Draft Syllabus

Professor

Field	Value
Name	Humberto Ortiz-Zuazaga
Office	NCL A-159
Laboratory	NCL A-158
Telephone	787-764-0000 x88363
email	humberto.ortiz@upr.edu
Web page	http://ccom.uprrp.edu/~humberto/
Office hours	Monday and Tuesday 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Office hours	or by appointment

Description

This course is designed for students who attend their first semester in the Computer Science program. The course will allow students to become familiar with topics related to Computer Science and to undergraduate research. They will also learn the skills necessary to work in research and about principles of academic integrity. This is the first step to create an atmosphere where the students get interested and participate in research activities. At the end of the course the students should have selected a topic to research on.

Pre-requisites

None

Content

Ethics and academic integrity
References
Areas related to computer science
Undergraduate research
Undergraduate research opportunities
Research talks
Mathematicians and computer scientists

Objectives

The student will know the advantages of undergraduate research.
The student will have a positive attitude towards research in computer science.
The student will know and discuss the principles of academic integrity.
The student will know the research areas at the Department of Computer Science.
The student will learn about the contribution of mathematicians and computer scientists.
The student will give a short oral presentation about a mathematician or computer scientist.
The student will learn about current topics in computer science.
The student will learn about research and internship summer opportunities.
The student will learn how to find references and prepare a technical article.
The student will write an resume and a personal essay about her/his interest in computer science.

Course schedule

Class will meet Mondays from 11:30 AM to 12:50 PM in NCL A-141. Attendance is strongly encouraged.

Contingency plan

In case circumstances beyond our control impede the ability to hold presential clases, the professor will communicate to the students alternative methods for completing the work.

Alternative Teaching Methods

Certification No. 112 (2014-2015) of the Governing Board defines a classroom course as a course in which 75% or more of the hours of instruction require the physical presence of the students and the teacher in the classroom. This means that 25% of a classroom course could be offered without requiring the physical presence of the students and the teacher in the classroom. If necessary, this course will be able to complete up to 25% of the contact hours (11.25 hours) on a non-face-to-face basis by alternative methods such as: videoconferences, instructional modules, discussion forums and others. If so, the calendar/agenda will be modified to include the topics that will be covered by alternative methods.

Instructional resources

The course will be hosted on the UPRRP Moodle. Register and stay tuned for our polls and forum postings.

Textbook

None

Evaluation

Students work will be evaluated on a 100% basis with the standard curve.

Participation in course forums (online, classroom), 25% final grade
Draft essay, 25% final grade
References and presentation, 25% final grade
Writing assignments, 25% final grade

REGULATION ON DISCRIMINATION BY SEX AND GENDER IN THE FORM OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE

The University of Puerto Rico prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in any of its forms, including that of sexual harassment. According to the Institutional Policy Against Sexual Harassment at the University of Puerto Rico, Certification Num. 130, 2014-2015 from the Board of Governors, any student subjected to acts constituting sexual harassment, must tum to the Office of the Student Ombudsperson, the Office of the Dean of Students, and/or the Coordinator of the Office of Compliance with Title IX for an orientation and/or a formal complaint.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

The University of Puerto Rico complies with all state and federal laws and regulations related to discrimination, including “The American Disabilities Act” (ADA law) and Law #51 from the Puerto Rico Commonwealth (Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico). Every student has the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation and Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS). Those students with special needs that require some type of particular assistance or accommodation shall explicitly communicate it directly to the professor. Students who are receiving VRS services shall communicate it to the professor at the beginning of the semester so that appropriate planning and the necessary equipment may be requested according to the Disabilities Persons Affairs Office (Oficina de Servicios a Estudiantes con Impedimentos –OSEI) from the Students’ Deanship office. Any other student requiring assistance or special accommodation shall also communicate directly with the professor. Reasonable accommodations requests or services DO NOT exempt the student from complying and fulfilling academic and course related requirements and responsibilities.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The University of Puerto Rico promotes the highest standards of academic and scientific integrity. Article 6.2 of the UPR Students General Bylaws (Board of Trustees Certification 13, 2009-2010) states that academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to: fraudulent actions; obtaining grades or academic degrees by false or fraudulent simulations; copying the whole or part of the academic work of another person; plagiarizing totally or partially the work of another person; copying all or part of another person answers to the questions of an oral or written exam by taking or getting someone else to take the exam on his/her behalf; as well as enabling and facilitating another person to perform the aforementioned behavior. Any of these behaviors will be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with the disciplinary procedure laid down in the UPR Students General Bylaws.

To ensure user data integrity and security, hybrid and distance education courses are offered through the institutional learning management system, which employs secure connection and authentication protocols. The system authenticates the users’ identity with the username and password of their institutional accounts. Users are responsible for keeping their password secure and not sharing with others.