CSC 240 Research Project & In-Class Presentation Due Date for Chosen Research Topic: 5:00pm Monday, March 11 th Due Date for Summary and PowerPoint Presentation: 11:55pm Sunday, April 7 th In-Class...

CSC 240

Research Project & In-Class Presentation

Due Date for Chosen Research Topic: 5:00pm Monday, March 11^th

Due Date for Summary and PowerPoint Presentation: 11:55pm Sunday, April 7^th

In-Class Presentations: Monday, April 8^th
& Wednesday, April 10^th

Objectives:

• To gain research experience in a rapidly changing area


• To gain experience in communicating the knowledge gained through research


• To practice presentation and communication skills

Computer Science is an ever-changing discipline and as such the ability to explore and learn about new technologies is a life skill that must be developed early on. This research project and in-class presentation is intended to develop these skills. The research paper and presentation will constitute 30% of your final grade. Students may work alone or in pairs.

Research:

Pick an area to research that is of interest to you. You should have an idea of how this technology would be used in an app when choosing your topic. Sample topics include:

• Web services


• GPS services


• Accelerometer


• Accessing contacts


• Phone services


• Messaging


• Accessing/modifying the calendar


• Background apps (a music player for example)


• Google Play services


• Third-party library*

*Numerous Android libraries have been created by other developers and are available for use in your Android app. These third-party libraries often provide basic or desirable functionality, and prevent you from having to build this functionality from the ground up. You can Google “Android libraries” or “third party Android libraries” as a starting point.

This list are possible topics, but you are not restricted to this list. You may propose any topic that is not being covered in class during the semester.

Your chosen research topic must be submitted on Blackboard no later than 5:00pm Monday, March 11^th. You must submit a .pdf document that includes:

• the name(s) of the student(s) working on the topic


• the chosen topic and how it might be used in an app


• one reference you’ve found on the topic

If working in a pair, both students must submit this document. If multiple students wish to research the same topic, the first student/group to submit the topic proposal will be given the topic and all others will have to choose an alternative topic. You will be notified by 1pm Tuesday, March 12^th
if your topic is deemed inappropriate for any reason.

General Requirements:

• You (and your partner if applicable) must research your topic to learn about how this technology can be used in an Android application. You must be able to explain the relevance of this topic, how it might be implemented, show example code, discuss concerns or difficulties one might encounter using it and be able to teach your classmates about the topic.


• You must use at least 3 references as part of your research. This does not mean three pages on the same site. Your references may be developer sites, books, online articles, etc.


• As part of your research you should try to implement the technology. Keep notes about your success or hurdles you encountered.


• A research paper of 1000-1500 words (if working alone) or 2000-3000 words (if working in a pair) must be submitted. The length of the paper does not include references. The paper must contain:




• topic overview


• a description of the technology and how it works


• an explanation of how the technology might be used in an app


• an explanation of how you tried to utilize the technology in an app (what you were able to get to work and what you weren’t)


• a discussion of why you may/may not want to use this technology (pros and cons)


• references used




• 
  The PowerPoint presentation must contain 6 slides (not including a title slide) or 12 slides for those working in a pair.
  


• 
  The presentation must be 6-7 minutes long or 12-14 minutes long for those working in a pair. Please note that you will not be given additional time so practice your presentation.
  


• 
  The presentation must include:
  




• 
  a brief description of the technology (what topic did you choose?)
  


• 
  examples of where (in what kind of apps) the technology might be used
  


• 
  a demo of your sample code (or an explanation of the problems you encountered)
  


• 
  a discussion of the benefits of the technology, including at least two reasons you might want to use it
  


• 
  a description of any known difficulties (i.e. any roadblocks/constraints that make it difficult to implement the technology, security or performance concerns)
  




• If working in a pair, each member of the group is responsible for an equal amount of the presentation and the paper (i.e. if you work in a pair then each member is responsible for approximately 50% of the presentation and 50% of the paper). Both members of the pair must submit the attached teamwork rubric.


• At a minimum the following will be considered when grading the presentation: content, organization, timing, language use and delivery, slide content and peer reviews. See the attached presentation rubric for more details.