This course provides computer science majors with an opportunity to work on a semester-long project or research paper that is more substantial than the projects or papers assigned in other CS classes. To achieve this creative goal, students may work in teams or individually. CS faculty members can also serve as mentors of the project or research paper, and the effort will be coordinated by the course instructor.Milestones throughout the semester must be met for successful completion of the course. These include submission of initial design specification documents, bi-weekly written reports and oral presentations, development of assessment criteria to measure student success, final project/paper report with accompanying software artifacts, and a formal presentation of the project/research paper at the end of the semester.
For BS CS students, this course can be used as both a CS-related and CS-Senior elective. For ACS majors, this course can be used to satisfy the ACS CS 400-level course requirement for all concentrations.
(1) Students will complete an original scholarly or creative project by: - articulating and refining a scholarly question by following ethical principles - choosing an appropriate discovery process for scholarly inquiry - gathering evidence appropriate to the question - applying scholarly conventions appropriate to inquiry and reporting - assessing the vailidy of key assumptions and evidence - and situating the inquiry within a broader context(2) Students will communicate knowledge from an original scholarly or creative project
C or better in CS 321 (Software Engineering) and CS 483 (Analysis of Algorithms); two other CS 400-level courses; and senior standing.
Completion of CS 390 prior to taking this class is highly recommended.
Prof. Pearl Y. Wang
Computer Science Department
Office: Nguyen Engineering - ENGR 4440
Phone: 703-993-1527
E-mail: pwang at cs.gmu.edu
Office Hours: Wed 1 - 3:30 pm; other times available by appointment
Please note that students will receive a final grade of C or better in this class only if the semester project is completed. Late coursework will not be accepted. The course grade is based on three components:(1) Class participation: 20%
Bi-weekly oral progress reports, demos and/or presentations; peer critiques; mandatory attendance.(2) Deliverables: 60%
20% - Project design/research plan documents, including bi-weekly document updates (see Timetable)40% - A final project report that must include documented software and/or project-generated artifacts (if a project is to be implemented.) For a research paper, a final document must be submitted containing evidence of an original contribution that includes comparison to previous work in the literature.
(3) Final presentation: 20%
Students in the class must give a final presentation of their projects to the public.
All coursework must be performed in accordance to Mason and CS Department Academic Integrity and Honor Code Policies at http://cs.gmu.edu/resources/honor-code/. These policies will be strictly enforced.
If you have a documented learning disability or other condition that may affect academic performance you should: (1) make sure this documentation is on file with the Office of Disability Services (SUB I, Rm. 4205; 993-2474; http://ods.gmu.edu/) to determine the accommodations you need; and (2) talk with the instructor to discuss your accommodation needs. All academic accommodations must be arranged through Disability Services.
Dates Topics Deliverables
(Submit to MyMason)Jan 25 Course Introduction & Project/Research Development Methods Homework 0
(In Class)Feb 1 Student Project/Research Plan:
Short Proposal Description & PresentationHomework 1 Feb 8 Student Project/Research Plan:
Design/Report Document & PresentationHomework 2 Feb 15 Evaluation/Feedback Discussions Feb 22 Student Progress Report Homework 3 Mar 1 Library Resources, Success Metrics, and Evaluation Criteria Mar 8 Student Progress Report Homework 4 Mar 15 Spring Break Mar 22 Student Progress Report Homework 5 Mar 29 " Apr 5 Student Progress Report: Preliminary Demos Homework 6 Apr 12 " Apr 19 Practice Run: Presentation, Demo, and Results Homework 7 Apr 26 " May 3 Last class:
Public Presentations & Demos (Part I)Final Reports
and SoftwareMay 10 Exam Week:
Public Presentations & Demos (Part II)
Student privacy is governed by FERPA. Students must use their MasonLive email account to receive important University information, including communications related to this class. The instructor will not respond to messages sent from a non-Mason email address.
Library Infoguide for CS 490
University Libraries (Ask a Librarian)
University Policies (See Mason Catalog- General Information)
GMU Academic Calendar
Student Support on Campus [Counseling, writing, career services, etc.]
Last day to add: January 29, 2019
Last day to drop: February 5, 2019 (no tuition penalty)
Final day to drop: February 12, 2019
Last day for Self-Withdrawal: February 25, 2019
Spring break: March 15, 2019
Last day of Selective Withdrawal: March 25, 2019
Last day of classes: May 6, 2019
Final Examination: May 10, 2019
Created: 23 January 2019
P.Y. Wang