CS599 Syllabus--Summer I 2008

Be able to explain why it is important for education and business professionals to keep abreast of evolving technologies.
Be able to discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and prospects of current emerging technologies.
Be able to demonstrate the research skills necessary to identify and evaluate emerging technologies (just-in-time learning).
Be able to discuss in depth a chosen emerging technology, based on independent research.
Students will be assessed according to their contributions to the class's collaborative project.

Coursework will begin the week of April 7, 2008, and continue until June 26, 2008.

This course will operate in "online" mode, meaning that all course work will be done on-line, using Sharepoint's Wiki feature to make the course a "collaborative learning opportunity" modeled on how the famous Wikipedia works. What this means is that the instructor provides introductory material to define what emerging technologies are, lists a number of such technologies, and provides some background and resource material. The students then work, as a group, on writing treatments of the technologies. One student should begin each technology by preparing a rough draft of the treatment, perhaps indicating where more material is needed. The other students then add to the draft, correct the draft, edit the draft, and so on until a professional-quality final essay emerges. Research will be necessary, and references must be supplied. The instructor will lurk in the background, occasionally adding hints or suggestions to the work in progress. Sharepoint provides some hints as to how to build the Wiki; other tips can be picked up by examining the instructor's materials.

The Wiki provides starting points for fifteen emerging technologies (most of them related to computers). The course runs for twelve weeks. One technology per week is a useful expectation, but of course the instructor has no objection to greater ambitions! Note that a Wiki is a continuing project--the first one started may still be getting changed in the last week of the course! The Sharepoint site also provides a discussion board where students can discuss preferences and apportion work. Each student should take responsibility for initiating work on the treatment of one technology. Once they have done so, all students should contribute to all treatments.

It is worth noting that this approach is an experiment. It has been used at other schools around the country, but not previously at Thomas College or by Dr. Easton. The results will determine whether it is used again.

Students who plagiarize will flunk the course.

Prof. Thomas A. Easton