Syllabus for COMP 491/492
Senior Seminar
Fall 2009/Spring 2010
Tim Wahls
office: Tome 244
office hours: TF 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., W 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.,
R 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and by appointment
phone: (717) 245 - 1743
email: wahlst@dickinson.edu
course URL: http://users.dickinson.edu/~wahlst/491/
Required Text
Ethics for the Information Age, third edition.
Michael J. Quinn.
Pearson/Addison-Wesley, 2009.
ISBN: 0-3231-53685-1
Recommended Text
Writing for Computer Science, second edition.
Justin Zobel.
Springer, 2004.
ISBN: 1-85233-802-4
Prerequisites
Senior standing in computer science
Course Description
The main component of this course is a year long project.
This project may take one of two forms: an Implementation Project or
a Research Project.
- Implementation Projects
- Students completing an implementation project will be required to
identify a client for whom they will produce a software system. Students will
work with the client to refine the requirements for the system, and will then
produce a formal requirements document, a user interface prototype, and
a polished final version of the system.
A number of clients and projects have already been identified.
Students may select one of these clients or may identify another client
in consultation with the instructor.
- Research Projects
- Students completing a research based project (primarily honors students)
will be required to identify a research advisor who will supervise their
research.
Students completing research projects will work with their research
advisors over the first few weeks of the semester to precisely define their
project.
All students will also complete a small "spike" project
using elements from the XP agile development methodology
that will be taught during the first few weeks of the semester.
Additionally, we will be reading articles and book chapters on selected
topics in computer science, and discussing these topics in class.
Students will be responsible for leading a number of these discussions.
Evaluation
Grades will be based on the various project phases,
class participation and on leading a discussion. Weights for each component
are given in the following tables:
Fall 2009
| Component | Weight |
| Class Participation | 20% |
| Spike Project | 10% |
| Project Definition and Presentation | 10% |
| Literature Review | 10% |
| Requirements Document/Research Report (First Draft) |
10%/15% |
| Status Presentation | 5% |
| Requirements Document/Research Report (Second Draft) |
15%/20% |
| Semester Project Presentation | 10% |
| User Interface Prototype | 10% |
Note: students completing research projects are not required to produce a
user interface prototype.
Spring 2010
| Component | Weight |
| Class Participation | 20% |
| Leading a Discussion | 15% |
| Science Dinner Poster | 10% |
| Status Presentation | 5% |
| Project Implementation/Honors Thesis (First Draft) |
20% |
| Final Presentation | 10% |
| Final Project Report | 20% |
Attendance and Class Participation
As this class is discussion and presentation-based, attendance is critical.
Each student is allowed one unexcused absence per semester. For each
additional unexcused absence, 5% will be deducted from your course grade for
the semester.
I will assign a class participation grade to each student immediately
following each class that has a significant discussion component.
Emphasis will be placed on the quality of your contributions to the
discussion, not the quantity. The ideas and opinions that you present
should be original, logical and grounded in fact. Dominating the discussion
or refusing to listen to others is strongly discouraged.
Accommodations for Disabilities
In compliance with the Dickinson College policy and equal access laws,
I am available to discuss appropriate academic accommodations that may be
recommended for students with disabilities. Requests for academic
accommodations are to be made during the first three weeks of the semester
(except for unusual circumstances) so that appropriate arrangements can be
made.
Students are required to register with Academic Resource Services in the
Advising Office located on the first floor of Biddle House (contact ext. 1080
or waybranj@dickinson.edu)
to verify their eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
Late Assignments
Assignments will be due at the beginning
of class on the due date. Late assignments will not be accepted for credit
unless arrangements are made with me in advance or in case of emergencies.
Emergencies include sudden illness or injury (student or family member), or
events such as automobile breakdowns, that prevent the student from
completing an assignment or attending class to turn in an assignment. Events
under the control of the student,
such as oversleeping or appointments of any kind, do not constitute
emergencies. In cases that seem questionable, I will require
proof that an emergency occurred.
Academic Dishonesty
Students are expected to follow the Student Code of Conduct (beginning on
page 7 of the Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary System). Specifically,
the following forms of academic dishonesty are violations of that code:
plagiarism, allowing another student to copy your work or your ideas,
submitting work previously used in another class without informing the
instructor, and tampering with the work of others. Plagiarism is defined as
the act of using, without proper citation or acknowledgment, the words,
ideas or work of another. Incidents of suspected academic dishonesty will be
handled through the Disciplinary System of the College, as described in the
Student Code of Conduct and Disciplinary System.