Senior Seminar

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Assignments

CS Day Tuesday, April 24, 10AM - 2PM CAS Atrium... Abstracts are due to me by Friday April, 6 and to Dr. O'Neil by Friday April 13.

HW9: Pick a class project that you enjoyed. Prepare a write-up explaining the project, what you lkearned from it, why you enjoyed it, and how it helped or will help you meet a personal/professional goal. Document your project in some way (show code, working project, grading comments, etc.). This is all to be integrated into your e-portfolio. Due Wed, April 4. Email a link to your portfolio page.

HW8: Read http://sunnyday.mit.edu/steam.pdf and come to class prepared to discuss it on Monday, April 2. You should have some written notes about the article.

Pick one case and read about it: http://www.computingcases.org/case_materials/case_materials.html - Write a brief synopsis of the case and then tell why it is important for you to know about it. Synopsis due Monday, April 2.

HW7: Prepare a 3-5 minute oral presentation on your career goals. Include a "job description" that explains what you hope to be doing after graduation. You may incorporate experience from past or current jobs. This will be presented Wednesday, March 14.

As a side note... get your e-portfolio main page finished. Add your resume and one of the articles you wrote for one of the previous homeworks to your portfolio site.

HW6: At the Kalamazoo Portfolio Project, read The Five Dimensions http://www.kzoo.edu/pfolio/dimensions.html . Write an essay in which you choose two of these dimensions and connect them to your experiences before coming to college. Show how you have developed these concepts in your college carreer as well as through community service, employment, and travel. How are these things related to your choice of carreer. What dimension do you think will be the most important to develop? What goals can you set to develop this dimension? This essay should be two-three pages single spaced. Due Wednesday, Mar 7.

HW5: To get started on the development of a learning portfolio, pick one of your favorite CS classes taken at the University of Akron and write a reflection style paper that addresses many of the following questions about your experience in that class. Be careful with grammar. It may be beneficial to have others review your work before submitting it. Due Monday, Feb 26.

What did I learn? What caused me to learn? (there may be several aspects to this)
How does what I learned fit into the larger scheme of my computer science knowledge?
How have I used what I learned?
In what ways is the learning I experienced valuable?
Was there an important event that changed the way I learned during this class?
How has the learning that took place during this class affected my personal development?
What effect has this class had on my other learning experiences at the University of Akron?
How has this class sparked desires to learn new things? What things? How will you accomplish that?
How can I document what I learned in this class?

HW4: Write a couple paragraphs on social security numbers. Ideas: history, privacy, misuse, legal battles, appropriate use.

HW3: Continue the exploration of Computer Ethics by reading part 4. You can also start thinking about the following exercise. The local high school is starting a computer club. They have found funding for purchase of a lab of computers that will have Internet access. Somone asked if they would be filtered, precipitating a flurry of discussion. Concerns were raised about access to sites containing porn and violence, political extremist, racially charged, or other material considered inappropriate by the community. A meeting has been planned to allow various interest groups to present their viewpoints. You will be representing the views of one of the following groups: library association, students, parent-teacher organization, a religious PAC, and a local group of ACLU members. Presentations will be 15 minutes in length. Each group member must present part of their group's case.

HW2: Continue the exploration of Computer Ethics by reading parts 2 and 3. Play with the Filtering applet at the end of section 3. Pick one of the filter types, determine how it works (overview) and then think of some advantages or disadvantages to using that type of filter. Find an article online about filtering pros and cons (assuming you can access it). Pick one side of the argument and write about 200 words supporting your view. Be sure to state your view first! Bring this to class; do not email it to me. Regarding the copyright issues in Chapter 2, things have changed a bit since this web site was built. Read a few articles about the DMCA and be prepared to present your findings and opinions in our next class.

HW1: Visit this site on Computer Ethics, follow the link to Enter the site, and complete Part 1 (1.1 and 1.2). In the introduction, the following statement appears. "A new type of ethics known as computer ethics has emerged. Computer ethics is concerned with standards of conduct as they pertain to computers." Look up "computer ethics" using your favorite search engine. Read some articles that discuss this topoic. Then see if you can come up with a better definition. You may even decide that this is not a separate type of ethics. Put your thoughts about all of this in writing, provide at least two references to support the ideas you present. I want about 200 words. When you take the quiz in 1.2, you will likely get some answers right and some answers wrong. I personally disagree with some of the answers. Pick an answer that you think is wrong. Quote the question and the explanation given for the answer, and then provide an argument as to why you disagree. This should be at least 100 words. Put this all together in a Word document named lastname_hw1.doc (but substitute your last name). Be sure your name, class info, and date are at the top of the document, and email it to me (margush@cs.uakron.edu). The subject line must read Senior Seminar HW1. Due 1/22/2007

Notes

University of Akron, Department of Computer Science, Goals

The computer science program at The University of Akron has many roles to play both on and off campus. A primary goal of the program is the education of students to fulfill needs in industrial, commercial, government, and university environments. Such a diversity of settings requires that the students have a strong foundation in the field of computer science so as to be capable of productive work anywhere. As a consequence we stress the following:

A student must learn the concepts underlying many different solutions to problems. Only by knowing these concepts can a student extend the knowledge gained in school into new situations.
A purely theoretical understanding is insufficient; the student must also be able to implement the concepts in a variety of environments. Every course in our curriculum requires the student to write computer programs. The student will use a variety of computer languages, hardware, and operating systems. The range of environments extends from machine language programming on a single board computer using a simple monitor up to writing applications software under UNIX on a parallel processor.
The ability to express oneself is an absolute necessity. Programming requires the ability to write in a formal system; the student must also be able to write in English. Comments, documentation, and program descriptions are an essential part of programming assignments. In addition, many courses require the student to write an expository paper on one aspect of the course. Typically a course is fairly broad in the discussion of topics; an expository paper requires the student to research and write about some topic in depth.
In a field as rapidly changing as computer science, remaining up-to-date is an essential aspect of professionalism. Students are encouraged to read professional journals, join and be active in professional societies and to develop the ability to learn on their own. Education does not end on graduation day; it must continue into the future.
As computers continue to affect more aspects of everyday life, the consequences of inappropriate or unethical behavior become more severe. The students must be aware of what is considered ethical and legal behavior, as well as the consequences of violations of such norms.

http://www.cs.uakron.edu/goals.html

Computing Curricula '91 Statement on the importance of ethics in the curriculum

Although technical issues are obviously central to any computing curriculum, they do not by themselves constitute a complete educational program in the field. Students must also develop an understanding of the social and professional context in which computing is done.

Undergraduates also need to understand the basic cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues inherent in the discipline of computing. They should understand where the discipline has been, where it is, and where it is heading. They should also understand their individual roles in this process, as well as appreciate the philosophical questions, technical problems, and aesthetic values that play an important part in the development of the discipline.
Students also need to develop the ability to ask serious questions about the social impact of computing and to evaluate proposed answers to those questions. Future practitioners must be able to anticipate the impact of introducing a given product into a given environment. Will that product enhance or degrade the quality of life? What will the impact be upon individuals, groups, and institutions?
Finally, students need to be aware of the basic legal rights of software and hardware vendors and users, and they also need to appreciate the ethical values that are the basis for those rights. Future practitioners must understand the responsibility that they will bear, and the possible consequences of failure. They must understand their own limitations as well as the limitations of their tools. All practitioners must make a long-term commitment to remaining current in their chosen specialties and in the discipline of computing as a whole.

Computing Curricula ’91. Association for Computing Machinery and the Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1991.

ACM Code of Ethics

As an ACM member I will ....

1.1 Contribute to society and human well-being.
1.2 Avoid harm to others.
1.3 Be honest and trustworthy.
1.4 Be fair and take action not to discriminate.
1.5 Honor property rights including copyrights and patent.
1.6 Give proper credit for intellectual property.
1.7 Respect the privacy of others.
1.8 Honor confidentiality.

As an ACM computing professional I will ....

2.1 Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness and dignity in both the process and products of professional work.
2.2 Acquire and maintain professional competence.
2.3 Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work.
2.4 Accept and provide appropriate professional review.
2.5 Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems and their impacts, including analysis of possible risks.
2.6 Honor contracts, agreements, and assigned responsibilities.
2.7 Improve public understanding of computing and its consequences.
2.8 Access computing and communication resources only when authorized to do so.

As an ACM member and an organizational leader, I will ....

3.1 Articulate social responsibilities of members of an organizational unit and encourage full acceptance of those responsibilities.
3.2 Manage personnel and resources to design and build information systems that enhance the quality of working life.
3.3 Acknowledge and support proper and authorized uses of an organization's computing and communication resources.
3.4 Ensure that users and those who will be affected by a system have their needs clearly articulated during the assessment and design of requirements; later the system must be validated to meet requirements.
3.5 Articulate and support policies that protect the dignity of users and others affected by a computing system.
3.6 Create opportunities for members of the organization to learn the principles and limitations of computer systems.

As an ACM member I will ....

4.1 Uphold and promote the principles of this Code.
4.2 Treat violations of this code as inconsistent with membership in the ACM.

http://www.acm.org/constitution/code.html

IEEE Code of Ethics

We, the members of the IEEE, in recognition of the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world, and in accepting a personal obligation to our profession, its members and the communities we serve, do hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree:

to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment;
to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest whenever possible, and to disclose them to affected parties when they do exist;
to be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data;
to reject bribery in all its forms;
to improve the understanding of technology, its appropriate application, and potential consequences;
to maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations;
to seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit properly the contributions of others;
to treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin;
to avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious action;
to assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics.

Approved by the IEEE Board of Directors August 1990

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