Handout 1: 9/3/02

CPSC 689/603
Special Topics in Digital Libraries

Syllabus

Fall Semester 2002
TuTh 9:35-10:50 -- HRBB 104

Description of Course

The course surveys current research and practice in Digital Libraries, which seek to provide intellectual access to large-scale, distributed, digital information repositories. The course will be based on current readings taken from the research literature and will cover the breadth of this highly interdisciplinary area of study.

Prerequisites: Graduate standing in CPSC or permission of the instructor

Course information

Course Instructor

Richard Furuta, HRBB 402C, 845-3839, furuta@cs.tamu.edu
Office hours: TBA

Course Web pages

The course Web pages are located at http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/~furuta/689dl/
Please check them regularly for new announcements.

Tentative course grading plan

This grading scheme is subject to change. In particular, if class characteristics warrant, additional elements may be added to the course requirements.

15%Individual project one (first half of the semester)
15%Individual project two (second half of the semester)
40%Term project (small to medium-sized groups; semester-long) [5% proposal, 10% literature review, 10% presentation, 15% written report]
10%Digital Library project summary presentation (individual or two person group; mid-September)
15%Reading summaries (due monthly) and participation
5%Assignment 0 (first week of class)

Notes

  1. Check the course's Web pages regularly for new announcements. If you need to contact me outside of regularly scheduled times, please use electronic mail.
  2. Assignments will be announced in class. Please refer to the course Web site for the assignment specification.
  3. If examinations are necessary, they will be comprehensive and will cover all course material to date (i.e., both readings and discussions). Examinations will be closed-book unless otherwise specified. There will be no makeup examinations. If you have a valid medical excuse, the examination component of your grade will be computed based on the other examination.
  4. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Due dates will be set to give ample time for completion of the project and will not be extended save for the unexpected and unlikely major, long-lived catastrophy. Individual accomodations will be discussed if you have a valid medical excuse. Last minute computer malfunction or work assigned in other classes will not be accepted as valid reason for delaying an assignment's due date. (Changes to an assignment's due date will generally be avoided because they are unfair to those students who have organized their time to complete the assignment). Late assignments will be decremented by 10% per day (Monday-Friday) or fraction of day late, starting at class time.
  5. Put your name, email address, and the URL for your course Web site on all assignments. Place an electronic copy of your assignments on your course Web site.