Mt/CS 401 Seminar

Spring 2003

PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS

This syllabus is not complete. It is to be completed by the seminar participants during the first week of the semester.

Participation/discussion problems: _____ %

Students are expected to take an active part in developing the course activities, prepare for discussions and participate in conversations.

Class activities each week will be planned by the class members to further the objectives of the course which are listed above. These activities may include working sessions, presentations by seminar participants, field trips, and invited guest speakers. Some of these class activities will require advance planning and preparation by seminar participants.

The instructor will provide a partial list of topics for the comprehensive exam, and some problems for class discussion. These problems will be chosen from various applications of computer science and/or mathematics. An effort will be made to choose problems which require the the combined knowledge and skills of all the seminar participants. Additional discussion topics are to be chosen by the participants from among the chapters in the required text.

Class participation and preparation for the discussion problems is a way of developing and demonstrating the ability to work together with peers to solve problems. Some of the class activities will give the students an opportunity to explore various career opportunities available to graduates with a degree in Mathematics and/or Computer Studies.

Seminar participants expected to ___ [do what??? ... specify] ___. Class participation will be evaluated___ [how???] ___, and will contribute ___[how much???]___% to the final course grade.

Portfolio: _____ %

In order to demonstrate integration and synthesis of courses which comprise the major in Mathematics and/or Computer Studies, each student is expected to assemble a portfolio representing achievements in the major. You might think of the portfolio as a snapshot of your achievements in computer studies and/or mathematics.

The portfolio may be presented in an expandable file folder, a three-ring binder, or as a web-page. The first page or item in your portfolio is to be a table of contents, and the second item is to be a copy of your current resume.

Include a one-page statement of your career objectives. There are several ways to do this. You might describe your first job, and where you would like to be 5 and 10 years from now. You might write a position announcement for your ideal job, and summarize the professional growth steps and intermediate career goals that will help you move toward this goal.

Include a listing of those courses which make up your major / minor, and any significant elective courses you have taken. Write a short reflection on each course in this list that tells how this course has contributed to your overall educational experience.

You are getting your degree from a university which is sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Assissi. Your portfolio should include a reflection of how Franciscan values and the Franciscan intellecutal tradition have influenced your education over the years you have spent at Cardinal Stritch University.

Your portfolio should include six to twelve additional items which are representative of course work, and any internship, related job, extra-curricular, and/or volunteer experience that you have had.

Each item in the portfolio should be preceded by a statement (in paragraph form) indicating why it was chosen to be included in the portfolio. One way to do this is to write a short reflection about each item responding to the following questions: Why are you including this item? What does it say about you? about your degree? What does this item add to the portfolio? What does it say about you that the other items don't?

A well-designed portfolio will be an asset for you during a job interview. Choose items which represent your best work, and which document the knowledge and skills your have acquired through your major.

The portfolio will contribute ___[how much???]___% to the final course grade.

Comprehensive Exam: _____ %

A comprehensive take-home exam will demonstrate each student's knowledge of foundational concepts of mathematics and computer science. The mathematics content will be drawn from those courses which are a required part of the major for students in both Mathematics and Computer Studies. This includes Calculus I and II (and mathematics topics in College Algebra and Trigonometry which are prerequisite for Calculus), and Discrete Mathematics (Boolean algebra, sets, and logical reasoning). The exam will also cover those topics chosen by the seminar participants from the required text for the course. Prior to the Exam, seminar participants will be invited to reshape the Study Guide to reflect those chapters of The Turing Omnibus which have been covered in class presentations. This exam will be available sometime after mid-semester when the review of the topics on the Study Guide has been completed. It will have both oral and written components.

The Comprehensive Exam is scheduled for ___[when???]___. The grade on the exam will contribute ___[how much???]___% to the final course grade.

Benchmark Test: _____ %

Benchmark testing is the Department's way of assuring that students have achieved minimal levels of technological and computational skill. The benchmark test will consist of problems involving basic computer applications and straightforward calculations using arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, basic derivatives and integrals, and Boolean algebra. The seminar participants will be invited to determine specific areas of technological and computational skills that should be included on this test.

The intent of the benchmark test is to demonstrate minimal skill levels and computational fluency. Seminar participants will be invited to develop a format for this test that allows each student to demonstrate basic skills.

The Benchmark Test is scheduled for ___[when???]___. The grade on the Benchmark Test will contribute ___[how much???]___% to the final course grade.

Project: _____ %

Each student is expected to demonstrate an ability to extend her or his knowledge base by completing a major project. This project is equivalent to a major term paper, but it may take a variety of forms. Let the project itself guide the media you choose to use. Although you may work together on the project, it should be clear what your individual contributions are.

Some ideas to stimulate your thinking about your seminar project:

• Develop a computer software package for some application including the (well-documented and working) program, an accompanying users' guide, sample data and output, all presented in an attractive package.
• Develop an interactive document to accompany one chapter in the College Geometry textbook that is being written by Sister Barbara and her colleague, Professor William Fenton of Bellarmine University. Such a document should be authored using The Geometer's Sketchpad. It should include the activities in the text, and interactive diagrams with discussion for all of the diagrams in the chapter. It should also include some hints, partial solutions, and answers to selected exercises.
• Develop a classroom-ready teaching unit for some topic in school mathematics including teacher's notes (describing goals and objectives, timeframe, prerequisite skills, etc.), manipulatives, visual aids, worksheet masters, bulletin board materials, and so on. Your teaching uint should reflect the NCTM's Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. If you choose this option, you should take care that your project demonstrates content knowledge and skills of your major in mathematics.
• Develop a web page which gives a hypermedia/multimedia presentation of a topic in computer science and/or mathematics.
• Write an article (or series of shorter articles) ready for submission to an appropritate professional journal. There are at least three journals which accept papers from undergraduates:
  • PRIMUS: Problems, Resources, and Issues in Undergraduate Mathematics Studies

    http://www.dean.usma.edu/math/resource/pubs/primus/index.htm

  • The Pi Mu Epsilon Journal

    http://www.pme-math.org/journal/

  • The Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Mathematics Journal

    http://www.rose-hulman.edu/mathjournal/tocx.html

• Develop a Handbook for Students in a Cooperative Learning Environment. (Most of you have several years of experience as students in a classroom environment where you have been expected to work cooperatively. You are in a position to write a handbook which reflects your experience as it builds on your own understanding of the principles of cooperative learning.)
• Prepare a presentation (complete with overheads, visual aids, and hand-outs) for a professional conference. Such a presentation should demonstrate a depth of knowledge and skills on a particular topic.
• Make a video presentation of a topic in computer science or mathematics, which demonstrates your integrated understanding of a particular topic in your major.

Your project should be of professional quality. It should demonstrate skills and knowledge that you have acquired through your major. Your project can be one of the items included in your Portfolio. Think of your project as something that you can take with you to a job interview to demonstrate skills developed as part of your major. Put together something that you can be proud of! In the past, some students have received job offers because of the quality of the work presented in their seminar project.

Your seminar project is a major term project, and should be about the equivalent of a 20- to 25-page paper, although it need not all be written text. (See suggestions above.)

Project Timetable: Dates are to be set by class consensus.

• [___When???___] Turn in a bibliography and one-page proposal. The instructor will review your proposal and return it to you one week later.

• [___When???___] Turn in revised proposal, project outline, pseudo-code, sketches, or whatever is appropriate for the type of project you are doing. The instructor will return these to you with suggestions one week later.

• [___When???___] Turn in a copy of the rough draft of your work, at whatever stage it is at this time. (This doesn't have to be "pretty" but it must be turned in. -- If there is sufficient time between the due date for the rough draft and the due date for the completed project, the instructor will provide feedback which could be helpful.)

• [___When???___] Completed projects due.

The project will contribute ___[how much???]___% to the final course grade.

Additional Course Requirements

We will need to schedule a time for the Director of Institutional Research to visit the class to administer the Academic Profile and the Student Opinion Survey. These two instruments are used for institutional data, and are important for continuing accreditation of Cardinal Stritch University as an institution of higher education. Altogether, we need to schedule about 75 minutes of in-class time for this.

The best way to reach me between classes is to send me an email message. You may leave a voice message at 410-4018.

I am regularly on campus and available for students on most weekdays. If you need to make an appointment with me, you may sign up on the sheets which are posted on the in the hallway just outside the door of my office. You can also send me an e-message requesting an appointment. Suggest a day and time, and I'll check my schedule to see if this is possible.