CS 489 Senior Seminar Fall 2007
Announcements:
Online practice GRE - take it, grade it, email me your scores!
(This course description is closely based on Dr. Botting's web site for the same course. Most sections are direct quotes)
Useful links:
Department seminars: http://csci.csusb.edu/dick/seminar/
Library: http://www.lib.csusb.edu/
Catalog Description
A series of weekly seminars covering a wide range of computer science topics and formats including presentations from industry and university personnel, and students regarding projects and research work. Graded credit/no credit. Prerequisite completion of all required 300-level computer science courses for the B.S. in Computer Science degree. (2 units).
Objectives: At the end of this class you should be more practiced in carrying out research, presenting it, and writing reports on it. You will also have had a chance to practice your skills on the GRE.
Why should I do this class?
All computer professionals have to spend part of their time
1. Researching a new topic
2. Presenting it to colleagues and management
3. Writing reports
Your career success will depend on the skills you develop in the above areas -- especially as you are promoted, pursue a graduate degree, or create your own company.
Class Meetings: We meet every Wednesday at 12.
Work Load: If you are good at digging out data, reading, writing, and presenting this class should be easy and fun. If not you will have to work harder. For example: written work must be in good English and your work must not contain other people's stuff without explicit acknowledgment.
Reading: There is no required text but I strongly suggest you study [] before you do you next job interview.
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Requirements:
You are required to use library or (approved- check with me first) Internet resources to research a topic that interests you and make a presentation on it.
Participate in Presentations and Lectures
Be prompt or lose points! Be polite... or lose points
Make a Presentation
10 minutes+5minutes for questions. You need to cover: Who I am. What I wanted to know. What I read (a properly formatted citation). What I learned. Was it worth it?
The presentation should have some kind of audio-visual aids. For example: writing on the chalk board or something using the electronic equipment in the classroom.
Citation: A citation enables your audience to find the paper that you are talking or writing about. It lists
1. Authors' Names
2. Title
3. Journal/magazine name+volume+number+(month year)+pages
4. URL (if any)
The audience and the teacher will independently and anonymously give your presentation a score from 0 to 9. A high scoring presentation will when a valuable prize.
Practicing and improving short written assignments.: You must summarize your presentation into written form and send it to me electronically. The accepted assignments will be published on the WWW as part of this web site.
No Plagiarism: Notice that if you use any graphics, text, or formulae from another source you must say where it came from.
Grading: A satisfactory grade in this class is CR rather than a letter grade. Series of criteria that you need to meet to earn credit:
1. Participate in 80% of the classes(arrive on time, take part, stay until the end) note2
2. Make one acceptable presentation to the class
3. Submit one acceptable written report/review (note1)
4. Take the mock GRE exam -- pass or fail OK.
5. Turn up for the final
(note1): If your written report is not accepted you will have to improve it and try again.
(note2): You can make up a missing class by participating in a department seminar.
Make up work and extra credit
Attending department seminars and graduate student presentations can be used to make up for deficiencies or for extra credit.
Examinations
There will be a mock GRE examination which will not contribute to the final grade. Doing it earns 100% credit! I will give a prize to the person who gets the most answers right.
You should also turn up for the final examination to earn credit and to get your prize (if any):
1. The audience award for the best presentation.
2. The highest scoring mock GRE score.
3. The best report.
4. ...
Assigned work
Each student must prepare a written review of papers that he or she has read to a standard acceptable to the teacher. You may have to this again if you don't earn credit for the review. Note that you write the review/report after making a presentation. The presentation should have audio-visual aids but the written review does not.
Format of Review
You must submit it as plain text as an attachment to email. Be sure that:
CS489 Review
appears in the subject line.
Review must include:
Authors' Names
Title
Journal/magazine name+volume+number+(month year)+pages
URL (if any)
What type of resource is it: pick one or two words from this list:
Advert, anecdote, article, polemic, essay, theory, experience, experiment, poll, survey of literature, demonstration, ...
Some keywords describing the content.
A set of bullet points describing the content.
The bullet points should describe (1) the most important ideas and (2) your opinions about the paper/article/book. Try to write no more than 250 words!
Support
(1) Come an see me in my office: JBH337. My office hours are Monday and Tuesday 1-3, or whenever my office door is open (or by appointment).
(2)Ask a reference librarian!
(3)Ask any any CSci faculty.