CSCI 4994h -- New Course

Thu Jan 28 11:48:18 2010

Approvals Received:
Department
on 12-22-09
by Mary Freppert
(freppert@umn.edu)
Approvals Pending: College/Dean  > Catalog
Effective Status: Active
Effective Term: 1109 - Fall 2010
Course: CSCI 4994H
Institution:
Campus:		 UMNTC - Twin Cities
UMNTC - Twin Cities
Career: UGRD
College: TIOT - Institute of Technology
Department: 11108 - Computer Science & Eng
General
Course Title Short: Honors Thesis
Course Title Long: Honors Thesis
Max-Min Credits
for Course:		 3.0 to 1.0 credit(s)
Catalog
Description:		 Research work for an honors thesis arranged with a CS faculty member who is the advisor or coadvisor.
Print in Catalog?: Yes
CCE Catalog
Description:		 <no text provided>
Grading Basis: A-F only
Topics Course: No
Honors Course: Yes
Delivery Mode(s): Independent Study
Instructor
Contact Hours:		 3.0 hours per week
Years most
frequently offered:		 Every academic year
Term(s) most
frequently offered:		 Fall, Spring, Summer
Component 1: DRS (no final exam)
Auto-Enroll
Course:		 No
Graded
Component:		 DRS
Academic
Progress Units:		 Not allowed to bypass limits.
1.0 credit(s)
Financial Aid
Progress Units:		 Not allowed to bypass limits.
1.0 credit(s)
Repetition of
Course:		 Allow up to 2 repetition(s) totalling up to 6.0 credit(s).
Course
Prerequisites
for Catalog:		 # and Honors student
Course
Equivalency:		 No course equivalencies
Consent
Requirement:		 Instructor
Enforced
Prerequisites:
(course-based or
non-course-based)		 No prerequisites
Editor Comments: <no text provided>
Proposal Changes: <no text provided>
History Information: Dec 09-Course requested by UHP.
Faculty
Sponsor Name:		 Maria Gini
Faculty
Sponsor E-mail Address:		 gini@cs.umn.edu
Student Learning Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes: * Student in the course:

- Can identify, define, and solve problems

Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome.

Working on research requires students to identify, define, and solve new problems. The instructor will help the student in the process.

How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated.

The instructor will assess this student learning outcome by assessing the overall quality (originality, innovation, technical quality) of the research work done for the honors thesis.

- Can locate and critically evaluate information

Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome.

Students will learn to locate and critically evaluate information by learning how to find research related to their thesis and by writing a related work chapter for their thesis.

How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated.

The instructor will assess this student learning outcome by assessing the coverage of related work and scholarly references used in the thesis.

- Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry

Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome.

Students will learn how to conduct research, by setting hypotheses and validating or disproving them, either formally or experimentally. They will build their research work on the body of knowledge they have acquired in their previous coursework.

How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated.

The instructor will assess this student learning outcome by assessing how well the research work reflects mastery of knowledge and follows the scientific method.

- Can communicate effectively

Please explain briefly how this outcome will be addressed in the course. Give brief examples of class work related to the outcome.

Students will demonstrate they have acquired the ability to communicate effectively in writing through the writing of their thesis and orally through one-on-one meetings with the instructor.

How will you assess the students' learning related to this outcome? Give brief examples of how class work related to the outcome will be evaluated.

The instructor will evaluate this learning outcome by assessing the quality of the thesis in terms of structure, quality of writing, proper use of figures and diagrams, and formatting.
Liberal Education
Requirement
this course fulfills:		 None
Other requirement
this course fulfills:		 None
Criteria for
Core Courses:		 Describe how the course meets the specific bullet points for the proposed core requirement. Give concrete and detailed examples for the course syllabus, detailed outline, laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or method.

Core courses must meet the following requirements:

  • They explicitly help students understand what liberal education is, how the content and the substance of this course enhance a liberal education, and what this means for them as students and as citizens.
  • They employ teaching and learning strategies that engage students with doing the work of the field, not just reading about it.
  • They include small group experiences (such as discussion sections or labs) and use writing as appropriate to the discipline to help students learn and reflect on their learning.
  • They do not (except in rare and clearly justified cases) have prerequisites beyond the University's entrance requirements.
  • They are offered on a regular schedule.
  • They are taught by regular faculty or under exceptional circumstances by instructors on continuing appointments. Departments proposing instructors other than regular faculty must provide documentation of how such instructors will be trained and supervised to ensure consistency and continuity in courses.

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Criteria for
Theme Courses:		 Describe how the course meets the specific bullet points for the proposed theme requirement. Give concrete and detailed examples for the course syllabus, detailed outline, laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or methods.

Theme courses have the common goal of cultivating in students a number of habits of mind:
  • thinking ethically about important challenges facing our society and world;
  • reflecting on the shared sense of responsibility required to build and maintain community;
  • connecting knowledge and practice;
  • fostering a stronger sense of our roles as historical agents.


 <no text provided>
Writing Intensive
Propose this course
as Writing Intensive
curriculum:		 No
Question 1: What types of writing (e.g., reading essay, formal lab reports, journaling) are likely to be assigned? Include the page total for each writing assignment. Indicate which assignment(s) students will be required to revise and resubmit after feedback by the instructor or the graduate TA.

 <no text provided>
Question 2: How does assigning a significant amount of writing serve the purpose of this course?

 <no text provided>
Question 3: What types of instruction will students receive on the writing aspect of the assignments?

 <no text provided>
Question 4: How will the students' grades depend on their writing performance? What percentage of the overall grade will be dependent on the quality and level of the students' writing compared with the course content?

 <no text provided>
Question 5: If graduate students or peer tutors will be assisting in this course, what role will they play in regard to teaching writing?

 <no text provided>
Question 6: How will the assistants be trained and supervised?

 <no text provided>
Question 7: Write up a sample assignment handout here for a paper that students will revise and resubmit after receiving feedback on the initial draft.

 <no text provided>
Course Syllabus
Course Syllabus: For new courses and courses in which changes in content and/or description and/or credits are proposed, please provide a syllabus that includes the following information: course goals and description; format;structure of the course (proposed number of instructor contact hours per week, student workload effort per week, etc.); topics to be covered; scope and nature of assigned readings (text, authors, frequency, amount per week); required course assignments; nature of any student projects; and how students will be evaluated. The University "Syllabi Policy" can be found here

The University policy on credits is found under Section 4A of "Standards for Semester Conversion" found here. Course syllabus information will be retained in this system until new syllabus information is entered with the next major course modification. This course syllabus information may not correspond to the course as offered in a particular semester.

(Please limit text to about 12 pages. Text copied and pasted from other sources will not retain formatting and special characters might not copy properly.)


 This course is to allow a student to receive credit and an University Honors Program honors experience for writing their senior honors thesis.  Students, under the direction of an adviser, will conduct research and be taught how to write a research paper in a format and style appropriate for submission to a research conference or journal.  Grade will be assigned on an A-F scale based on the written honors thesis.