ECE 7250 Doctoral Research Seminar

ECE 7250 DOCTORAL RESEARCH SEMINAR

Spring 2012

version 23 April 2012

Important Note:

This document is available at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/ECE7250.html and provides critical resources for this course. Check the posted version for updates.

Instructors:

Dr. Massood Z. Atashbar, Course Coordinator and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Western Michigan University, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Parkview Campus, Room A-247, 269.276.3148, 269.276.3151 (fax), massood.atashbar@wmich.edu, www.homepages.wmich.edu/~zandim/.

Dr. Damon A. Miller, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Western Michigan University, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Parkview Campus, Room A-240, 269.276.3158, 269.276.3151 (fax), damon.miller@wmich.edu, www.homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/.

Office Hours:

Dr. Atashbar: Wednesdays 1:00 PM-3:00 PM, Other times are available by appointment please.

Dr. Miller: Office hours are posted on Dr. Miller’s door and at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/. Please respect course instructor office hours. Other times are available by appointment.

WMU Catalog Description:

TBD

Notes: Open to Graduate Students Only-Please refer to The Graduate College section for course descriptions.

Course Description:

The seminar will focus on the following topics to support development of student doctoral dissertations: research questions and problem statement; literature review; research design and hypotheses; research methodology; institutional review boards and the use of human subjects (as needed); data analysis techniques; interpreting results; and limitations of the research. Other topics include finding funding sources.

Seminar Structure

This seminar is structured to provide students with an active experience in learning about doctoral-level research. Your involvement in class is essential to the success of this course. This means being prepared for each week’s topics and being prepared for your specific responsibilities concerning presentations, dissertation briefs, and other deliverables.

The end product is a proposal for dissertation research. Students will perform the following activities as part of the seminar:

Dissertation Proposal

Preparation of a short two page pre-proposal that describes a potential dissertation topic. That pre-proposal must include applicable references.
Upon approval of the pre-proposal, perform a comprehensive literature review in the area of interest. The literature review must summarize the state-of-the-art in this area.
Each student will be responsible for providing, in writing, the names of conferences, journals, trade publications, and funding sources in their respective fields. This will be due no later than the last scheduled class meeting.
Students will explore internal and external funding opportunities to their research.
Revise pre-proposal in light of the information obtained in the literature review.
Upon approval of the revised pre-proposal, preparation of a full research proposal that is accompanied by an in-class presentation.

Research and Life Skills

Students will be required to attend workshops offered by the WMU Graduate College. These are offered at no cost to students. These are specified by name in the syllabus. Each student will submit a 1-2 page assignment focusing on the strengths, weaknesses, and insights gained from the workshop. This assignment will be due at the start of the next scheduled ECE 7250 class meeting.
If appropriate to the student’s discipline, the student will obtain HSRIB certification through WMU’s CITI training. The completion certificate must be submitted to the instructors to pass ENGR 7250. Access at https://www.citiprogram.org/.
Students will complete identified training modules in areas such as “authorship and publication practices” and “peer review”.
Seminars may also include guest speakers.
Students will be required to find at least three employment opportunities in their area of interest.

Textbook and Materials

Recommended

1. LINK TO LIBRARY GUIDE FOR ENGINEERING by Mr. Eckel

http://libguides.wmich.edu/engineering http://libguides.wmich.edu/engineering

2. ASTM STANDARDS

http://libproxy.library.wmich.edu/login?url=http://enterprise.astm.org/

Course Policies

Academic Honesty

General:

“You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. [The policies can be found at http://catalog.wmich.edu under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities.] If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.” — provided by the Professional Concerns Committee of the WMU Faculty Senate

Plagiarism:

“One of the most serious academic offenses is plagiarism (see definition for "plagiarize" in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary). If your institution, colleagues, or professional organization believe that you have unfairly used the work (the intellectual property) of another person, you may lose your job, be asked to leave your university, and/or have your professional career ruined” [from http://www.ohio.edu/linguistics/info/plagiarism.html]. See that website for tutorials on how to insure that you never plagiarize another’s work.

Grading Basis

Research Proposal	40%
Projects/Presentations	40%
Homework	20%

OUTSTANDING WORK might earn extra credit

Class attendance is required.

Course SCHEDULE

Schedule subject to change. All homework assignments are to be completed individually except as noted. Religious observances will be accommodated with advanced notice.

class #	date	topic
WEEK 1
1	1/10	Course introduction Course scheduling discussion ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE 1/18 Prepare a 1-2 page research pre-proposal that identifies your planned dissertation topic. Please consult with your doctoral advisor as you complete this document. The proposal format is as follows: Title Introduction (provide background, important references, and significance of the research) Research Problem Statement and Anticipated Results Research Methodology References (Use IEEE format; examples available at http://www.ieee.org/documents/TRANS-JOUR.doc) One paragraph student biography Prepare slides to present your research proposal in class on 1/18.
WEEK 2
2	1/18	research proposal presentations Research Pre-Proposal Due ASSIGNMENT #2, #3 DUE WITHIN ONE WEEK OF EACH WORKSHOP Attend at least two graduate college workshops. Submit a memo describing the workshop, lessons learned, and your evaluation of the value of the workshop to CEAS doctoral students. REGISTER at www.wmich.edu/grad WATCH these videos before next class. Video One - Introduction - Who am I and what I can do for you? Introduction to the engineering librarian http://youtu.be/G6Vf9HcvKyE Video Two - Brainstorming keywords URL - http://screencast.com/t/CzxSyYJtc Video Three - Using the Catalog URL - http://screencast.com/t/aiGWwtCbgfNq Video Four - What database should I use? URL: http://screencast.com/t/FdtOXjbi Video Five - IEEE Xplore tutorials http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/subscriptions/clientservices/training.html Video Six - Accessing Full Text Articles URL: http://screencast.com/t/RIREG45Mvpc
WEEK 3
3	1/25	research proposal presentation BRING LAPTOP literature reviews Guest Presenter: Mr. Edward Eckel, Engineering and Applied Sciences Librarian LINK TO LIBRARY GUIDE FOR ENGINEERING by Mr. Eckel http://libguides.wmich.edu/engineering S. Keshav, How to Read a Paper, ACM Computer Communication Review, July 2007. ASSIGMENT #4 DUE 2/1 Add a detailed literature review to your research pre-proposal.
WEEK 4
	2/1	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #1 WEDNESDAY Graduate College: Overview of Statistical Concepts in SPSS Mr. Haolai (Lincoln) Jiang 9AM-noon, Computer Laboratory, Room 1416 CHHS
4	2/1	Finding Funding for your Research Ms. Sarah Pratt, Research and Program Officer, Office of the Vice President for Research ASSIGNMENT DUE 2/15: Locate one fellowship opportunity and one federal program that could support your research work. Summarize these opportunities in a brief memo.
WEEK 5
	2/8	NO CLASS
WEEK 6
5	2/15	Review funding sources. Discuss grant review process.
WEEK 7
	2/22	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #2 WEDNESDAY Graduate College: Overview of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods Dr. Jessica Spybrook and Dr. Angie Moe 9AM-11AM, Walwood Commons, Walwood Hall
	2/22	NO CLASS (majority of class to attend WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #2)
WEEK 8
	2/29	SciVerse Information Session Rachel McCullough, Elsevier 10:00-11:30AM, Waldo, Classroom A, 1^st floor
6	2/29	Intellectual Property Dr. David Clark Bennett, Office of the Vice President for Research
WEEK 9
	3/14	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #3 WEDNESDAY Graduate College: Intermediate to Advanced Statistics Methods: The Next Level Mr. Haolai (Lincoln) Jiang 9AM-noon, Computer Laboratory, Room 1416 CHHS
7	3/14	individual counseling on dissertation proposals
WEEK 10
	3/21	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #4 WEDNESDAY Graduate College: Learn to Manage Time: A Special Seminar for Graduate Students Mr. Paul Knudstrup 1PM-4PM, Walwood Commons, Walwood Hall
	3/21	NO CLASS
WEEK 11
8	3/28	research ethics Resources: IEEE Code of Ethics: http://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html Plagiarism: http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/douglass/sal/plagiarism/intro.html http://plagiarism.umf.maine.edu/ http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/ Ethics Cases: http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethicscasestudies.htm “Defects and Deceptions – The Bjork-Shiley Heart Valve.” J. H. Fielder, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, vol. 14, pp. 17-22, 1995. Available through IEEE Xplore®.
WEEK 12
	4/4	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #5 WEDNESDAY Graduate College: Overview of SAS Mr. Haolai (Lincoln) Jiang 9AM-noon, Computer Laboratory, Room 1416 CHHS
9	4/4	NO CLASS
	4/6	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #6 FRIDAY Graduate College: Strategies for Navigating the Dissertation Dr. Marianne Di Perro 1PM-4PM, Walwood Commons, Walwood Hall
WEEK 13
10	4/11	in-class discussion on academic careers
	4/12	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #7 THURSDAY Graduate College: Publishing in Peer-Reviewed Journals: A Guide to Success Ms. Jan Andersen 9AM-noon, Walwood Commons, Walwood Hall
WEEK 14
11	4/18	WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITY #8 (presented in-class) Strategies for Navigating the Dissertation Dr. Marianne Di Perro Submit workshop memos via email to course instructors by 25 April 2012.
WEEK 15
		NO FINAL EXAM (seminar)

Acknowledgments

Based in part on a syllabus by Dr. Larry Mallak and Dr. Johnson Asumadu, including verbatim text.

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