This is, after all, a course for academic credit, and as such, it is a requirement that a grade be given by me at the end of the semester. Here's how I will be evaluating everyone:
... for Team Leaders
Beyond expectations that can be considered "common sense" (showing up to class, responding to email, etc.), I expect that team leaders will...
- Take their leadership role seriously in guiding the research direction of the team, while remaining sensitive to the concerns of the team members.
- Take their mentoring role seriously, to ensure that each team member receives the best possible experience.
- Arrive at each project meeting organized and well-prepared to engage in whatever interactions are necessary.
- Structure weekly-deliverables jointly with and for each team member.
- Most of all, have fun!
Of course, I will be available as a resource for help.
The components of the final grade are weighted as follows:
| Detailed research plan | (due 2/12) | 25% |
| Project update | (due 3/31) | 10% |
| Final project report | (due 5/14) | 40% |
| Project management | 25% | |
Team leaders will also be assessed with respect to their ability to manage their teams, e.g., to structure effective project meetings, to ensure that team members remain on task, etc. One direct measure of this is the extent to which team members are satisfactorily completing deliverables.
... for Team Members
Beyond expectations that can be considered "common sense" (showing up to class, responding to email, etc.), I expect that team members will...
- Arrive at each class with an open mind and a readiness to think in different paradigm.
- Engage actively in group and class discussions.
- Make every reasonable attempt to complete weekly deliverables.
- Most of all, have fun!
You shouldn't take this class if you're not genuinely interested in MapReduce or not prepared to work hard on challenging open research problems.
The components of the final grade are weighted as follows:
| Project update | (due 3/31) | 10% |
| Final project report | (due 5/14) | 30% |
| Project work | 50% | |
| Class participation | 10% | |
The bulk of the grade will come from project work. After each week's project meeting, I will assess the deliverables of each team member according to a three point scale (based on both team leader input and team member self-assessment):
| check | deliverable is adequate |
| plus | deliverable exceeds expectations |
| minus | deliverable is not satisfactory |
