CPSC 441, Fall 2002
Final Project
AS YOU KNOW, the final project for this course is due at the scheduled final exam period: Thursday, December 19, at 1:30 PM. This project counts for 20% of your final grade, which is the same percentage as each of the two tests. The project should be a substantial effort, and you should start working on it as soon as possible.
There are three types of final project:
- A network programming project.
- A substantial research paper on a topic related to networking.
- a shorter research paper on some network technology, combined with some practical work on setting up, configuring, or programming for the technology.
You can find some suggestions for each type of project in the handout for this course. (It's on line at http://math.hws.edu/eck/courses/cpsc441_f02.html, if you've lost it.)
The final project is an individual, not a group, assignment. You are responsible for choosing your own topic, in consultation with me. On the last class before Thanksgiving break, November 25, you should turn in a short written statement of your topic. I suggest that you meet with me to discuss your ideas one or more times before then. On Friday, December 6, you should turn in a more detailed outline of the project. This outline will be graded for 10 homework points. This outline should include:
- For a network programming project: A description of the protocol your program will use and a specification of the major functions and/or classes that you will be writing.
- For a research project: A thesis statement and short outline of the paper, and a bibliography of references that you plan to use. The bibliography must contain at least six sources, and at least half of those sources must be books or articles rather than Web resources.
- For a paper combined with practical work: An outline of the paper, with at least three bibliography references, plus a description of the practical work that you are planning to do.
The project itself must be turned in promptly at 1:30 on Thursday, December 19 (or earlier).
David Eck, November 2002