	November 24
Research Proposal Presentations	December 1, 3
Final Exam	Finals Week

Grading:

The make-up of the total number of points for your final grade breaks down as follows:

5% Class Participation

10% Paper/review presentations (separate handout for grade breakdown)

70% Research Proposal (separate handout for grade breakdown and due dates)

15% Final Exam

Grading Policy:

Rather than grading on a competitive, curve-based grading scheme, I use a criterion-based grade scale. Thus, if every student works sufficiently hard, and earns a letter grade of “A”, then all students will receive “A”s. A grade is the application of some arbitrary scale to reflect the amount and quality of work you, the student, accomplish during the semester. To that end, I do not assign your grade, you earn your grade.

Keep in mind, I view letter grades in the following light:

A – Excellent

B – Good

C – Fair

D – Poor

E – Failure

This means, to receive an “A”, you must perform excellent work. Excellent work is that work which is marked with distinction, going above and beyond that of merely meeting the requirements for an assignment. Your final grades will be decided based on the following scale:

A 90.0-100%

B 80.0-89.9%

C 70.0-79.9%

D 60.0-69.9%

E 0-59.9%

Assignment Lateness Policy:

Since this is a graduate level course, I expect all work to be completed on time. If you are absent or unable to present your work on the date scheduled, you hurt not only yourself, but the entire class. Late work will not be accepted.

Class Attendance/Participation Policy:

Class attendance is required. I also expect you to participate constructively in each class. When you fail to come to class, not only do you miss out on the material for the day, but you disadvantage your fellow students as your unique perspective is absent from class discussion. Absence or inability to present any paper review/presentation will result in a score of zero for that assignment.

If you know you must miss a class, please speak with me well ahead of time so that we can try to make a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Academic Honesty Policy:

All work submitted is to be completed individually (unless indicated as a group assignment), and is to be the sole product of your own efforts. Group work (if any) is to be the sole product of members of the group. Any perception of anything to the contrary or that violates the spirit of the Student Code of Conduct will be handled accordingly. This policy is very specific on what constitutes Academic Misconduct and provides a range of very unpleasant possible outcomes, should a violation be suspected. I encourage you to become familiar with this policy. Please refer to the relevant sections of the Student Code of Conduct for more information.

Special Needs:

If you need special accommodations or require additional assistance to fully participate and be successful in this class, I encourage you to contact me as soon as possible. I strongly desire each and every one of my students to be able to achieve their goals in this class. I will work with you and the Office of Disability Services to ensure that you have every opportunity to do well.

Ten Tips for Success:

1. Come to class & arrive on time

2. Actively participate in class discussion & activities

3. Do the assigned reading

4. Do the assigned homework

5. Review your notes/assignments/readings daily

6. Ask questions when you are unsure of something

7. Ask questions when you would like to know more about something

8. Accept points of view that differ from your own

9. Respect the other members of your class

10. Come see me as soon as you have difficulty with any of the material we cover in class