Undergraduate Concerns

Undergraduate Concerns Brought to you by the representatives of: CSUA, HKN, IEEE, and UPE

Overview • Grade Feedback and Reader Culture • Specific Class Concerns • L&S Faculty Advisors • Miscellaneous Concerns

Grade Feedback and Reader Culture • Assignments should be returned sooner • Hire readers sooner • Provide them with specs sooner • Show them more appreciation – it’s not a popular job • Need more accountability from readers • Make them hold announced office hours • Maybe give them a P/NP unit

EE 122 • Problems • Too many topics crammed into one semester • TA’s are often uncomfortable with either the CS or EE side • Projects too complex and have incomplete specifications • Solution • Split into two courses, one more CS-related and one more EE-related • Could offer each class once a year

EE 20 • Problems • Little continuity between topics • Tries to avoid math, detailed applications • Recommendations • Teach a greater mathematical depth as in EE 120 – should require Math 54 • Spend less time on state machines • Make more effort to show relations between topics and between topics and applications

EE 42 • Students confused as to relevance to CS • Students don’t take course seriously • Recommendations • Clarify course goals • Change focus level • Physical limitations • Preparation for logic design • More emphasis on digital systems • Computer simulations (more LogicWorks)

E 190 • What we expect from a technical communications class • Many paper types: journal article, proposal, design specification, documentation • Wide range of target audiences, for both papers and presentations • Teach style, not grammar • Consistency across sections

CS 3 • UC-WISE • Needs improvement, especially UI, before wide-scale deployment • Course covers too much material; lab too long • Some students burn out • What is the purpose of the course? • Not a weeder

Good Things About the Curriculum • CS 70 • Appears to be a very solid course • Small class size is key • CS 186 • Switched from miniBase to PostgreSQL • Much better • Old favorites: EE 141, CS 172, 61A

CS Faculty Advisors • Current system: group advising • Too little interaction between students and faculty • No consistency • Sporadic attendance • Recommendation: Similar system to EECS faculty advisors

Minor Points • Centralized anonymous feedback • Example: EE 40 does this now • Webcasting • Would like it in as many classes as possible • Home Connections • Courseware should be easy to install and work on at home • For example, CS 61ABC, 162, 164, 186 • Infrastructure • Instructional is doing a great job • We hear AirBears coverage is improving. This is good.

Five Year Masters Program • Highly motivated students already take graduate classes and do research • Many of them would take advantage of a five-year masters program • Should require research • Perhaps require a professor’s recommendation or sponsorship

Key Recommendations • More rigor in EE 20 • Expand E 190 • Change reader culture • Have faculty advisors for L&S CS majors

Authors • Galen Hancock – galen@csua – CSUA, UPE Treasurer • Aaron Jow – aaronj@hkn – HKN Industrial Relations • Thomas Kuo – thekuo@ucsee – IEEE Industrial Liaison • Devang Parekh – devang@uclink – IEEE Internal Liaison • Jack Sampson – jsampson@csua – Alumnus • David Schultz – das@csua – CSUA Secretary • David Sontag – dsontag@upe – UPE Faculty Liaison • Amy Wung – amywung@hkn – HKN Dept. Relations • Lucy Zhang – lucyz@uclink - UPE Faculty Liaison

Questions

Undergraduate Concerns