CSE 218: Advanced Topics in Software Engineering (Fall 2007)
Tu/Th 3:30 - 4:50pm (WLH 2111)
Ubiquitous Computing Research, with Academic Preparation option

Academic Preparation 'Lab': Tu/Th 12:30 - 1:50am (EBU3B 2154)
First Lab Meeting: Thursday 9/27
Attendance at the first day of lab is required

Bill Griswold

Office Hours: TBA

This course will be run in two "options" for you to choose from:

• A research readings seminar with a research project. You should choose this option if you are primarily interested in ubiquitous computing. This course will be run as a graduate version of CSE 118. The schedule will be the same, except for the time and place of the Tu/Th discussion. There is no additional lecture section, but you can attend the undergraduate section if you wish.

• A laboratory for academic preparation. You should choose this option if you are interested in pursuing a faculty career.

In an on-going exploration in learning and curriculum design, I am running CSE 218 and CSE 118 (Applications in Ubiquitous Computing) in conjunction. The idea is to have the graduate students in CSE 218 act as teachers for the CSE 118 students, with myself providing hands-on mentorship in teaching methodology. A goal of this approach is to prepare you for being a university educator. Taking CSE 599 concurrently with CSE 218 is recommended, but not required.

CSE 118 itself is unique, taught like a graduate research seminar to help undergraduates prepare for graduate school. Thus, the overall approach is one of 'laddering': I the professor help you the graduate students prepare to be professors, while you are helping the undergraduates prepare to be graduate students.

Twice a week, you will be holding small seminar sections with groups of the undergraduates to discuss research papers in ubiquitous computing. Prior to each meeting, you and I will get together to discuss issues for the paper, as well as discuss teaching methodology. I will also hold a separate weekly discussion section for the undergraduates on basic software engineering (Weds 10-11am).

The course also has a design project. Thus, in addition to facilitating discussions, you will be serving as hands-on project mentors to the undergraduates. The project will be supported by a large pool of mobile hardware donated by Intel (wireless PDA's and laptops), as well as TA support.

More can be learned about how I will conduct this course in the proposal I wrote to Intel.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.

Note

I recommend that you take CSE 599 concurrently with this course. It is a 2 credit course in teaching methods in computer science. If taking such a course seems unattractive to you, then taking CSE 218 may not be appropriate for you. Consider taking CSE 118 with me instead, which can be petitioned for the MS software engineering requirement.

Readings

• Report of the 1998 Boyer Commission, ``REINVENTING UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities''

• Proposal I wrote to Intel.