Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 22:29:07 GMT Server: Apache/1.0.3 Content-type: text/html Content-length: 9248 Last-modified: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 17:58:33 GMT
Everyone will participate fully in the class sessions. Each student is expected to read and reflect on forthcoming material, and be prepared to help all of us learn more about data communications.
The instructor and the students will share the lecturing responsibilities, augmented by several presentations by Computer Science staff. Students will write at least one survey paper. Those students who present lectures on a topic will write one paper; other students will write two papers.
As a rough guide, I suggest that your total effort in this course might be distributed as follows: preparation and follow-up for the course lectures: 50%; preparation and presentation of each lecture topic or paper: 25%.
I will allocate lecture topics based on the needs of the course and the desires of the participants. I will attempt to have the lecture schedule firmed up by the third class period. See the lecture schedule for the current schedule.
Each lecturer will develop and present the topic and will make available a list of sources and other appropriate materials to allow the members of the class to prepare for and participate in the lectures. Following your lecture, you will assign and grade a brief but relevant homework. The lecture topics will generally follow the structure of our main textbook. Check Guidelines for Lecturers for some hints for preparing and delivering a good lecture.
For each paper you write, you will propose a topic, and should secure my approval before you commence serious work. Usually, a paper will be a survey of the present state of a rather tightly focused topic. As a general rule, avoid surveys of broad topics. You should plan to treat your topic thoroughly, using the most up-to-date sources you can find. Inevitably, students ask how long a paper must be. It is undesirable to make a rule, but I'll say that a typical paper tends to be perhaps 20 double-spaced typed or printed pages.
The newsgroup for this course is ac.c.623 on the IU Computer Science network. Use the newsgroup to keep tabs on class business and to contribute useful information for the other participants in the class. There will be no classroom or final exams. On the other hand, you will be expected to function responsibly at the graduate level throughout the course. One paper or talk will be due by March 19; the other paper or talk will be due by April 25. I may choose to interview students on their paper(s). The following factors will contribute to your course grade:
In sum, the success of a seminar course such as this depends on the active involvement of the participants, and the quality of your participation will be a criterion in the grading. For normal, competent work, you should expect a B; superior work will earn an A. Inadequate work will earn a C or below.
Our textbook gives useful references at the ends of its chapters.
I have an extensive collection of textbooks and reference works. Check Prosser's C623 books for the current list and the conditions under which you may borrow materials.
Be aware of how your topic fits into the total plan. Consult with people whose topics overlap or touch upon yours. Allocate related or overlapping subtopics intelligently among your peers. Most of our lectures will cover material presented in the textbook. If you are lecturing mainly from the textbook, don't plan to cover every subtopic in the book. Pick several important subtopics (with the instructor's help, if appropriate), and develop them in reasonable detail. If you are using sources other than the textbook, hand out a list of sources at least one week in advance of your lecture, so that others may have a chance to prepare for your lectures. Put your important sources on 2-hour reserve in the Swain library.
Be prepared to allow up to 2 minutes (but no more!) at the beginning of your first lecture for old business. Assign one or two homework exercises related to your topic. Select exercises that will help illuminate important aspects of your topic. Make the homework problems non-trivial, but not too complex or time-consuming. You will grade the homework for your lecture.
Use overhead foils or the chalkboard, as you prefer. The department will provide 10 overhead transparencies for your lecture, if you choose to use them. You will make the transparencies yourself, either by drawing directly on foils or by photocopying. Prior to your lectures, prepare handouts for distribution, if appropriate.
When using overheads, don't use too many, and don't crowd too much information into each foil. The pace of a lecture is considerably faster with overheads than with the chalkboard, and you must allow your audience time to absorb the material, take notes, and develop questions.
With a well-prepared lecture, it is common to have too much material. You must organize and prioritize your material so that you can fit within your allocated time without rushing! If toward the end of the lecture you see that you won't finish all the good stuff you've prepared, don't try to rush on through new topics. You will give a much better lecture if you deal with your present (presumably important) topic properly than if you rush to present a quickie sketch of the remaining material. Watch the time!
On the other hand, beware of trying to get by with insufficient preparation. If you find yourself out of material with 30 minutes remaining in the class, you will be embarrassed and the class will be irritated. And if you don't know twice as much as you plan to present and if you haven't practiced your presentation, you may find yourself fumbling at the chalkboard and botching your examples. If you need help in judging how much material is appropriate, I'll be glad to discuss it with you.
You should encourage questions and discussion. You are not expected to be an expert in your topic, but you should be sufficiently prepared to lead the discussion. If there are unanswered questions, you should investigate them after your lecture and be prepared to address them next period. If your follow-up discussion will take no more than 2 minutes, it can be made verbally at the beginning of the next class meeting. If it requires longer, then prepare a brief written response to hand out to the class.