CSci 487: Senior Project
Fall Semester 2002
General Information

Locations

The fall semester 2002 class meets in Anderson 137 at 4:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The class is taught by Prof. Conrad Cunningham, whose office is in 239 Kinard Hall. The official office hours for this class are 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and at other times by appointment.

Prof. Cunningham's voice telephone number is (662) 915-5358 and fax number is (662) 915-5623. His WWW home page is http://www.cs.olemiss.edu/~hcc/ and his email address is cunningham@cs.olemiss.edu (send?).

The WWW home page for this class is http://www.cs.olemiss.edu/~hcc/csci487/ .

Course Goals

This is the capstone course for the undergraduate programs in computer science, typically taken in a student's final semester. Each student must bring the knowledge, understanding, and skills he or she has attained in the undergraduate program to bear on a nontrivial problem in computing science and technology. Each student is expected to solve the problem and present his or her solution in a professional manner.

Course Description from Catalog

Each student conducts an in-depth study of a current problem in computer science or a related area. Upon completion, the student presents the results in both oral and written forms.

Prerequisites

Senior standing in computer science. ("Senior standing in computer science" means successful completion of all courses specifically required in the computer science curriculum that are numbered less than 400.)

Oral Communications Expectations

The University of Mississippi expects all of its graduates to be competent in basic oral communications skills. In this and other computer science courses, students are expected to demonstrate this competency by exhibiting the following fundamental skills:

Appropriate interactive communication skills.

Students should have the ability to listen effectively and to respond appropriately to orally transmitted messages from others. This may involve a verbal or non-verbal response to an instruction or a reasonable and appropriate engagement in conversation.

Adequate oral delivery.

Students should have the ability to elicit a comprehensible oral message, regardless of the topic or nature of the setting. The student should be able to communication with adequate clarity (articulation, pronunciation, volume, rate, and language usage) to be understood, given that listeners have reasonable tolerances for different dialects and accents.

Ability to construct a coherent and logical message.

Students should have the ability to deliver a coherent and logical argument or response to a question. The student should be able to adapt this message to a level of discourse that is appropriate for the audience.

Ability to communicate in the context of the computing discipline.

Students should have the ability to communicate effectively in a professional computing setting. This includes use of appropriate technical language, use of abstraction, interviewing skills, formal presentation skills, conducting a meeting, and working cooperatively with others in groups.

Professional Conduct

As a student in CSCI 487, you are expected to conduct yourself in a professional manner according to the Honor Code of the School of Engineering, the Information Technology Appropriate Use Policy, the M Book, and any other relevant policies.

The first three by-laws of the School of Engineering Honor Code are reproduced here for your reference:

1. The Honor Code shall apply to all undergraduate students seeking degrees through the School of Engineering, registered in School of Engineering courses. Graduate students in the School of Engineering are subject to the Academic Discipline Code published in the University of Mississippi M Book. Undergraduates from other disciplines who are registered for courses in the School of Engineering also are subject to the M Book's Code. The Honor Code shall be understood to apply to all academic areas of the School such as examinations, quizzes, laboratory reports, themes, computer programs, homework, and other possible assignments. Only that work specifically identified by the class instructor not to be under the Honor Code is excluded. The intent of the Honor Code is to recognize professional conduct and, thus, it shall be deemed a violation of the Honor Code to knowingly deceive, copy, paraphrase, or otherwise misrepresent your work in a manner inconsistent with professional conduct.

2. Enforcement of the Honor Code shall be the duty of each student and faculty member in the School of Engineering. Failure by a student to report a violation of the Honor Code will, in itself, be a violation of the Honor Code.

3. Academic dishonesty is serious. It is important to recognize that applications for graduate and professional school as well as applications for employment and professional licenses frequently require the applicant to state whether he or she has been found guilty of academic dishonesty. Moreover, when the penalties of suspension and expulsion are imposed for academic dishonesty, they will be recorded permanently on a student's transcript.

Student Disabilities Services Statement

"It is the responsibility of any student with a disability who requests a reasonable accommodation to contact the Office of Disability Services (915-7128). Contact will then be made by that office through the student to the instructor of this class. The instructor will then be happy to work with the student so that a reasonable accommodation of any disability can be made."

Grading

CSCI 487 is a regular, graded course. Your semester grade will be based on the instructor's overall evaluation of the quality of your work. You are expected to attend all required class meetings, to prepare high-quality materials and presentations, to submit all required material on time, and to interact with your sponsor, instructor, and fellow students in a professional and effective manner.

The instructor will not view the grading for this course as a strict point system. The following factors with the given relative weights, will contribute to the determination of your semester grade:

Department Grading Policy

It is the policy of the Department that no grades of "I" (Incomplete) will be assigned in this course for failure to complete the project on schedule. If you do not complete the project by the end of the semester, a grade of "F" will be assigned.

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