Dr. Jody Paul – Education – MSCD Courses Living in a Computing World

Course Information

Course Details, Policies, Resources, Schedule of Topics, Assignments

Course Description

Living in a Computing World enables students to better cope with and prosper in a world where computing is everywhere. It provides the knowledge and skills necessary now and in the future as we become ever more dependent upon computers and technology. Living in a Computing World addresses how computing enables and empowers innovation, exploration, and the creation of knowledge as well as how it transforms human values and can facilitate social abuses and violations of human rights. Living in a Computing World empowers students with fundamental skills of the 21st Century. These apply to all disciplines (arts, humanities, business, social and physical sciences, ...) and to all aspects of 21st Century life (health, entertainment, employment, family, law, ...). Living in a Computing World provides techniques and skills for working in and reasoning about the modern world, but it is not a Computer Literacy course and it is not a Computer Programming course. Students will learn how to evaluate problems and opportunities as well as the feasibility and social impact of proposed solutions and products. Students will design and build personally-relevant creations, both individually and in teams, using a variety of computational tools (abstraction, algorithms, data, modeling, simulation) and iterative creative processes (like those used by artists, musicians and engineers) to translate their ideas into a form that they can share with others. Prerequisites: For Fall 2010: Permission of instructor.

Course Objectives

Learning outcomes for students will be drawn from the following: Investigate and draw upon new technologies to create and evaluate personally meaningful new works and reinterpret existing ones Access and assess the validity of information from a variety of sources (for example, distinguishing facts from hoaxes) Use computational media to understand how how technologies influence culture, beliefs, and behaviors Communicate through a variety of media and technologies to convey original ideas and to interpret the ideas of others Use various types of computational reasoning to think and reflect critically and to solve problems in both conventional and innovative ways Use technology effectively to research, access, create, and communicate creative ideas Analyze and communicate the ethical and legal concerns raised by computational innovation; the effects within economic, social and cultural contexts; and the implications for individuals and society. Flexibly adapt to rapid and pervasive change in real-world contexts Collaborate effectively as part of diverse teams to increase innovation, quality, and the production of useful outcomes Use the computational arts to solve problems and create artifacts that benefit the larger community Appreciate and address online safety and privacy Assess risk using computational thinking skills and technologies Interpret current events and proposed change in the context of the power and limitations of computing Use knowledge of computational performance to discuss implications of algorithm and design choices Utilize “debugging” skills and techniques in a variety of contexts Apply experimentation appropriately and effectively to investigate and answer questions Appreciate and analyze how computing, as a creative human activity, engenders innovation, promotes exploration, and affects communication, cognition and human interaction Use abstraction (reducing information and detail) to focus on concepts relevant to understanding and solving problems Articulate how data and information facilitate the creation of knowledge Interpret and develop algorithmic experssions of solutions to problems Produce computational artifacts using the creative process of programming Analyze characteristics of systems and networks in terms of the applications for which they can be used Describe how computing enables innovation in other fields including science, social science, humanities, arts, medicine, engineering, and business Develop a coherent specification for a desired outcome Analyze a technology project and determine implications to individuals and society Describe ethical principles and guidelines as they apply to the use of computation

Resources

	Can Animals and Machines Be Persons?: A Dialog by Justin Leiber Hackett Pub Co Inc (1985) ISBN: 0872200027 REQUIRED
	Scratch 1.4: Beginner's Guide by Michael Badger Packt Publishing (2009) ISBN: 1847196764 REQUIRED
	Scratch Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab http://scratch.mit.edu
Additional resources will be provided in class as handouts or links to online sources.

Course Information & Policies

You are expected to fully participate in class discussions and activities and to prepare for class sessions in advance (reading, preparatory exercises, etc.). A substantial amount of information will be disseminated during class sessions or on course websites that you will be responsible for knowing whether or not you attended the sessions or accessed the websites. Note in particular that the textbooks and references do not provide all of the information necessary to successfully complete the course requirements. Practice is vital to applying course knowledge to the real-world. Assignments represent your opportunity to practice applying the concepts and thereby enhance your understanding. Projects are required of all participants. Details of each will be provided in class and on the course support website. Special Note: Because group work represents a significant aspect of this course, if you think you will drop, do your classmates a favor and drop early. If you drop after you are part of a team, your fellow students are adversely impacted. Grading Alphabetical grades are as defined by MSCD Academic Policies and Procedures. The final course grade is determined by combining scores on in-class activities, homework, assignments, projects and exams. You are guaranteed a grade no lower than that computed by the following weighted distribution of total points and conversion of score (percentage of total possible) to letter grade: 50 to 70% – Individual Assignments and Contributions 5 to 25% – Group Projects 10% – Midterm Exam 15% – Final Exam 100-90%: A;  89-80%: B;  79-70%: C;  69-60%: D;  59-0%: F Reflection: Every assignment and project turned in must include a mini-write-up (no more than 1 page) labeled “Reflection” in which you reflect on the experience of working on the assignment and report personal insights and observations. Late assignments will earn 50% of the credit if turned in within one week of the original due date, 25% of the credit if turned in within two weeks, and no credit after that. Unforeseeable illness, crises, and emergency situations will be addressed in accordance with MSCD, College, and Departmental policies. Collaboration Collaboration is encouraged and regarded as an essential 21st Century skill. Collaboration and discussion with fellow students, assistants, and the instructor concerning course information, materials, assignments, projects, proofreading, and concept exploration is strongly encouraged. You are not expected to learn the course content or work on assignments and projects in isolation on your own. Team deliverables are expected to be a joint effort involving all team members. An overall grade will be assigned for each deliverable that reflects the quality of product. An individual grade for each team member will also assigned for each deliverable. This individual grade will be a combination of instructor assessment and peer assessments. You may be required to assess each team member's contribution (including your own) for deliverable. While most activities in this course will be collaborative in nature, assignments that are used for individual assessment must be written up on your own, reflecting your individual effort, even if the solution is the result of a collaborative effort. In your write-up, you must credit the people with whom you worked. Remember that you must write and turn in a personal reflection for every collaborative as well as individual effort. If you consult any sources, please explicitly note the materials that you used. Turning in work that does not credit collaborators, or includes uncited quotations or references, is considered dishonest and an attempt at fraud. Unauthorized collaboration during exams is never acceptable. All incidents of suspected dishonesty will be reported to the department and the Dean of the college. Consequences may include a grade of 0 on the assignment, a grade of "F" for the course, academic probation, or dismissal from the institution. This is a very serious matter and should not be taken lightly. If you have any uncertainty or concerns, please discuss them with your instructor or advisor. Quiet Period The 24-hour period immediately preceding the due date/time for each assignment and project is considered a quiet period. During that 24-hour interval, no questions directly referencing that specific assignment/project will be addressed by the professor. All students are strongly encouraged to complete significant work on assignments and projects well in advance of this quiet period. The instability and unreliability of most computer systems, especially those at MSCD, is another compelling reason to complete all computational work prior to the quiet period.

Official Announcements

Official policies applicable to all courses: http://cs.mscd.edu/metadot/index.pl?iid=2249

Also see the MSCD College Catalog at http://www.mscd.edu/academic/catalog/ for official announcements, including Academic Policies and Procedures and Student Rights and Responsibilities, and the Academic Calendar at http://www.mscd.edu/academic/acal.htm for additional official dates and deadlines, including the last dates to withdraw and receive NC (with and without faculty signatures).

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