Agenda for CSE Department Meeting 3-24-21

Advisory Board

We will meet 4/16 from 9:30-12. We have added Kai-Li Cheng as student representative. I have asked one additional person if they would be interested. If you know of someone who would be good for our board, last call for nominations for this round.

Department Name

So, we said we don't want to change the name. And we generously offered to change it, if we have to, to Computer Science and Engineering Management. And we rejected Haoying's demand to call it Computer Science and Business Management. I guess I will be meeting with Doug Wells soon to discuss future plans for the BTM programs, and the name is liable to come up. If we are going to be merged long-term the name is likely to come up again. I would argue that each program needs its own name, and that we only need to grow a little to become a School or College.

IT Name

So, one of the main things almost everyone agreed on was that IT should be renamed. We did not get a consensus on a transformational new direction; I would like to grow new undergrad programs, but not without new resources. What is a better name for what the current curriculum actually teaches? Computer Science Applications? Software Engineering Management? Information System Engineering?

Assessment

Assessment is unavoidable like death and taxes. I've done CS undergrad and grad assessment reports based on data collected before I got here, and they are even making me do one for IT, and for BTM programs. I am glad that CSE has such a well-oiled assessment machine. When should I ask you for Spring 2021 assessment? Reminder before end of semester, due two weeks after semester. I doubt that they will let us just skip Fall 2020; will it be possible to do F20 assessments when you do S21?

MS Deficiencies

Inferred from our MS Course Requirements. Ignoring CSE 101

• 544 or 546 implies (344 or 342) and 241
• 423 or 525 implies (324,326,331,342,344) or (325,331)
• Therefore 331 AND 221 AND 122 AND 113 AND (342 OR 344) AND ((325 and 222) or (324 and 326 and 241)
• Therefore in order to be able to complete our MS a student has to have
  1. CSE 113, 122, 221 (org), 241 (foundations) and we should also expect
  2. 331 (architecture) and either 342 or 344 (theory) and either 325 or 326 (programming)
• I propose we label #1 as prerequisites, don't admit without them
• I propose we label #2 as deficiencies, require them to complete, at least 1/semester
• Discuss:
  • students often have the math except recursion. Split into 241 (1 credit recursion course) + 242 (rest of current 241)
  • logic is also a problem
  • challenge exam(s)? for 241 in pieces? but not everything can be tested
• Action items:
  • catalog language
  • recommendations on 241 splitting or microtests (if any)

Ph.D Course Requirements

Thoughts after last meeting:

• Jeffery's conjecture: the lower down the food chain, the more course requirements a school imposes on a PhD. PhD's are about research not classes.
• Sure, qual exams would be great, but they are overkill for our size
• at a lot of places it would be: complete an MS OR do PhD coursework

Peer Institutions' PhD Course Requirements

• Alabama - 18 credits, 6 required courses
• Co Mines - 4 courses + ethics. "Students who have taken equivalent courses at another institution may satisfy these requirements by transfer." Qual exams.
• Ga Tech. Not actually a peer. Too good to compare with. 5 courses including a theory course and a programming proficiency course, plus a 3 course minor.
• Mo Tech. No courses. Six core areas expected. Qual exams.
• Mt Tech. Not actually a peer. No Ph.D. program.
• NJ Tech - not really a peer - 24 credits post-MS, 6 from a long list. Qual exams.
• NMSU - qual exams
• UNM - 18 hours, two courses from each of three areas, plus a "language requirement" (1 chosen from three compilerish- or proglang- courses)