Lectures

NOTE: All student in CSCI 5010G are required to attend the 2024-25 Computer Science Seminars in addition to regular lectures.

Week 1: Program Introduction & Getting Involved in the Research Community

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: This week we will discuss the course outline as well as the learning objectives of the course.
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Computer Science Graduate Welcome Reception

Week 2: Oral Communication

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: We will learn how to create a great research presentation including the importance of knowing your venue, knowing your audience and knowing your presentation goals.
    • Slides: [PDF]
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Elevator talks – 90 second talks on your research topic/area and why it is important.
    Elevator Pitch

Week 3: Publishing Research

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: We will discuss different types of publication venues (e.g., workshops, conferences, journals, books) and the difference between peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed publications. We will also discuss publication quantity versus publication quality and look at different publication metrics including citation count. Other topics related to publishing will be discussed including predatory publishers, Web of Science and impact factor rankings.
    • Slides: [PDF]
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Loutfouz Zaman, “Visual Game Analytics”

Week 4: STUDENT PRESENTATIONS

  • 2:10pm-5:00pm: Student presentations.

Week 5: Guest Lectures

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Steven Livingstone (Virtual)
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Pejman Mirza-Babaei

Week 6: SELECTING A TOPIC AND WRITING A THESIS PROPOSAL

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: Selecting a good thesis topic can be a challenging process. Today we will learn how to identify potential research topics, how to select the best topic using topic analysis and how to write a thesis proposal. Group discussion on how to create a good annotated bibliography. Don’t forget to bring an example annotated bibliography entry for critique.
    • Slides: [PDF]
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Peter Lewis, From Anthropomorphic to Zoomorphic Social Robots: Our Experiences”

Week 7: Writing and Defending a thesis

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: Technical writing is unique and is not the same as writing general prose. In this week we will learn best practices as well as tips & tricks for becoming a good technical writer. We will also learn about Latex – one of the most popular type setting tools. Finally, we will discuss the format of a typical research thesis and how to navigate the thesis defense process.
    • Slides: [PDF]
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Annie Lee

Week 8: TBD

Week 9: Managing a Research Project

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: TBD
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Eric Rapos, “Innovations in Model-Driven Software Engineering”

WEEK 10: Peer Reviewing Research Papers

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: A research/thesis project can take months or years to complete and during the process it is important that you properly manage your time, your effort and the research material you produce. Topics covered will include: research logs/journals, best practices for research meetings (including agendas, note taking), time management skills and the importance of backing up your data! In the context of data backup we will also discuss the benefits of version control systems.
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by TBD

WEEK 11: Writing Papers with LaTex

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: An overview of LaTeX for writing research papers. Topics include: latex style files, basic markup, use of labels, references, citations, source code packages, figures, tables and references.
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Bill Kapralos, “Immersive Virtual Learning Environments”

Week 12: Professional Skills DevelopmenT

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: Overview of the conference management system we will use for the final paper. Course wrap-up.
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Ali Neshati

WEEK 13: TBD

  • 2:10pm-3:30pm: TBD
  • 3:40pm-5:00pm: Guest Lecture by Prof. Cristiano Politowski

Final Student Presentation

  • All students will give a final presentation on a research topic in their field of study followed by a few minutes for questions. The student presentations are open to all faculty and students in the Computer Science graduate programs.
  • Location: TBD
  • Schedule: TBD