BCU Department of Computer Science

Professor Dennis Clayton

Mary McLeod Bethune picture locket.

CS 499 Course Outline

Prerequisites

You must be a senior with:

• passing grades in EN 131, EN 132 and EN 250, and
• passing grades in CS 230, CS 231, CS 333, and CS 330, and
• passing grades in CIS 331 and CIS 332 if you are a CIS major, or
• passing grades in CS 332 or CS 340 if you are a CS major.

Course description in the most recent BCU Catalog

Prerequisite: CS or CIS senior standing, EN 131, EN 132 and EN 250. Each student will design and conduct a research project and write a senior project research paper on a topic of interest chosen by the student with faculty assistance and supervision. Students must also pass the CS/CIS Senior Comprehensive Exam.

Textbook(s) and required materials

There is no required textbook. Use your EN 250 Technical Writing textbook for help with basic grammar and exposition.

You must join the ACM within the first week of class and you must choose a package that includes the Digital Library. The cost is $42 for a one year subscription or $62 if you include the CACM. This is a lot cheaper than most of your textbooks. You can join online at campus.acm.org.

Your ACM Student Membership...

• Will help you with your research, papers, discussions, thesis, and schoolwork.
• Can help you choose your career direction, succeed in school, and find the job of your dreams.
• Puts you in touch with a vast network of over 80,000 IT professionals and students.
• Will help keep you up-to-date with the latest news and information in the field.
  [copied from the ACM web site, 8/20/07]

Main course goal

This is the capstone course in the CS and CIS curricula where students demonstrate that they are prepared to enter a computing oriented career or to pursue advanced studies in computer science or computer or management information science.

Impact

Impact on BCU Mission and Institutional Student Learning Outcomes (ISLOs) - Through the attainment of the course student learning objectives (CSLOs), students will acquire knowledge, skills and competencies outlined in the Institutional Student Learning Outcomes, School Student Learning Outcomes (SSLOs) and Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) . The Course Student Learning Objectives fully support the University Mission and Core Values as stated in the Strategic Plan; as well as, the School Goals.

Program Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) addressed in Course Learning Objectives.

PSLO 1.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Algorithms
PSLO 2.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Application programs
PSLO 3.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Computer programming
PSLO 4.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Hardware and devices
PSLO 5.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Human-computer interface
PSLO 6.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Information systems
PSLO 7.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Information management (Database)
PSLO 8.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of IT resource planning
PSLO 9.  Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Intelligent systems
PSLO 10. Students will demonstrate Knowledge of Networking and communications

Course competencies/outcomes

You, the student, will...

• Demonstrate a breadth of knowledge by passing the CS/CIS Senior Comprehensive Exam. This is a pass/fail exam written and graded by the CS/CIS faculty. Questions are from midterms and final exams from the CS and CIS courses you have taken in the past three years. (PSLO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)
• Demonstrate that you understand basic CS/CIS principles well enough to use them to successfully complete a realistic, computing oriented project, write a technical paper describing the project, and give a professional-level presentation of your work in a public seminar. Specifically, you will
  • Demonstrate a working knowledge of CS or CIS principles by designing, managing, and completing a senior project.
  • Demonstrate an ability to write a technical paper in a prescribed format, appropriate for publication, describing your project.
  • Demonstrate oral communication skills by preparing and giving a professional level technical presentation of your work in a public forum.(PSLO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)

Objectives

1. Pass the CS/CIS Senior Exam. Minimum passing score is 51%.
2. Project
   1. Select or design a project within the first week of class.
   2. Negotiate with a faculty member to supervise and mentor your project. This must be completed within the first two weeks of class. Your advisor must sign all of your reports.
   3. Write a project management plan and get it approved by your faculty mentor/advisor. The plan is due within the first two weeks of class. The plan must include a Gantt chart showing timelines, milestones, and deliverables. You will be graded on your ability to manage your project and follow your project management plan.
   4. Write and submit weekly progress reports. These are due at the beginning of class each Thursday.
3. Senior Paper: The senior paper or thesis is a technical description of your project. It is written at the level of a CS/CIS graduating senior. It must follow the departmental standards for thesis work (these will be discussed in class and posted in the handouts). It must be written at a level suitable for publication because it might be published. The best theses each year are submitted for publication in the yearly BCU student research proceedings. You will be graded on the quality of your written work.
4. Senior Presentation: This usually includes a PowerPoint presentation and a project demonstration, if appropriate. You will be graded on the quality of your presentation. Details of the assessment criteria will be passed out late.

Matix

Student Learning Outcomes Matrix (SLOM)
Alignment of Course Assessments with SSEM Goals, Program Student Learning Outcomes, Course Learning Objectives, Institutional Student Learning Outcomes and University Strategic Goals

General Requirements

You must attend every class. Attendance is mandatory!

You must join the ACM within the first two weeks of class.

You must hand in a weekly report each Thursday at the beginning of class.

You must be prepared to participate in a technical discussion of your project at any time during any class.

Written reports must be typed and written at a college level. Remember, EN 131, EN 132, EN 250, and passing grades on the English sections of CLAST are prerequisites for this course.

Ask for departmental permission before modifying equipment or loading software. We are usually quite flexible, but make sure you have permission anyway.

Do not expect to receive departmental funds for equipment or software. None is available. You must work with the available equipment and software or purchase what you need with your own funds.

Cell phone usage will not be tolerated in class. Turn it off before class.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Methods of Instruction

Each class period will begin with a discussion of your progress since the last class. You should be prepared to spend at least ten minutes each class period discussing your project and your progress. You should prepare yourself to participate in the discussion of each project, not just your own project. These discussions will be wide ranging, covering everything from how to find a project, project management, research techniques, technical topics, technical writing, bibliographic preparation, and so on. Anything is fair game.

Topical outline with activities/assignments

Topics

• Finding a project
• Developing a project description
• Project management (MS Project)
• How to do the research for your project
• How to find technical information online (what do you do after Google?)
• How to use the ACM Digital Library
• How to avoid plagiarism
• How to set the tone for a technical paper
• Appropriate formats for technical papers and following one
• How to write a bibliography
• How to create a PowerPoint presentation
• How to make a professional presentation

Assignments will be given in class.

Technology

This section is required for the BCU standard course outline. It is obviously unnecessary for a CS/CIS course. Everything in this course is about applying your knowledge of computer technology.

Assessment/Evaluation/Grading scale

• Senior Comprehensive Exam (pass/fail): This is a pass/fail exam. You cannot receive a passing grade in the class if you fail this test. If you fail this exam, you should drop the class. Otherwise, how well you do will not affect your final grade in the class. The exam is usually given the week before or the week after midterms. We will vote on a date in class.
• Written reports and preparation (50% of your final grade):
  • Class attendance, preparation and participation (30 points)
  • Project management plan (20 points)
  • Weekly progress reports (10 points for each one signed by your advisor and turned in on time)
  • Project execution (50 points, your advisor will assess your work).
• Senior Paper (40% of your final grade): The complete, approved senior paper must be completed by December 1, 2007. This is not negotiable. A detailed assessment criteria will be handed out in class. Briefly, you will be graded on meeting the deadlines for outlines and rough drafts (three), adherence to the departmental format, correct English, appropriate technical tone, technical content, depth of description, and quality of the bibliography.
• Senior Presentation (10% of your final grade): You must give your senior presentation by December 3, 2007. There is a little leeway on the final date, but not much. You will be graded on the perceived professional quality of your presentation as determined by the attending faculty. Be prepared to discuss your project beyond the formal presentation.

We will follow the University grading scale:

Bibliography

portal.acm.org

scholar.google.com

Additional material will be added as appropriate.

Fall Semester, 2008

Last update: Aug 14, 2008

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