FYS 102D

Investigating Everyday Problems &
Their Current IT Solutions
FYS 102D

Syllabus

Lecturer

Sue Evans
Office: ITE 207
Office Hours: Tu/Th 1:00 - 2:00 & Tu/Th 4:00 - 5:00 or by appointment
Telephone: 410-455-3964
E-mail: bogar@cs.umbc.edu

Class Time and Locations

Tu & Th 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m., ENG 104

Course Description

As we procede through a normal day, we are faced with a myriad of small problems ranging from "How can I avoid that traffic jam?" to "What's the number for the pizza place that delivers?" Other larger problems, such as "Are Maryland's new voting machines accurate and secure?", and "How do we train our surgeons without putting patients at risk?" also occasionally get our attention.

The purpose of this course is to provide first-year students with an opportunity to study some real-world problems and to see how research is carried out on those problems at UMBC. This course will concentrate on problems currently being studied by members of the CSEE Department, but it is interdisciplinary in nature since those problems vary in subject matter tremendously.

Objectives

The objectives of this course are:

To develop research skills, especially in the use of computers to find information about
recent and ongoing research activities beyond simple keyword Google searches.
To gain experience with working in a group
To gain experience reading and preparing scientific papers
To experience listening to and presenting a scientific paper
To gain an appreciation for the role of computation and information processing in society.

Grading

Item	SubItem	Weight	Total Weight
Assignments			20 %
	Assignment 1	4 %
	Assignment 2	4 %
	Assignment 3	4 %
	Assignment 4	4 %
	Assignment 5	4 %
Group Work			10 %
	Resources List	5 %
	Group Participation	5 %
Term Paper			20 %
	Outline	5 %
	Rough Draft	5 %
	Final Paper	10 %
Presentation			10 %
	Slides	5 %
	Performance	5 %
Midterm Exam			15 %
Attendance			15 %
	Class attendance	0.5 % per class
Research Review Day			10 %

Your final letter grade may be curved above the standard formula:

0 <= F < 60 60 <= D < 70 70 <= C < 80 80 <= B < 90 90 <= A <= 100

Under no circumstances will the grades be curved downward.
Your grade is based on timely work accomplished during the semester.
Incomplete grades will only be given for medical illness or other such dire circumstances.

Assignments

All assignments must be your own work or the work of your group for group assignments.
Late assignments will not be accepted.
Neatness, spelling and grammar count.

Academic Integrity

By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty. Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to, suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC Policies section of the UMBC Directory.

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes and meet with your group during pre-arranged times. Notice that both regular class attendance and the special Research Review Day attendance are required and carry a significant weight of your course grade.

Exams

Make-ups for the exam are given under only the most dire circumstances.
The midterm exam will be closed-notes. There will be no final exam.

Wednesday, 26-Jan-2011 11:25:00 EST

Investigating Everyday Problems & Their Current IT Solutions FYS 102D Syllabus