The course grade will be computed based upon the following proportions:
Weekly meetings
20%
Survey of secondary research area
20%
Oral presentation
20%
Report (20 pp.)
40%
Class attendance and participation
Attendance in class is required. A portion of
the class content is not in the text and will only be given in class.
Furthermore, in-class exercises and discussions will be crucial in mastering
the material.
Format of written assignments
As a graduate class, this course is training for professional communications.
In particular, you are practicing writing for publication. Observe all
standard rules for published writing: Cite all references in one of the
standard styles (IEEE, ACM, or American Psychological Association style) and
provide a bibliography.
Plagiarism and assignments
It is crucial that each assignment reflect the work of the individual or
team that submits it. Any traces of plagiarism-the unattributed copying
of someone else's work-will be dealt with according to the University regulations.
E mail policies
I encourage students to submit questions and comments by e-mail. I strive to
respond within 24 hours of receiving your mail, although
I do not guarantee that response time. I ask you to observe the following guidelines:
Always put a relevant subject line on your message. I will delete unread
any mail without a subject line. Furthermore, if you are starting a new thread,
indicate that with a new topic. I get upset when an e-mail with a subject line
"Re: midterm schedule" turns out to be about some unrelated issue. And when I get
upset I usually delete the message without replying...
Do not use chat-mode abbreviations such as "u" for "you", "2" for "to" or "too". Write
out your words.
Don't send an e-mail about an assignment at 20:00 the night before it's due. I
probably won't even receive it until after class and even if I do receive it I
won't bother replying.
All requests or discussions about grades or special considerations must be done
face to face, either after class, during scheduled office hours, or by appointment.
I will not consider any requests made via e-mail.
A general rule about social communications, including email: In any
communication, you have the choice to minimize the effort you put into it
(usually at the expense of requiring more effort from the recipient) or
putting more effort into it so it is easier for the recipient. The tradeoff
you make will vary depending upon your relationship with the other person,
who is going to gain from the communication, and many other factors.
Communication styles that are fine for casual interaction with friends are
inappropriate for more formal contexts. Most of the above guidelines are
simply asking you to put a bit of upfront effort into your email so I can
read and reply more easily and effectively.