COMP 492 Syllabus: Spring 2017

Instructor: John MacCormick

Acknowledgment: this syllabus and many other course materials are closely based on the materials developed by Professor Grant Braught for the fall senior seminar (COMP491, 2016), of which this course is a continuation. I am grateful to Professor Braught for his permission to use these materials.

Contact Information

My office hours, phone number and e-mail address are available on my contact page.

Course Description

The Senior Seminar (COMP491/492 combined) has three main components:

  1. A year long project with two options:
  2. Readings, in-class exercises, homeworks and class discussions related to Free and Open Source Software (H/FOSS) and Software Engineering (491/fall);
  3. Readings and discussions on ethical, legal and social issues related to computing (492/spring).

Book

The required textbook is Michael Quinn's Ethics for the Information Age. Any recent edition is acceptable.

Class meetings

Tome 231, Tuesdays 3-5pm. In addition, please note the following required events that occur outside the regular class meeting time slot:

There is also an optional evening Clarke forum event, 7pm on Tuesday, April 11: Thoughts on Cybersecurity in an Age of Trump by Robert Deitz, George Mason University. A small amount of extra credit will be given for participation in this event.

There is no final exam. Final papers are due 11:59 PM on Friday, May 12.

Course schedule and assignments

Please see the main course page for details about the course schedule and assignments.

Learning Goals

Students will:

  1. Become familiar with a variety of H/FOSS and Software Engineering topics.
  2. Improve their ability to work (reading/modifying/testing) within a substantial existing code base.
  3. Interact with a community of developers and users.
  4. Deepen their ability to write clearly and develop their mastery of specific forms of disciplinary writing.
  5. Be prepared for graduate study or a professional career in computing.
  6. Understand the fundamental ethical, legal and social implications of computing.
  7. Attain a broader vision of the discipline of computer science.

Grade Determination

Grading will be the same for HFOSS projects and honors projects, as follows:

Preparation/Attendance/Engagement (PAE) -- includes possible reading quizzes on discussion days. No blog postings. 15%
A1 (A1a, A1b, A1c): Project Checkpoints -- Slack live-logs, weekly wiki summaries, but no presentations. 15% (5% each)
A2: Co-leading a discussion 5%
A3: Code review 5%
A4: Report draft 15%
A5: Science symposium poster 10%
A6: Final project presentation 15%
A7: Final project report 20%

Course Components

Preparation/Attendance/Engagement (PAE)

PAE will be graded according to the same criteria and rubric as for the fall, with the following modifications. On some discussion days, there will be a brief reading quiz worth approximately 5 PAE points. You will not be notified of reading quizzes in advance. Additional forms of preparation may be required (e.g. posting discussion questions to a Moodle forum), but you will be notified in advance of any additional requirements. There will be no blog or reflective writing requirement.

Assignments A1a, A1b, A1c: Project Checkpoints

Grading of the three project checkpoints will be identical to the fall semester, except that there is no presentation component. Hence, the three graded components are: (i) Slack live-logs; (ii) weekly wiki summaries; (iii) effectiveness. For detailed rubrics, please see the fall syllabus. For the dates on which project checkpoints will be graded, please see the online course schedule.

Assignments A2-A7

Assignments A2-A7 are described on a separate assignments webpage.

Late work policy

Because of the nature of the assignments in this course (most of which involve presentation or interaction), it is not possible to grant extensions or "late days". Late assignments will typically receive little or no credit.

Academic Integrity

Please take the time to read the Academic Misconduct section of Dickinson's Community Standards. Violations of this policy are considered serious transgressions, so you should be especially certain that you understand your rights and responsibilities under it. Students suspected of academic dishonesty will be subject to the process outlined in the Student Conduct pages. The specific collaboration policies for each component of this course are detailed in the assignments. If you are unsure about whether or not certain kinds of collaboration are permissible on an assignment or in this course, ask your instructor.

Intellectual Property Rights

Audio or video recording of class meetings, lectures or discussions is prohibited without explicit permission of the instructor. Photographic records of whiteboards, projected slides or other visual media is also prohibited without explicit permission of the instructor. In any case where permission is given for audio/video/photographic records to be made they are for personal use only. They may not be shared or redistributed and must be destroyed at the end of their usefulness or within one week following the termination of this course, whichever comes first. Similarly, any redistribution of sample code, homework solution sets or provided lab code is prohibited. Please note that all outside materials used in the course (readings/tutorials/assignments/projects/etc) are also be governed by their own licensing agreements.

Accommodations for Disabilities

Accommodating Students with Disabilities Dickinson values diverse types of learners and is committed to ensuring that each student is afforded an equal opportunity to participate in all learning experiences. If you have (or think you may have) a learning difference or a disability - including a mental health, medical, or physical impairment - that would impact your educational experience in this class, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) to schedule a meeting with Director Marni Jones. She will confidentially discuss your needs, review your documentation, and determine your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. To learn more about available supports, go to www.dickinson.edu/ODS , email DisabilityServices@dickinson.edu, call (717) 245-1734, or go to ODS in 106 Dana Hall. If you've already been granted accommodations at Dickinson, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can meet to review your Accommodation Letter and complete your "Blue Form" Implementation Plan. If you will need test proctoring from ODS, remember that you will need to provide them with at least one week's notice.