Graduate Catalog Course Description: Discussions on research areas in computer science, scientific methods of conducting, writing, reporting, and disseminating research. Requirements include presentation and written reports that demonstrate proficiency in presentation tools and techniques, statistical and experimental design techniques, and library and literature searches.
Course Prerequisite: 6 hours of CS graduate courses.
Course Objectives: The students should understand how to initiate a research direction, submit a research proposal to funding agencies, perform the research individually and jointly, present and publish the research results, and extend the research into future directions. They should be able to apply these skills into their research assignments, thesis, dissertation, etc.

Course Rationale: In order to promote better computing in both software and hardware, advanced research is necessary. CS graduate students need to understand various ways of conducting research in various areas to prepare for their future careers.

Text: Practical Research, Planning and Design, Tenth Edition, Paul D. Leedy, Jeanne Ellis Ormrod, Pearson, 2013. ISBN: 13:978-0-13-269324-0

Other Materials: There will be handouts and other assigned readings from material available in the library or on the Web. You should have access to WWW and to some of the tools described in the list “Topics to be covered” below.

Topics to be covered:
• Brief history of research in computer science. Review of selected past, recent and current research topics.
• Statistical and experimental design techniques.
• Tools for research, presentation, and dissemination: HTML, WWW, library, online library searches, books, research journals, magazines, and presentation tools like PowerPoint and others.
• Discussion of the scientific method. Each student will be required to complete a research project proposal, write a detailed proposal, and make a proposal presentation to the class.
Assignments and Grading:
In general, the following will be used to determine your grade in the class: attendance and participation in discussion at all class meetings; on-time submission of all assignments, reports; tests and quizzes; preparation, presentation, and submission of a complete research paper in the agreed-upon topic and format; attendance at and submission of reports on other students’ presentations. Typographical and grammatical errors will result in lower grades. Late assignments will not be accepted. More specifically, your grade will be based on approximately 600 points distributed as follows:
Homework/Quizzes 150
Class Presentation 50
Exam 125
Research Proposal 200
Proposal Reviews 75

Attendance Policy:
You are expected to attend every class. If, because of an emergency or illness, you miss a class, you are expected to get the class notes and other information from one of your class mates. If handouts were given that day, you can get those from the instructor when you return. No make-up exams will be given. You must attend class on the day of a test. In the rare event that an emergency occurs on the day of a test which causes you to miss class, you will be required to present written documentation to me before any special provisions are considered.

Students with Disabilities:
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.

Academic Integrity:
Academic integrity is of utmost importance in academic life. Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Moreover, plagiarism in the form of using published information without giving credit, directly copying passages without identifying them as such, cutting and pasting information off the internet, self-plagiarism, etc., also will not be tolerated. Consequences of cheating in this class: the course grade is lowered, possibly to F. Teamwork is allowed in this class only when explicitly stated.

Policy on Student Collaboration: You are encouraged to discuss the course material and the assignments with other students, but each individual student must do all assigned work unless explicitly outlined otherwise. Failure to perform your own work will constitute cheating and all cheaters will be failed. No exceptions, no withdrawals allowed. Please contact me, your professor, if you have any doubts about the propriety of your course activities.

Rules of Conduct: Cell phones are allowed in the classroom, but please put them in vibrate mode. Only under rare circumstances should you leave the room to accept a call during class. Laptops are allowed when they are needed to explore class topics. Laptops are not allowed to be on social media sites or answer email.

Student Assistance/Tutoring: The following are available to you if you need assistance to do well in this class:
• Bracken Library research resources personnel
• Intensive English Institute
• The BSU Writing Center. One key to improving your writing is getting feedback and revision suggestions on your text during the writing process. The Writing Center at Ball State offers free writing feedback sessions (online or face-to-face) to all students on essays, reports, reflections, research projects, web content, lesson plans, slideshows, poster presentations, resumes, and other digital or print texts. You can make an appointment by going to www.bsu.edu/writingcenter, stopping by Robert Bell 295, or by calling 765-285-8370.

Other important links:
The Student Rights and Community Standards office administers the Ball State Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities (Code) and advises faculty and students on a number of policies and procedures outlined or referred to in the Code. Here are links to important information:
• Academic Ethics policy: www.bsu.edu/studentrights/academicethics
• Grade Appeal policy: www.bsu.edu/studentrights/gradeappeal
• Student Funeral and Bereavement Leave policy: www.bsu.edu/studentrights/bereavement
• The Ball State Beneficence Pledge: www.bsu.edu/pledge (academic excellence and high standards of scholarship, academic integrity and honesty, social responsibility, and valuing difference)

Class Schedule:
12:30-1:45 12:30-1:45
Place RB 460 RB 460

Week # Tuesday Topic Readings Thursday Topic
1 Aug. 23
What is research?
Examples PR 1
Aug 25 CS research examples
2 Aug 30 Research proposal format PR 5 Sept 1 Critique a proposal
3 Sept 6 Library research resources, BL, room TBA PR 2,3 Sept 8 Your research project
4 Sept 13 Hypotheses, the Wright brothers PR 4 Sept 15 Select research topics, Industry guest speaker
5 Sept 20 Common weaknesses PR 8,9 Sept 22 Literature review
6 Sept 27 Independent and dependent variables PR 6,7 Sept 29 Research designs
7 Oct 4 Research designs IEEE paper Oct 6 Quantitative research
8 Oct 11 Fall Break Oct 13 Qualitative research
9 Oct 18 quiz PR 11 Oct 20 Experimental designs
10 Oct 25 Experimental designs Oct 27 Ex-post facto designs
11 Nov 1 Measurement scales Nov 3 validity concerns
12 Nov 8 Guest presenter or lab/library proposal preparation Nov 10 proposal preparation
13 Nov 15 Data prep and analysis Nov 17 Data prep and analysis
14 Nov 22 Exam Nov 24 Thanksgiving Break
15 Nov 29 Student presentations Dec 1 Student presentation
16 Dec 6 Student presentations Dec 8 Student presentations
17 FINAL Last student presentations, Tuesday, December 13, 2016, 12:00 – 2:00 P.M.
Text abbreviation: PR Practical Research, Planning and Design

Other official dates within the Fall 2016 semester:

• Monday, September 5 – Labor Day: no classes, administrative offices closed
• Monday-Tuesday, October 10-11 — Fall Break: no classes, administrative offices open
• Wednesday, October 26 – Course Withdrawal Period Ends
• Nov 8-10, Security and Software Engineering Research Center (S2ERC) Showcase at University of West Florida, see www.serc.net
• Wednesday, November 23– Thanksgiving break begins; administrative offices are open on Wednesday, but not Thursday or Friday