Learning Computing - Policies Professor: Leah Buechley (buechley@cs.unm.edu) Course: CS 491/CS 591 (OILS 493/OILS 593) Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30-1:45pm Location, Tuesdays: Mechanical Engineering 208 Location, Thursdays: Farris 2065 (Farris computer lab) Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11am-12pm in Farris 2340A Home Syllabus Policies Assignments and Grading Grading Class participation: 25% Discussion session and presentation: 20% Hands-on assignments: 25% Final project: 30% Reading and Discussion This is fundamentally a reading and discussion based course. Lively and engaged participation in discussions is expected. You must complete assigned readings before class so that you are able to contribute to conversations. Discussions should engage your full attention, and the use of electronic devices during class is prohibited. Regular attendance is essential. Class participation accounts for 25% of your grade. Leading a Discussion Each student will lead one of the in-class discussions. For this assignment you will be assigned one or more partners who you will collaborate with on the presentation. If you are one of the discussion leaders for a class, your primary responsibility is to identify and examine the central point of the reading. Your discussion and presentation should be structured around an exploration of the following questions: What is the central point of the reading? What are the authors trying to say? What did you learn from this reading? (as a designer, an engineer, an educator, a person) How do the authors make their case? Are they convincing? How does the reading relate to the theme of the class? Whether or not you're the discussion leader, think about these questions as you read and as you prepare for class. Resist the temptation to focus on whether you agree or disagree with the author. Focus instead on the ideas the author is articulating and what you can learn from them. This assignment accounts for 20% of your grade. You should have a detailed plan for the discussion. You should also have a plan for insuring everyone in the class contributes to the discussion and for how your team will share the role as facilitator. You should write down the questions you want to ask (and the responses you are looking for. These should be focused tightly on the reading (as opposed to people's personal experiences or ideas). You want the class to be talking about the reading. You should have a schedule planned out for how much time you want to spend on each question/topic you want to cover. As you make your plan, feel free to be creative! An appropriate activity can be fun and helpful. Email Leah a detailed schedule for your discussion by the end of the day on Monday (the day before your discussion). Depending on your plan, I may send you feedback and suggestions on Tuesday morning. Your schedule should be broken down into 5-15 minute time slots. For each time slot, you should have a list of questions you are planning to ask, along with the answers you are looking for. Hands On Projects In addition to weekly reading assignments, there will be regular "hands-on" assignments that will allow you to experiment with technologies and approaches we are reading about. I hope you will approach these with a spirit of playfulness and exploration. They should be fun! These assignments will be graded as follows: check +: truly excpetional work (A+) check: good to great work (A) check -: you made an effort, but failed to meet the assignment's requirements (C) 0: you didn't turn in the assignment If you take time and care on these assignments, you can expect to get checks and check +'s. These assignments account for 25% of your grade. Final Project Final projects will provide an opportunity to explore a topic in greater depth. You will do independent research, teaching, and/or engineering in the field. You will begin working on your project in the middle of the semester and continue it until the end of the term. You may choose to work on this assignment on your own or in a team. Projects can take a variety of forms, for instance: writing a literature review, developing and teaching a short class, or creating a prototype of a new technology. Timeline: September 23-27 (or earlier): meet with Leah to discuss your final project plans October 17: final project proposals are due November 4-8: meet with Leah to discuss progress on your final project December 3: final project presentations More information about each component of the project assignments will be posted closer to each due date. Final projects account for 30% of your grade. Accessibility Please contact the Accessibility Resource Center if you expect to need academic accommodations for this class. In accordance with University Policy 2310 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation. It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to the instructor's attention, as I am not legally permitted to inquire. Students who may require assistance in emergency evacuations should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow. Contact Accessibility Resource Center at 277-3506 or arc.unm.edu for additional information. If you need an accommodation based on how course requirements interact with the impact of a disability, you should contact me to arrange an appointment as soon as possible. At the appointment, we can discuss the course format and requirements, anticipate the need for adjustments and explore potential accommodations. I rely on the Disability Services Office for assistance in developing strategies and verifying accommodation needs. If you have not previously contacted them I encourage you to do so. Credit Hour Statement Federal Credit Hour Definition: A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally-established equivalency that reasonably approximates not less than: (1) one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) at least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other activities as established by an institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading toward to the award of credit hours. 34CFR 600.2 (11/1/2010) Title IX Title IX prohibitions on sex discrimination include various forms of sexual misconduct, such as sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, and stalking. Current UNM policy designates instructors as required reporters, which means that if instructors are notified (outside of classroom activities) about any Title IX violations, they must report this information to the Title IX coordinator. However, the American Association of University Professors' (AAUP) "Statement on Professional Ethics" requires that Professors protect students' academic freedom and "respect[s] the confidential nature of the relationship between professor and student." Therefore, as a Professor I have pledged to honor student confidentiality and will strive to respect your wishes regarding reporting. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted and would like to receive support and academic advocacy, there are numerous confidential routes available to you. For example, you can contact the Women's Resource Center, the LGBTQ Resource Center, Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), or LoboRESPECT. LoboRESPECT can be contacted on their 24-hour crisis line, (505) 277-2911 and online at loborespect@unm.edu. You can receive non-confidential support and learn more about Title IX through the Title IX Coordinator at (505) 277-5251 and http://oeo.unm.edu/title-ix/. Reports to law enforcement can be made to UNM Police Department at (505) 277-2241.