Welcome to Comp 401.

Seminar — / sem·i·nar /
a group of advanced students studying under a professor with each doing original research and all exchanging results through reports and discussions
-- Merriam Webster

Course Descritpion: Much of this course will follow the definition of a seminar. You will work on a project as part of the team. You will "pitch" your project idea to your class mates and present an early prototype. Then, after gathering responses to your ideas, your team will implement the system and present the finished product at the end of the seminar. Along the way, we will investigate and practice some software engineering principles and you will present on topics related to your project -- possibly discussing research papers on the topic.

Course Basics

Lecture:

Mon-Wed 12:30PM-1:50PM, Science Center 1349

Instructor:	Martin Gagné
Email:	lastname_firstname at wheatoncollege dot edu
Office:	Science Center 1323
Office Hours:	Monday 10:00AM-11:30PM Wednesday 2:00PM-4:00PM Thursday 11:00AM-12:00PM and by appointment

Course Discussion:

I can set a discussion forum on Piazza if you want one.

Course Textbook

There is no required textbook for the course. Over the course of the semester, I will recommend readings extracted from a variety of sources, some of which will be posted here.

Additional references

This course will discuss a number of topics that may not always be directly related to your project, links to resources for those topics will be posted here.

Links on Software Engineering:

• Scrum Reference Card

Links from Career Services:

• http://wheatonma.joinhandshake.com/: Use this resource to schedule appointments with Maggie Becher, Associate Director -- Career Services who works with seniors. There are over 125+ full time CS jobs posted in Handshake from employers looking to hire Wheaton students specifically.
• LinkedIn: Search for Wheaton College Ma, click on alumni, and learn where alumni are currently working. Reach out for informational interviews.
• https://jobs.acm.org/: Job postings that any student can access (regardless if you have a membership) on the Association of Computer Machinery job portal.
• https://jobs.gamasutra.com/: Jobs in the gaming industry.
• http://www.buzzfile.com/Major/Employers-by-Major: See which companies hire by major and state.
• https://carmen.co/skills-benchmark: Search skills that employers are looking for by job title. Also compare your resume to job postings to identify how to strengthen the key words.
• https://www.zippia.com/explore/: Learn more about jobs, locations, and skills.
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-and-information-research-scientists.htm: General information about careers, growth, etc.

Detailed Specification Document examples:

• The Wheaton TechnoLegacy
• Mountain Climber

How to read a research paper