Project Information
Use the project as an opportunity to delve more deeply into Web
programming, or to explore in more depth a topic related to computer science
or the Internet that you are interested in. Have fun! Be creative! Your
project, which is worth 20% of your final grade, may be one of the following
types:
- An interactive Web site, including supporting documentation.
There are many possibilities here. In the past, students have written games
(for example, blackjack, battleship, adventure, slot machines, logic
puzzles), a weekly planner/calendar, quizzes, even an interactive Web site
for fashion advice. Use your imagination and be creative! Your project must
include a significant amount of code in JavaScript. I encourage those of you
who are considering going on in Computer Science to undertake such a
project.
- A research paper. This should be a thorough, in-depth discussion
of some aspect of computers and computing, around 10 pages in length.
There are lots of possible topics here. Examples might be some aspect of
artificial intelligence, social issues related to the Internet, legal issues
(Microsoft and Napster come to mind), privacy issues, advances in computer
hardware, viruses and computer security, electronic terrorism, computers and
music, or computers and education. Your research should focus on references
within the past 2-3 years, and must include some non-Internet sources of
information, such as books or magazine and newspaper articles.
- Mix and match. A combination of an interactive Web page and a
research paper. You can take advantage of the multi-media capabilities of
the Web to present your ideas in more creative ways than traditional print
media allow. For this option, you could present your research paper as a Web
page with scripts illustrating the concepts discussed in the paper.
Projects may be on a topic of your choice, subject to my approval. Spend
some time looking around at what's on the Web to help you come up with ideas
for your project. If you choose Option 1, you may work in teams of two if
you wish. In this case, each member of the team will receive the same grade
on the project.
Due Dates
At the end of the semester, each student will give a short,
informal presentation of their project to the class.
- Due Tuesday, April 15:
- A one-page project proposal. This should include the names of team
members, the type of project (Web site, paper, or combination), and a
description of the proposed topic. If you are doing a research paper, you
should include a preliminary list of information sources.
- Due Tuesday, May 6:
- Your complete project, in final form.