SYLLABUS
Basic info
Quarter: Autumn 2022
Instructor: Maya Cakmak
Teaching assistant: Ardi Madadi
Class time: Once a week on Tuesdays 11:30-12:50 (80 minutes)
Class location: CSE2 (Gates Center) 371
Number of credits: 2 (CR/NC)
Office hours:
Course objectives
The goal of this course is to introduce undergraduate students to CSE research and give them basic skills to participate in research early on in their education. After taking this class, students will have:
An understanding of research in CSE: Students will be able to accurately describe what research in Computer Science & Engineering involves.
They can describe the general process of scientific/academic inquiry
They can describe the process of research funding, peer-review, different types of scientific publications, and citations
They can enumerate and describe different sub-fields of CSE research, the different types of research methods and processes used in them, and the different types of research contributions across these areas
They can describe the academic career progression and the day-to-day of research jobs
They can enumerate key skills, attributes, mindset, and habits (e.g., creative, curious, independent, good communicator, etcetera) that help researchers succeed
They can identify research programs/opportunities and the steps they need to take to apply
Basic research skills: Students will know what general skills are key in research and have practice with some of their subfield-specific skills.
They will have experience in finding, reading, presenting, and critically evaluating research papers
They will have experience in conducting a literature search, understanding the state-of-the-art
They will have practice using tools for managing citations, writing papers, and creating figures, slides, or posters (e.g. Overleaf)
After achieving these learning goals, students should be able to confidently decide whether they would like to pursue research and know which sub-field of CSE and what type of projects might be right for them. They should also be well positioned to apply for positions that fit their preferences.
Course Structure
This two credit course involves an 80 minute class time on Tuesdays. The class time will be broken down roughly as follows:
Information modules [5-10 minutes]: Cover one or more topic of general information through presentation and discussion questions
Skill module:
Tutorial and instructions for activity [5-10 minutes]
Individual and/or group work: [10-30 minutes]
Sharing with class and broader discussion [5-10 minutes]
Weekly assignment instructions [5 minutes]
Attributes module [5-10 minutes]: Discussion and/or activity
FAQ module [5 minutes]: Response to frequently asked questions
Grading
This is a CR/NC class. Students will have weekly assignments they need to complete and will submit a weekly self-evaluation (which will also serve as feedback about the course for future offerings). Instructors will provide qualitative feedback on ways to improve the artifacts that students create as part of assignments (e.g. paper summaries, presentation slides, research proposal) and will grade the assignment as either "satisfactory" (S) or "not yet" (N). Students can request a re-evaluation of their artifacts after addressing all the feedback from the instructors. Students who receive an S on at least 80% of the assignments and complete all self-evaluations will receive a "CR" grade in this class.
Assignments and Late Policy
Weekly assignments will be introduced during class time. Often, the in-class activities will involve getting started on the assignment. Most assignments are focused on practicing the skill covered in class and will involve submitting an artifact (e.g. paper summaries, presentation slides). Assignments are due the following Monday at 11:59PM.
There is no penalty for late submissions. However, the natural consequences of a late submissions include not being prepared for the next lecture and hence not getting as much out of it, not getting qualitative feedback on your artifacts from the instructors at a regular pace, and having too much to catch up at the end of the quarter and not being able to finish by the hard deadline for grade submissions.
Students who have not obtained a "satisfactory" rating on at least 80% of assignments by the last day of finals week (December 16, 2022) will receive an "X" (incomplete) grade. Students will have the opportunity to amend their grades by submitting work after this date, but regrading will only be done once a quarter during finals week.
Weekly plan
Please see the course calendar for an up-to-date week-by-week plan of topics.
Communication
Day-to-day announcements about this class will be sent through Canvas. Please check your Canvas settings to ensure you will receive announcements immediately. Students who have questions about the course content or logistics that might be relevant to the rest of the class are encouraged to post their questions on the Ed Discussion boards. Any other questions can be sent to the instructor and TA via email. Be sure to include the course number ("CSE 390 R") in the subject line when you email.
Sick Policy
Students should stay home if they have any symptoms of possible illness, even if mild. We will enable students to complete all modules without having to attend class. The instructor might change a lecture to be online if a large number of students cannot attend or if she has any symptoms herself. Read more about COVID-19 safety here (TBA).
Academic Integrity
We follow the Allen School’s policy for academic integrity and misconduct.
Inclusion
We welcome students from all backgrounds and adhere to the Allen School’s Inclusiveness Statement. If anything related to the course makes you feel unwelcome in any way, let the instructor know.
We are eager to provide any necessary accommodations.
For disability accommodations, please see the UW resources at http://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/current-students/accommodations/.
For religious accommodations, please see the UW resources at https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/.