CSCI 303 Announcements
WeekDay/TimeActivity
17Monday thru May 5th thru Friday May 9th
  • The Final Exam is to be on May 5th over "study questions" from chapters 9 thru 14
  • Expect one or two questions from each chapter. (e.g. What are some ways that reading (more) benefits Engineers?).
  • The Final will be at 1:15pm in our usual classroom--Journalism 110
  • For clarification when preparing your for this exam, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for the final exam will be included in a Leomail to you and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: The Registrar will provide the course grade.
   
16Monday April 28 thru Friday May 2nd
  • On or before the end of Friday May 2nd answer the study questions for chapter 14
  • Send "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing responses for this assignment, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grades for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "Reminder: There is to be a Final Exam May 5th over "study questions" from chapters 1 thru 14 Expect one question from each chapter. (e.g. What are some ways reading (more) benefits Engineers?).
   
15Monday April 21 thru Friday April 25
  • During class on Wednesday April 23rd, prepare, then state a thorough answer to your assigned study question from chapter 13. Try to paraphrase a colloquial answer rather than reading verbatim from Laffra.
  • By Friday April 25th prepare and submit the "Follow-up Letter" exercise.
  • Send your "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for these assignments will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "ACM offers lifelong learning resources including online books and courses from Skillsoft, TechTalks on the hottest topics in computing and IT, and more."
see https://www.acm.org/
   
14Monday April 14 thru Thursday April 17
  • On or before the end of Thursday, prepare and submit the "Cover Letter" exercise.
  • Send your "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for this assignments will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: " ACM is aware that many in our community are concerned about potential negative effects of recent Executive Orders by the new US Administration on our work in both the US and globally. This includes concerns about possible consequences for ACM publishing, conferences, education, and practitioner efforts, as well as concerns about possible harms to our work on inclusion for a strong and diverse technology workforce."
see https://www.acm.org/
   
13Monday April 7 thru Friday April 11
  • On Monday and Wednesday April 7 and 9 discuss chapter 12 study questions;
  • On Wednesday April 9th, prepare, then state a thorough answer to your assigned study question from chapter 12. Try to paraphrase a colloquial answer rather than reading verbatim from Laffra.
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "The National Football League (NFL) has installed six cameras from the Sony-owned sports review tech company Hawk-Eye in each of its 30 stadiums as part of a new system that will automatically measure for first downs. The NFL said the camera-based system is about 40 seconds faster per measurement than traditional chain crews. The system will display virtual recreations inside stadiums and on television. "
12Monday March 31 thru Saturday April 5
  • On Monday March 31 discuss chapter 10 study questions;
  • On or before the end of Wednesday April 2nd, prepare and submit answers to the study questions for chapter 10. Send a "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L

  • On Wednesday April 2nd discuss chapter 11 study questions;
  • On or before the end of Saturday April 5th, prepare and submit answers to the study questions for chapter 11. Send a "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: Bulletin Boards: Gather a group of students to make announcement boards to be placed in public areas, advertising classes in the computer science department, career possibilities, research posters, pictures of local award winners and people in the news, tutoring opportunities, grants scholarships, other chapter meetings, etc. Popular places to post would be restrooms, inside classrooms, and in dorms. Consider fun pictures of officers, blown up to poster size. This also helps to dispel stereotypes.(ACM.org)
   
11Monday March 24 thru Friday March 28
  • On Monday and Wednesday March 24 and 26 discuss chapter 9 study questions;
  • On or before the end of Friday the 28th, prepare and submit answers to the study questions for chapter 9. Send a "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: " According to the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), about 1,700 cybersecurity positions or other cyber-related jobs have been posted by state and municipal governments across the U.S. over the past three months. States are vying for laid-off federal workers, especially those with cybersecurity experience, offering fast-track promotions, advanced skills training, and other perks."
   
10Monday March 17 thru Friday March 21
  • On or before the end of Friday the 21st read chapter 8, plus prepare and submit half-page summaries for the terms "Agile Software Development", "Clean Code", "Extreme Programming", and "Pair Programming". Also include references for these terms.
  • Send a "plain text" response in the body of a single leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing a response for this assignment, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for these summaries will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: Google co-founder Sergey Brin last week said his company could lead the industry in AI when machines match or become smarter than humans, but only if employees worked harder. He recommends being in the office at least every weekday.
   
9Monday March 10 thru Friday March 14
  • Spring Break--no class
   
8Monday March 3 thru Friday March 7
  • Midterm exam March 3rd over "study questions" from chapters 1 thru 7. Expect one or two questions from each chapter. (e.g. Describe how to perform "active listening".)
  • For clarification when preparing, send your questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The graded midterm will be returned March 5 and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "ACM TechBriefs is a series of short technical bulletins by the ACM Technology Policy Council that present scientifically-grounded perspectives on the impact of specific developments or applications of technology."
   
7Monday February 24 thru Friday February 28
  • On Monday and Wednesday February 24 and 26 discuss chapter 7 study questions;
  • On or before the end of Friday the 28th, prepare and submit the content for a poster to announce the midterm exam will be held March 3rd over "study questions" from chapters 1 thru 7. Expect one or two questions from each chapter. (e.g. Describe how to perform "active listening".) Send a "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send your questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "There are a number of ways to get started in the field of software development, regardless of whether you are a recent graduate or experienced tech professional. One popular option, especially with students and recent graduates, is to consult a career guidance counsellor. For those who feel they could use additional help in figuring out the next steps, there are free and paid professional services where a coach will show you what it will take to get you from point A to point B in your career. (Silicon Republic, February 10")
   
6Monday February 17 thru Friday February 21
  • On Monday and Wednesday February 17 and 18 discuss chapter 6 study questions;
  • On or before the end of Friday the 21st, prepare and submit answers to the study questions for chapter 6. Send a "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grade for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "A group of technology companies raised more than $27 million for a new initiative focused on building open-source tools to boost online safety for kids. The Robust Online Safety Tools (ROOST) project, announced Monday at the AI Action Summit in Paris, will provide free tools to detect, review, and report child sexual abuse material and use large language models to “power safety infrastructure,” according to a press release for the project. The Hill; Miranda Nazzaro (February 10, 2025)"
   
5Monday February 10 thru Friday February 14th
  • On or before the end of Friday the 14th answer the study questions for chapter 5.
  • Send "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing responses for this assignment, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grades for this assignment will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "Endpoint Foundations: In this skill path, you will cover the basics of Windows System Administration Linux System Administration, and Database Administration that are often defined as implied knowledge for Endpoint Administration. This path is the gateway from conceptual understanding to the technical application of endpoint administration skills within specific job roles.(acm.org)
   
4Monday February 3 thru Friday February 7th
  • On or before the end of Friday the 7th, prepare and submit a half-page summary for the term "Algorithm", plus answer the study questions for chapter 4.
  • Send "plain text" responses in the body of separate leoMails to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing responses for this assignment, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grades for these assignments will be included in replies to your emails and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "Python ranks number one among the most in-demand enterprise IT skills. Python is a programming language used in several fields, including data analysis, web development, software programming, scientific computing, and for building AI and machine learning models."(acm.org)
   
3Monday January 27 thru Friday January 31
  • On or before the end of Friday the 31st, prepare and submit your response to the "Search Engine Exercise" plus answers to the study questions for chapters 2 and 3
  • Send those "plain text" responses in the body of separate leoMails to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grades for these assignments will be included in replies to your emails and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "Is no communication better than communication of incorrect information?"
   
2Monday January 20 thru Friday January 24
  • On or before the end of Friday, prepare and submit the resume exercise plus answers to the study questions for chapter 1
  • Send your "plain text" responses in the body of separate leoMails to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • The grades for these assignments will be included in replies to your emails and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "ACM has relaunched Communications of the ACM (CACM) as a web-first publication, accessible to all without charge including the entire backlog of CACM articles. First published in 1958, CACM is one of the most respected information technology magazines. "
see https://www.acm.org/
   
1Monday January 13 thru Friday January 17
  • Get access to our textbook: Laffra's _Communication for Engineers_ isbn 9798707037603
    • Follow other links on the csci303 homepage to view documents for the Syllabus, Articles, Exercises, and Resources
  • On or before the end of Friday, prepare and submit a summary and reference for the term "plain text".
    For your answer, use a search engine such as DuckDuckGo, Google, or Yahoo to look for "plain text".
    The "reference" would be a URL pointed to by that search engine.
  • Send your "plain text" response in the body of a leoMail to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • For clarification when preparing, send questions to tom.brown@tamuc.edu
  • This assignment's grade will be included in a reply to your email and also recorded on D2L
   
 Professional/Ethical/Social issue: "Startups are struggling to fill positions requiring technology skills due to widespread domestic and global shortages. The Institute of Analytics Clare Walsh said the shortage stems from education's inability to keep pace with technological change, and addressing the problem will require companies to retrain and reskill workers. "