RIT Department of Computer Science

Catalogue Description

Course Outcomes

• Students will be able to communicate with team members, conduct effective team meetings, provide useful feedback to team members, and develop and deliver a team presentation. Evaluation: team presentation, peer reviews, and written assignments.
• Students will become proficient in documenting and describing the results of computer science research. Evaluation: research paper and research paper presentation.
• Students will be able to recognize and use common formats and required elements of typical computer science documents. Evaluation: written assignments.
• Students will comprehend and analyze the global issues and ethical dilemmas that may arise in a computing context, and will be able to suggest and defend ethically acceptable solutions. Evaluation: written assignments and in-class debates.

Instructor Contact

Course Policies

Class Rules:

• All assignments must be word-processed and neatly printed on white 8.5 x 11 inch paper, unless otherwise noted.
• Assignments are due at the beginning of class; once class begins the assignment is late! Thereafter, at midnight it is one more day late.
• Late penalty is 10% off the maximum grade for an assignment, for each day late.
• For each class missed, 1 point is deducted from your final grade point average (deducted from class participation points).
• Presentations require professional attire! This means ties, slacks, and reasonable shoes for men; dress, blouse and skirt, or business suit for women. Part of your grade will be based on your professional appearance during presentations.
• All email is sent to your CS account. If you prefer to read your email from another account, you must set up forwarding from your CS account to your other account.

Ethics Reflection Essays:

Several weeks during the semester we will be discussing and debating a dilemma that may arise in a computing context. Your role in the debate will consist of developing an argument either in favor of the proposed solution to the dilemma (Pro), developing an argument against the proposed solution (Con), or evaluating the arguments of both sides to come to a conclusion (Jury). To prepare for the debate, you will write a brief summary (250-300 words) of your argument if you are in the Pro or Con group, including relevant data and background information to support your argument, or write three questions to pose to either (or both) sides if you are a member of the Jury. The purpose of the Jury members' questions is to analyze the Pro and Con arguments to determine which side has the overall best ethical argument, and which side has presented the most convincing argument overall. You will know which of the three groups (Pro, Con, or Jury) you are in at least one week before each debate.

Directory of debate topics and assignments.

Directory of papers related to debate topics.

Teams:

There will be several assignments, some of which will require you to work with others as part of a team consisting of 4 or 5 people. Team members will be assigned during the second week of the semester. The purpose of the team is to implement a collaborative learning environment. You are expected to meet with your team members at various times during the semester to discuss and plan some of the assignments, and to critique various drafts of each other's work. You will also plan and give a presentation with your team on a technical topic. Some class time will be set aside for you to meet with your team members, however you should also plan on meeting outside of class.

Required Materials

Additional Resources

• The Elements of Style, 4th edition
  by William Strunk Jr., and E. B. White
• A Guide To Writing As An Engineer, 3rd edition
  by David Beer and David McMurrey, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009
• Technical Report Writing Today, 9th edition (optional)
  by Daniel G. Riordan, Houghton Mifflin, 2005
• Technical Writing Basics. 4th edition (optional)
  by Brian R. Holloway, Prentice Hall, 2008

Presentation Schedules for Section 01:

Presentation Schedules for Section 03:

Grading

• Rescheduling an Exam

• Course Withdrawal

• Disability Services

• Academic Integrity