Structure

• Reading the papers

  The goal of the course is to prepare each of you for research in wireless networking. To that end, we will be reading a number of seminal and recent conference and journal papers in the area. In order for you to participate in the class discussions it is essential that you've actually read the papers. While you don't necessarily have to understand all of them (that's what the discussion is for), you should have at least attempted to get through the paper, at least looking at all of it.

• Writing evaluations

  To help motivate the class discussion, everyone enrolled in the class is required to submit a short (1/2 page, no more than 1 page; single-spaced, 12pt font) evaluation of the papers being discussed. These evaluations should briefly summarize the main contributions of each paper, as well as your assessment of its main strengths and weaknesses. In particular, you should highlight what you believe to be the novel insight or approach, and how it might be useful outside the scope of the paper. These evaluations should be submitted via email the evening before class. Since I realize many of you may prefer to work while others of us sleep, the "evening before class" will be construed to end at 6am, PST, on the morning of class. Those students presenting the paper are excused from submitting an evaluation.

  I realize having something due for every class can be challenging, so those who are taking the class for a letter grade may elect to skip two classes' worth of reviews (i.e., four reviews in addition to presentation days) without penalty.

• Participating in class

  The most important requirement is active participation in class discussions. The evaluations should provide ample topics for discussion, but don't feel constrained to limit your comments to those expressed in your evaluations. Questions or clarifications about confusing parts of the papers (there will be many!) are entirely appropriate. Thoughtful criticism or extension of the work presented in the paper is highly encouraged. We've all read the papers---it's your new insight we're interested in!

• Paper presentations

  Everyone enrolled in the class will be asked to present at least one paper during the quarter (the more folks enrolled, the fewer papers you'll need to present, so encourage your friends to sign up!). This doesn't need to be a conference-quality talk, so don't worry too much about it. The basic idea is to present to the class a brief summary of the paper (what problem does it attempt to tackle, why is that problem interesting, what is the approach, how effective was it, etc.) for the benefit of those sitting in (there will usually be several), and to present your evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the paper, as well as any interesting next steps or related issues. Think of it as an oral presentation of what you would have written down. You should also prepare a short list of discussion topics to help get the class started. Slides are encouraged but not required.

• Project

  If you enroll for four units of credit, you are required to do a term project. Projects will be conducted in groups of 2-3 people in consultation with me. You may pick your own groups, or I will form them for you if you haven't done so by the end of the second week of class. A list of potential topics will be posted to the class Web site, but feel free to suggest your own. The output of your term project will be a conference-length report, a 20-minute presentation to be given during the exam period, and perhaps an interesting software artifact. Ideally, some of the project reports will turn into conference or workshop submissions. I'd be happy to discuss such prospects with you during or after the term.

  Here's a brief schedule for the project:

  • Now: Topic Selection
    Check out the reading list and start thinking about what kind of project you'd like to work on and whom you might like to work with. Talk with other students in the class. It may be possible to do a project related to research you're already doing, but check with me first. If you're not sure, or have questions about a project, please ask.
  • 4/12: Group Selection
    If you've found a group, send me the names and email addresses of the people in it. If you haven't yet found a group, send me a description of what kind of work you're interested in doing and I'll try to match you up. Feel free to talk to me about any ideas or concerns you might have. Final groups will be announced on 4/17.
  • 4/26: Proposal Due
    Each group will submit a 1-2 page project proposal describing the research question you plan to explore, why it's interesting, how it relates to other work, and how you expect to approach the problem. Further details about the project proposal will be posted shortly.

  • 5/17: Project Checkpoint
    In order to ensure you're all on track and making progress towards your goals, I'll schedule short (20 minute) meetings with each group to discuss your progress and help you with any difficulties you may have encountered. While this is our only mandatory meeting, feel free to ask to schedule additional meetings with me if you'd like.

  • 6/5: Reports due
    Each group will submit a 10-12 page conference-style written reports by noon so I have a chance to read them before presentations in class the next day. By this point in the term, you should be familiar with the style of conference papers in the area. Your report should be written in a similar fashion, including a discussion of related work (with references).
  • 6/6: Project Presentations
    Each group will give a short presentation of their work during the final period. All group members are expected to participate.

Grading

• Class participation 15%
• Term project (software artifact and paper) 60%
• Paper evaluations 15%
• Paper presentations 10%

Collaboration policy

You are expected to be aware of UCSD's academic honesty guidelines. Any violation of the course or institute policies will be treated very seriously, and could lead to severe repercussions, up to, and including, expulsion. Don't cheat. It's not worth it.