By “routines” I mean our periodic patterns of activity: what happens in a typical class, a typical week, and a typical exam and assignment cycle. This page tells you what I will do and what you will be expected to do on a recurring basis.
There are three midterm exams covering the core material. The first two are given one full week after the last problem set on the exam topics was due, so you have time to get feedback on homework problems. Due to the university cutoff for midterm exams, the third is held the week after the relevant topics are covered. The first exam is at least half review of 211 and 241: results are returned before the withdrawal date so you can assess whether you are ready for ICS 311.
On most weeks we cover one book chapter/topic in each of the two classes (two chapters per week). The exceptions are the first two weeks when we are getting our bearings and covering material that must be understood to comprehend the rest of the semester; the weeks we have midterms; and the chapter that introduces graphs (we take a full week for it).
The pace is intense: set aside time almost every day for ICS 311. The basic pattern is as follows:
Saturdays:
Sundays:
Mondays:
Tuesdays:
Wednesdays:
Thursdays:
Fridays through the weekend:
Use to do problem sets and/or projects in preparation for Sunday deadlines, and to watch screencasts and read book chapters.
“Midnight”: The deadline in Laulima will be set to 23:55 (11:55 pm) on the due date, to avoid any ambiguity of which day “00:00” refers to. Upload your solutions before midnight. There will be a 5 minute grace period just in case of network delays. The three projects can be submitted late for 1% off per hour up to 50% off, but the homework assignments cannot be late.
The Assistant Teaching Assistant will have lab hours on Mondays. This will be your last chance for clarifications before assignments are due. Instructor office hour will be Wednesdays (with some availability Monday by appointment). Plan in advance for programming projects due Sundays.
The focus of our 75 minute class will be student problem solving in groups, with opportunites to get help. For at least the first part of the semester, the groups will be formed anew randomly each week. Each day you will solve a series of conceptual problems and turn them in as a group for a group grade. These problems prepare you to take on more substantial problems that you turn in individually on Sunday. At that time you will also allocate points to group members. (See Assessment for explanations of grading.)
Here are typical schedules for 75 minute classes: Adjustments to the class routine will likely be made to meet current needs.
Tuesdays:
Thursdays:
Plan to bring your laptop or tablet to classes held in Webster 101 (but not to exams in BusAd A101). You’ll need a VGA connector if you want to be able to project your laptop to your working group. Apple iPads can connect via Apple TV. I’m not aware of another method. Of course, groups can function with only one or two members having a projectable laptop, but it’s better for you if you can be an active participant. At least one person in each group should have the textbook handy in class as well.
This class is “inverted” in the sense that lectures are recorded and made available outside of class, and classroom time is used for what can only be done in person: collaboration and helping each other.
Lectures have their advantages, but they have problems too. For most students listening to lectures is too passive an activity. The temptation to daydream or check Facebook may be too great, and it takes effort to keep your mind on the material. Actual problem solving is more effective for learning. Also, lectures are a form of “distance learning”: though we are all in the same room we might as well be at a distance, as there is little interaction. When I ask working professionals what skills they want our students to have, being able to collaborate in teams is ALWAYS mentioned on the first breath.
For these reasons, the inverted classroom puts lectures online so that students who benefit from them can have them, and even review them repeatedly; and uses the classroom time in ways that engage students more actively and takes advantage of the unique opportunity provided by being in the same room.
The online quizzes before class are of course intended to motivate students to review the material before class. There is another motivation: If you don’t prepare in advance, you risk looking foolish in front of your peers, who may be annoyed at you for being unprepared to help, and you’ll miss a learning opportunity. You don’t want to get a reputation for being the person who is not prepared. It’s a small world: someday your peers may be able to influence hiring decisions.
Much has been published by researchers and practitioners on how to organize groups for collaborative learning. My approach is based on this research and my experience with this course.
During the first month, students will be assigned randomly to groups, rotating to new groups each week to help you get to know each other. (A survey of students fall 2013 indicated that many liked this format as it was a rare opportunity to get to know other ICS students.) Also it helps prevent reliance on dysfunctional relationships (e.g., freeloading and “the sucker effect”): a student can’t plan on being with someone who will do the work for him or her, and after a while people figure out who to avoid when forming groups.
After the Midterm 1 exam, you may form voluntary groups. Students who form voluntary groups will stay in them until the next midterm, at which time they may elect to continue or disband. Other students will continue to be assigned randomly.
Regardless of whether you are in random or voluntary groups, this is an important opportunity to develop group collaboration skills and also to develop a good reputation with your peers. It may affect whether you are selected to be part of a good group in ICS 311, and I have seen some students after graduation get hired while others fail to get a job because of the reputations they had with their peers.