CSE 193: Introduction to CS Research Fall 2020
This course will introduce you to the basics of research in computer science. You will learn what a research problem in CS looks like, how to read and find research papers, how to articulate a problem and how to propose a research project to solve that problem. It is group-based, so the majority of the work you will do in this course will be collaborative. This course will prepare you for independent research projects in computing and beyond.
There are no course prerequisites, but to take this course you must be accepted into the CSE Early Research Scholars Program.
In this course (and over the next three quarters in ERSP) you will develop:
Instructor: Christine Alvarado, cjalvarado@eng.ucsd.edu
Office hours: See my calendar: https://sites.google.com/a/eng.ucsd.edu/alvarado/calendar. Office hours appear as a public event, which you can click on to get the registration link. All office hours are virtual using Zoom.
TA: Vignesh Gokul, vgokul@eng.ucsd.edu
Vignesh will be assisting me with running CSE 193 and ERSP. This is his third year in this role. He will be managing the online portion of the class sessions. You will eventually meet regularly with Vignesh (more info to come).
There is no required textbook for this course and you do not need a clicker.
This course uses Canvas. All information and resources can be found on our Canvas site.
If you are attending in person, masks are required. You will also need to bring your laptop or other device to class every class period.
Although this course is listed as “in person only”, students will be participating both in-person and remotely via Zoom, but all synchronously.
You will also attend a weekly meeting with your group, most likely remotely over zoom. These will be set up at the start of the quarter, and will begin by week 2. Finally, starting around week 4 or 5, you will attend a weekly remote meeting with Vignesh.
This is a 4-unit course in which you will learn the basics of research in the context of an actual research project. We expect you to spend about 12 hours/week on this course, including time spent doing research on your project and time in class. With this course even more than others, what you get out of it will be a function of what you put into it. As a participant in ERSP and a student in this course, you must commit to the following:
You must attend each class on time, and participate actively in the class activities. You will receive a score of 2 (present, on time, actively participating), 1 (present, on time, but not actively participating OR present and actively participating but late), or 0 (absent or late and not actively participating) for each class period. Your lowest one class participation score will be dropped. This means you can miss one class for any reason with no penalty as long as you are on time and participating in all the others. After that, it will start affecting your grade.
Illness or other unavoidable absences: If you are sick, you should not attend class in person. If you are not seriously ill and still able to participate, I expect that you will attend remotely. If you are too ill to participate, you should contact your doctor and rest. We understand that other emergencies or circumstances may arise where you need to miss class. If you need to miss class for any other reason, please clear it with Vignesh or Christine in advance (unless it’s a last-minute emergency and you cannot). If the reason for missing class is reasonable (e.g. serious illness, emergency/unavoidable circumstance). Note that interviews scheduled during class time are not considered reasonable absences.
Each week (starting in week 2) you will be expected to attend a group meeting with your research group. One person in each group will be designated as the attendance taker. You will receive credit for attendance if you are on time and stay the full time. You must keep the attendance sheet up to date. You may miss up to one research meeting without penalty.
Throughout the program you will be expected to keep a regular log of your research activities. You must keep this log updated. We will check your log once per week (usually on Fridays), and you will receive a score of 2 (log up to date and complete), 1 (log partially up to date, or incomplete), or 0 (log not updated) for the week.
There will be a homework assignment that must be completed before class for most class periods. This homework will be graded on a three-point scale: 2 (homework thoughtfully completed and on time), 1 (homework lacking, or completed after the deadline), 0 (homework not done). Your lowest one homework score will be dropped.
At the end of the quarter, I will ask each person to judge the contribution of each of the other members of their group. From this information and my own observations over the quarter, I will make a determination about each person's individual contribution to the team. In a healthy team, everyone will get full marks here.
The project proposal is one of the major deliverables for the quarter. The final submission will be graded at the end of the quarter. (Grades on early drafts will be factored into your homework score).
The final presentation is the other major deliverable. It will be given during the final exam period.
There are no exams in this course. The final exam period--Thursday, December 17, 3-6pm Pacific time--will be used for your final presentations. Everyone is expected to attend the whole three hours.
Your grades will be weighted as follows:
I will use point values assigned to each element to produce a weighted score at the end of the quarter and a standard grading scheme (>94% = A, 90-94%=A-, 87-90%=B+, etc). (Very few) A+s will be given for exceptional performance in some way. Please note that 40% of your grade (and the hardest 40% to earn) in this course is based on group work. This reflects what life is like in research, where not everything is under your personal control.
One of the main goals of CSE 193 and ERSP is to form a supportive and respectful community. The following policies will help us with this goal.
Be respectful. Be sensitive. Be aware. Promote Others.
ERSP is about building a community where everyone feels supported, included, empowered and safe. To promote this environment, it is imperative that everyone adhere to the communication guidelines below:
The following behavior is promoted:
The following behavior should be avoided:
Our classroom abides by these principles:
In this course we expect students to adhere to the UC San Diego Integrity of Scholarship Policy. This means that you will complete your work honestly, with integrity, and support and environment of integrity within the class for which you are tutoring. You will get out of the CSE ERSP what you put into it. For that reason, it does not make any sense to cheat.
All work in this class must be your own or the work of your group, where appropriate. In most cases this work will consist of a short write up, but in some cases the writing will be longer. ALL writing must be your own original work, of the joint work of your group where appropriate, and may not be copied from any source without proper attribution. If you have any questions or concerns about what constitutes cheating in this class, please ask me as soon as the question arises.
All work in this course will be clearly labeled as “individual” or “group” work. When the work is individual, I expect that you will complete the work thoughtfully on your own. You may work alongside others and discuss the work, but all writing should be yours and yours only. When the work is group-based, you will submit a single submission for your entire group, and you will all receive the same grade.
Regrades will not be considered because in most cases you have the opportunity to improve your grade through additional work and iteration.
Life happens. If you need to submit an assignment late for any reason, please contact Christine as soon as possible. We will be reasonable and work with you.
We expect students to use technology during class only to complete activities directly related to what the class is currently working on. Please do not use technology for any other reason, including chatting, social media, working on work for other classes, playing games, watching videos, etc.
Individuals are not permitted to approach students to offer services of any kind in exchange for pay, including tutoring services. This is considered solicitation for business and is strictly prohibited by University policy.
If you need help at any time this quarter, please contact Christine or Vignesh. We are happy to work with you. You may also post general questions on the Canvas Q&A discussion board.
The IDEA Engineering Student Center, located just off the lobby of Jacobs Hall, is a hub for student engagement, academic enrichment, personal/professional development, leadership, community involvement, and a respectful learning environment for all. The Center offers a variety of programs, listed in the IDEA Center Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ucsdidea/ (you are welcome to Like this page!) and the Center web site at http://idea.ucsd.edu/. The IDEA Center programs support both undergraduate students and graduate students.
We are committed to fostering a learning environment for this course that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and respects your identities (including race, ethnicity, heritage, gender, sex, class, sexuality, religion, ability, age, educational background, etc.). Our goal is to create a diverse and inclusive learning environment where all students feel comfortable and can thrive.
Our instructional staff will make a concerted effort to be welcoming and inclusive to the wide diversity of students in this course. If there is a way we can make you feel more included please let one of the course staff know, either in person, via email/discussion board, or even in a note under the door. Our learning about diverse perspectives and identities is an ongoing process, and we welcome your perspectives and input.
We also expect that you, as a student in this course, will honor and respect your classmates, abiding by the UCSD Principles of Community (https://ucsd.edu/about/principles.html). Please understand that others’ backgrounds, perspectives and experiences may be different than your own, and help us to build an environment where everyone is respected and feels comfortable.
If you experience any sort of harassment or discrimination, please contact the instructor as soon as possible. If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, please contact the Office of Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination: https://ophd.ucsd.edu/.
We aim to create an environment in which all students can succeed in this course. If you have a disability, please contact the Office for Students with Disability (OSD), which is located in University Center 202 behind Center Hall, to discuss appropriate accommodations right away. We will work to provide you with the accommodations you need, but you must first provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the OSD. You are required to present their AFA letters to Faculty (please make arrangements to contact me privately) and to the OSD Liaison in the department in advance so that accommodations may be arranged.
If you are experiencing any basic needs insecurities (food, housing, financial resources), there are resources available on campus to help, including The Hub and the Triton Food Pantry. Please visit http://thehub.ucsd.edu/ for more information.