CS 4760 Spring 2026: Syllabus

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Course Catalog:
Available only to senior Computer Science and Information Technology majors. Working under faculty direction, students select a problem or task, analyze it and develop a solution. The problem/task selected must involve some aspect of computing. At the end of the semester, each student makes a formal, public presentation in an appropriate format determined by the faculty. In addition, students meet weekly, as a group, to discuss a variety of topics related to investigation, research and development, the process of public presentation of results, and to present the other students with an overview and regular progress reports on their own project. By individual enrollment with the Chair's signature. With permission. Pass/No Pass. Falls and Springs.
Prerequisite(s): All Required 2000 and 3000 level courses.

Course Info

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• Credits: 3
• Instructor: Nat Tuck
• Email: nathaniel.tuck@plymouth.edu
• Office: D&M 305
• Lecture: 10:10-11am in D&M 404
• Office Hours: M 11:10am-12:10pm, W 1:30-2:30pm, Th 10:30-11:30am, F 1:30-2:30pm
• Final Exam Period: TBA
• Course Site: https://homework.quest/

Student Learning Outcomes

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Successful students will:

• Apply CS/IT/Robotics principles and practices to a real world problem by demonstrating in-depth knowledge in the area of the problem they have undertaken.
• Identify potential solutions/algorithms for the project problem, implement and test solutions, and show proficiency in CS/IT principles.
• Show evidence of working productively as an individual on a project that produces a significant product.
• Show evidence of competence in oral and written communications.
• Use modern techniques, skills, and tools necessary for CS/IT practices relevant to the project they undertake.

Texts

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Students are not required to purchase a commercial textbook for this course.

Grading – Pass / No Pass

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To pass:

• You must complete your project successfully.
• You must submit a sufficient final report.
• You must give a sufficient final presentation.
• You must not have more than one unexcused absence.
• You must share reasonable status reports at each meeting where we do those.
• You must not have more than one missing advisor’s monthly eval.
• You must present evidence of sufficient progress at the midterm eval and the make it or break it eval.
• You must not miss more than two weekly check-in assignments.

Inkfish

Work will be submitted through an online web application called Inkfish. You must submit stuff by the assigned deadline to get credit.

Check-In

A quick check-in assignment will be due each week.

Final Presentation

You must give a public presentation at the end of the semester, describing what you did and how the project went.

Final Report

You must submit a written final report expanding on the content in your final presentation.

Advisor Monthly Evals

Each month you will need to get your advisor to fill out a quick report form confirming that you’ve been working with them and making progress.

Midterm and Make It or Break It

In weeks 7 and 13 you must present concrete evidence that you’re making sufficient progress to complete your project. If you’re behind in week 7 you will need to put in extra effort to catch up. If you don’t present sufficient evidence of progress in week 13 you will not be allowed to present and will fail the course.

Fair Grading Policy

All grading in this class is subject to the university Fair Grading Policy.

Excused Absences

Absences will be excused and make-up work allowed only for absences covered by the university Excused Absence Policy.

If you know you will be missing a class meeting in advance you must contact the professor before the meeting. For unforeseen an unavoidable absences, please contact the professor as soon as reasonably possible.

Late Registration

If you register late for the course please contact the professor to discuss completing any missed assignments as soon as possible.

Course Evaluations

Course evaluations can be a valuable tool to determine how the semester went. They’re more useful with a higher response rate. You should do your course evaluations.

Class Announcements

Class announcements will be posted on Canvas and/or sent to your university email address. Make sure to check both regularly.

Resources

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Accommodations

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Plymouth State University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. If you think you have a disability requiring accommodations, you should contact Campus Accessibility Services (CAS), located in Speare (603-535-3300) to determine whether you are eligible for such accommodations. Academic accommodations will only be considered for students who have registered with CAS. If you have authorized CAS to electronically deliver a Letter of Accommodations for this course, please communicate with your instructor to review your accommodations.

Academic Integrity

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Please carefully read and be familiar with the university Academic Integrity Policy. Especially don’t do any of the things in the list of examples of academic integrity violations. Make sure to review the penalties for repeated offenses.

Do not:

• Use code or other assets written by someone else or generated by a tool unless you provide attribution and comply with any applicable license terms.

Notes:

• Using a code library through a standard packing tool is sufficient credit unless the license specifically requires more than that.
• Open source code generation tools presumptively allow you to use them unless there’s clear evidence otherwise.

Tentative Schedule

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The initial plan is to have tasks due the night before or at our meetings.

• † No class on Monday, Jan 19 (MLK Day)
• ‡ Ski Day on Wednesday, Feb 11 (no day classes; graduate evening classes will be held)