Assignments


In this class, you are expected to work on three assignment, each of equal value in terms of contribution to the score in the assignments category. The individual assignments are described in separate documents; links are given in the sidebar and in the course schedule. This document contains some information on aspects that are common to all assignments. Since this class combines students with different backgrounds, you will have a set of assignments to choose from. You have to select three out of the following options:
  1. Concept Map: For a domain of your choice, develop a concept map or conceptual model according to the specification of Assignment 1 from the CSC 481-S14 class.
  2. Ontology: This assignment is typically a continuation of Option A, and may use the same domain. You expand and formalize the concept map into an ontology, according to the specification of Assignment 2 from the CSC 481-S14 class.
  3. Reasoning: Based on the ontology from Option B, you enhance the domain model to include additional concepts and rules, with the goal of performing meaningful reasoning tasks in the domain. This is based on the specification of Assignment 3 from the CSC 481-S14 class.
  4. Usability Evaluation: For a system or product of your choice (preferably the subject of your team project, or related to your research paper), you perform a usability evaluation according to the specification of Assignments 3 or 4 from the CSC 484-W14 class (but not A5, the one involving outside experts). These assignments consist of usability experiments where important observations (such as key strokes, pointing device movements, eye movements) are recorded and analyzed.
  5. Knowledge Presentation: For a topic and data set of your choice, you examine different methods to present knowledge to users in order to enhance the knowledge-centric aspects of a user’s interaction with a system. This often relies on visualization and animation methods, but may also include other methods such as speech or touch.
  6. Interaction Space: For a system or interaction method of your choice, you determine the interaction space that determines the sequences of activities between a user and the system. This involves an analysis of the communication channels between user and system, the set of possible moves available to each, the constraints imposed on such moves at various points, and the grouping of action sequences into episodes.

Assignment Deadlines


I’ve specified three deadlines, indicated as A1, A2, A3. You have to submit one assignment for each deadline, based on your selection from the options above. The sequence is up to you, but there are straightforward ones, such as Options A > B > C.

Assignment Submission


Assignments typically consist of documents or code, and should be submitted electronically. We will use the PolyLearn “Assignment Submission” feature, or possibly a repository like Google Docs, or Dropbox. Team-based assignments are typically hosted in the same repository as the team project documents.

Early and Late Submission Policy


This is briefly discussed in the syllabus as well. In general, the quality of the work performed in a class like this is more important for me than submission on a specific date. However, it is also necessary to impose some structure in the form of due dates and deadlines. These are indicated in the specific assignment descriptions, and in the course schedule. If you have a strong reason that makes it difficult for you to meed a deadline, talk to me as soon as possible.
My general policy is a 10% penalty per business day for late submission, and a 10% reward per business day for early submission, both capped to a maximum of 50%.

Intellectual Property, Plagiarism, and Dishonesty


In general, the Cal Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism applies; see also the FAQ on plagiarism provided by the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities. For writing and programming assignments, you should follow a simple principle: If you didn’t create (write, program, draw) it, identify the source. This can be in the form of a bibliography entry (with the corresponding anchor in the text), a link to a Web page (e.g. for diagrams or photos), or a note in the program documentation about the use of libraries, code snippets, algorithmic methods, or other sources. While my basic assumption is that most students will be honest, I may use computer-based tools to determine the proper use of material.
In assignments where collaboration is an option, I usually assign the same score to all students participating in the collaborative effort. If there is evidence that there is a clear disparity in the contributions of individual students, I may assign different scores, and may also request additional documentation about the respective contributions.