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Note that the information presented here does not necessarily reflect the most up to date syllabus or course information. Rather this information is intended to provide a general overview of course content from previous offerings.
An introduction to research methods and research topics in computer science. Selected topics are researched under the direct supervision of faculty members, and reports on the outcome of this research are given in both oral presenatations and in written papers. Required of all students in the M.Sc. program.
This course introduces students to the nature and demands of science and research, provides a framework for productive writing, and gives opportunities to practice researching, writing, and presenting.
Admission to the M.Sc. program in computer science.
Instructor: Chris Dutchyn
We will be meeting in room Arts 205A, on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, from 3:30pm – 4:50pm. First instructional day is September 12, 2012. Although this is a 3-credit course, it continues through to May 2013, the end of winter term. Ensure you’ve registered for both parts. A number of our meetings are cancelled:
Our October 10 session will be in the Murray library, where the experts on knowledge organization, storage, and retrieval (aka librarians) will introduce us to vital resources.
Dupre: Bugs in Writing; Addison-Wesley, 1998.
McMillen: IT by Moose; Mutual-Hadwin, 1994.
Strunk and White: Elements of Style, 4ed; Longman, 1999.
Tufte: the Visual Display of Quantitative Information; Graphics, 2001.
Turabian et al.: a Manual for Writers, 7ed.; Chicago, 2007.
Weinberg: an Introduction to General Systems Thinking, Dorset House, 2001.
Weinschenk: 100 Things Every Presenter Needs to Know about People, New Riders, 2012.
—: Chicago Manual of Style, 15ed.; Chicago, 2003.
| Item | Weight | Due Date |
| Participation | 3% | |
| Paragraphs | 5 @ 1%, 1 @ 2% = 7% | |
| Paper Review | 5% | October 25 |
| Paper Presentation | 5% | October 31 and Nov 2 |
| Paper Precis | 10% | November 7 |
| Proposal | 10% | Januray 10 |
| Proposal Presentation | 10% | januray 16 and 18 |
| Project Paper | 35% | April 4 |
| Project presentation | 15% | TBD |
| Total | 100% |
The distinction between 880 and 890 work is as the calendar states, “Topics are more difficult than in cmpt 880 and more in-depth research is expected.” The writing and speaking will be held to a higher standard.
All students will be required to complete three presentations, one review, one pr ́ecis, one proposal, and one project paper. These are described below:
Reviewa (1-2 page) conference-style review of the paper, using a format simi- lar to that used for conferences following Oscar Nierstrasz’ Identify the Champion structure.
a short (5-10 minute) presentation of paper’s essence: the problem, solution, evaluation format is recommended.
a longer (3-5 pages) pr ́ecis of the paper, describing the technical content (motivation, approach, and result) and critiquing the paper: how complete was the coverage, was the evaluation rigorous, what parts were well done, what parts might be improved or done differently, or easily extended.
a short (5-8 pages) proposal, identifying the research area and open ques- tions. Those with a well-defined research question should include a de- scription of a subset/prototype/implementation which they will complete as the 880/890 project. Students without a well-defined research question will select three open research questions, and sketch experiments that would settle that question.
a short (5-10 minute) presentation of their subset/prototype, or one of the sketched experiments
a conference-length (10-12 pages) paper, giving the results of their project. Students who do not have a research question decided, will be expected to generate a comprehensive literature survey accompanied by an assessment of the open research questions.
a medium-length (15-20 minute) presentation, at the Graduate Symposium.
All students are expected to attend all course meetings, and to attend all of the graduate symposium sessions. Attendance may be taken.
Note: All students must be properly registered in order to at- tend lectures and receive credit for this course. Please ensure you have registered for both terms.
There is no final exam in this course.
Late and missed assignments will not be accepted, adn a zero grade entered, absent a compelling reason. Extensions granted for compelling reasons will be individual if the reason is individual (e.g. illness), or apply to the whole class (e.g. university closure).
When a student has not completed the required course work, which includes any assignment or examination including the final exam- ination, by the time of submission of the final grades, they may be granted an extension to permit completion of an assignment, or granted a deferred examination in the case of absence from a final examination. Extensions for the completion of assignments must be approved by the Department Head, or Dean in non-departmentalized Colleges, and may exceed thirty days only in unusual circumstances. The student must apply to the instructor for such an extension and furnish satisfactory reasons for the deficiency. Deferred final exami- nations are granted as per College policy.
In the interim, the instructor will submit a computed percentile grade for the course which factors in the incomplete course work as a zero, along with a grade comment of INF (Incomplete Failure) if a failing grade. In the case where the instructor has indicated in the course outline that failure to complete the required course work will result in failure in the course, and the student has a computed passing percentile grade, a final grade of 49% will be submitted along with a grade comment of INF (Incomplete Failure).
If an extension is granted and the required assignment is submitted within the allotted time, or if a deferred examination is granted and written in the case of absence from the final examination, the instructor will submit a revised computed final percentage grade. The grade change will replace the previous grade and any grade comment of INF (Incomplete Failure) will be removed.
For provisions governing examinations and grading, students are referred to the University Council Regulations on Examinations section of the Calendar.
Students are expected to be academically honest in all of their scholarly work, including course assignments and examinations. Academic honesty is defined and described in the Department of Computer Science Statement on Academic Honesty and the University of Saskatchewan Academic Honesty Website.
The Student Academic Affairs Committee treats all cases according to the University Policy and has the right to apply strict academic penalties (see http://www.usask.ca/university secretary/honesty/academic misconduct.php).
The purpose of this course is to expose you to the craft of scientific research, to provide practice in reading, presenting, and writing technical material; and show you the evaluation methods with will be applied to your research products.
Ultimately, the goal is to give you a solid foundation for completing your degree.
The details of the current course offering can be found here.
The course web site can be found here.
