Principles of User Interface Software
CS 4470/6456 Fall 2002
General course information and policies
Electronic information
The use of electronic technology in the classroom will play a critical
role in this class. We will use electronic means to disseminate
information about the class, such as the lecture schedule (syllabus),
readings, homework and project assignments. We
will try to make as much use as possible of electronic information
exchange. The three possible electronic means of exchange will be
electronic mail, a collaborative Web discussion space (if students request it) and a class
World Wide Web home page. If you aren't already familiar with these
Internet-based tools, now is the time to find out.
Electronic mail
Probably the most dependable way to contact the instructor is by e-mail. Whenever you send e-mail,
please make sure you include your full name on the message, as it is
sometimes difficult to decipher student mail addresses.
WWW
You are currently reading text from the class Web pages for CS 4470/6456.
There are a variety of ways to access this page using any of a number
of WWW browsers. For example, you can traverse links directly from
the College of Computing home
page (follow Course Information link and then Class Websites). Or you
can access this page directly by opening the URL
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/AY2003/cs4470_fall/.
The class syllabus, indicating lecture topics, reading, homework and
lab assignments, will be posted on the class Web page and will be
continually updated throughout the semester. You should make it a
regular habit to consult the syllabus. (Note: Since the
syllabus is constantly updated, make sure you explicitly reload the
page to ensure that you are looking at the latest version of the
page. )
All project work will be made available via the Web page for the
class. Individual project teams will be responsible for
preparing a Web notebook of project deliverables.
Discussion spaces
In the past, we have made use of a class newsgroup, but its use has
dwindled substantially for a variety of reasons. As an
alternative, we will be making use of a collaborative Web
discussion space, called a CoWeb. More on that as the course
progresses.
Grading
The final grades will be calculated based on the following weighting
scheme. Please note that graduates will be required to do more work in
the project. It is possible that this weighting scheme will be
adjusted as the semester progresses. Any such changes will be
announced to the class.
Grade weighting
| Category | Ugrads | Grads |
| Homework 1 | 10% | 10% |
| Homework 2 | 10% | 10% |
| Homework 3 | 10% | 10% |
| Homework 4 | 10% | 10% |
| Project Part 1 | 10% | 10% |
| Project Part 2 | 15% | 10% |
| Project Part 3 | n/a | 5% |
| Midterm Exam | 15% | 15% |
| Final Exam | 20% | 20% |
The final letter grade will be determined based on a curve that
respects the relative distribution of grades throughout the
semester. However, an overall average above 90 will result in an A,
between 80-90 a B, between 70-80 a C, between 60-70 a D. Students
taking the class pass/fail must receive a B or better to pass.
Students auditing will not be required to complete homework, projects
or exams.
Homework
Four programming homework assignments are planned for the first half
of the course. Details on the requirements for successfully
completing the homeworks will be given in the assignment on the Web.
The work is expected to be completed by individuals and not in
collaboration with others. The grade for a homework assignment will
be marked down 25% for every day it is late.
Exams
There will be a midterm and a final
exam. All exams will be based on readings, lectures, homework and
project assignments. The midterm will be returned within
one week. Questions about exam grading should be directed to the TA
within one week of the return. Adjustments in exam grades will be
rare and could equally well result in a lowering or raising of the
grade.
Group project
The second half of the course will consist of a collection of lectures
on advanced topics beyond the traditional 2-dimensional graphical user
interface. Students will be expected to complete a significant
project based on at least one of the advanced topics presented in
class. These topics will be presented in an overview lecture after
the midterm examination. The project consists of two separate
activities. The first is a written paper that serves as an overview of
the topic area and based on a collection of readings. The second
activity will involve an instructor-approved impementation task in the
topic area. In addition, graduate students will be required to either
participate in a panel discussion on research issues in their topic
area or write a 4-page technical note suitable for submission to the
UIST conference.
Class participation/Attendance
A good portion of the learning in any upper level class comes from
intelligent discussion involving the instructor and the students. If
you don't attend class, you cannot participate, and your performance
in the class may reflect that. I expect that each student will make
an effort to attend all lectures and contribute constructively to the
discussion. The instructor reserves the right to use judgment of
class participation to adjust the final overall average for any
student.
I want to know who you are, so please make an effort to speak in class
and talk to me outside of class. If by the end of the quarter I don't
know your name, it won't necessarily be my fault.
Other policies
Students are expected to attend all lectures on time. Students are
expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner. This expectation
includes showing up for exams at the appointed time. Late make-up exams
will not be given. Any conflicts with exam times should be brought to
the instructor's attention as soon as possible and in all cases PRIOR
to the examination period.
Students are expected to follow the university's code of academic conduct.
Cases of suspected academic misconduct will be immediately forwarded to
the Dean of Student Affairs, and will be pursued to resolution. This is an
unpleasant process for all involved, so please do not put yourself in this
situation. Group projects are expected to be done collaboratively.
Individual homework assignments, unless otherwise indicated, are
expected to be done by individuals without collaboration. The
take-home final is also an individual assignment, with no expectation
of collaboration.
Above all, I would like to adhere to the reasonable person principle.
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