CS 2CS3 / SE 3IO3: Communication Skills
Fall 2008

• Instructor: Michael Soltys, email: my last name at mcmaster.ca
• Course Information (Revised Sept 14)
  Detailed Course Outline (Revised Sept 4)
• Lectures:
  • Lecture: Tu 11:30-12:20 in ABB/102
  • Tutorials:
    • Th 11:30-13:20 in T13/106
    • Tu 14:30-16:20 in T13/106
    • Mo 14:30-16:20 in T13/106
  • McMaster dates for 2008
• Course outline:
• Textbook:
• Please Read: McMaster Academic Integrity Statement.

Announcements:

• Dec 4: All the essays can be picked up today at my office.
• Dec 4: Final Exam.
• Nov 20: The final exam will consist of three essay-type questions. The subject of the first essay will be: how to write a good essay, the subject of the second essay will be what are the elements of a good presentation, and the third essay will be on a topic accessible to all students (i.e., without a concrete background). In all three questions you are supposed to put into practice the writing skills that you have learned during the course. No aids of any kind will be allowed during the exam. The exam is 2 hours long, and the essays of the same length as the essays written in class.
• Nov 4: We are going to have a presentation on November 11; once again, attendance is compulsory. Our speaker will be Craig Wilson:

  Bio: Craig Wilson is an alumnus of McMaster University, where he earned both a Bachelor of Engineering degree and Master of Applied Science. During this time he also interned at Research in Motion in Waterloo, and implemented Psychology experiments for a lab on campus. After graduation Craig visited Athens, Greece to present a summary of his Master's research, then secured a position as a Software Quality Engineer with EMC^2 which began in early September. In his spare time he enjoys listening to and seeking out new music, playing squash, and various other forms of electronic entertainment.

  Abstract: The transition from post-secondary education to the workforce can lead to great frustration for potential graduates. Expectations from employers can be daunting, specifically in the experience and skills required from applicants. Additionally, those who begin the search when the year is almost through may find the offerings to be scarce, a situation that often lasts until the following school year. This presentation aims to help students avoid the latter scenario, and offers tips on how to acquire that elusive experience employers request. An overview of graduate studies is also presented, in order to expose students to an option they may not have otherwise considered.

• Oct 31: On the following three dates: November 4,18,25, instead of the usual lectures we are going to have presentations in class. The reason is that one of the tutorials has more students than the other tutorials, and they are running out of time. We will have 4 presentations per lecture--the students who will be presenting have been notified by their TA (Jozsef Vass). Everyone is of course welcome to come and listen to those presentations, but it is not compulsory.
• Oct 31: Our next invited speaker is going to be Craig Wilson, from EMC^2. Craig will speak on November 11; once again, we will be taking attendance.
• Oct 7: For those lectures when we have invited speakers (next one on October 28) your presence is compulsory and I will take attendance.
• Oct 4: We are going to have an exciting presentation on October 28. Tim Paterson from the Center of Forensic Sciences will be speaking on:

  The role of the student's education in a career as a digital evidence forensic scientist. The presentation will also include information on communication skills needed to succeed in the office and in court.

  (Please note that no electronic recording of any CFS presentation is permitted without prior written permission.)

  Tim is an alumnus of McMaster University, and the instructor's former masters student.

• Sept 25: The marking scheme for essays has three components:
  • Style [3 pts]: interesting, language (e.g., writing overly colloquial, slang, etc.), good word usage, and no clutter.
  • Structure: [4 pts]: introduction, good flow, conclusion, as well as unity and purpose (are you making a point or are you rambling, etc.)
  • Grammar and Spelling [3 pts]: good sentence structure (verb, subject, etc.), correct spelling.
• Sept 24: Click here for the slides of the lecture given by Husein Shamshudin on Sept 23.
• Sept 18: Please hand in your first essay in tutorial next week.
• Sept 18: Now that we had a first batch of presentations behind us, and some experience in assessing them, here is the marking scheme for future presentations:
  • Structure (4/10)
    • introduction
    • nice flow
    • conclusion
  • Content (3/10)
    • well researched
    • interesting and relevant
    • consistency of style
  • Voice (can you be heard in the back of the room), clarity, eye contact with the audience, poise and gestures (3/10)
  • You will lose 0.5 points for every minute that you come short of the full 10 minutes.
  Remember that your first presentation is to be non-technical, while the second has to be on a technical topic. Now that we know the enrollment, we shall have 6 presentations per tutorial, of 10 minutes each, plus 2 minutes after each presentation for questions.
• Sept 16: There will be a guest lecture on Tuesday Sept 23, given by Husein Shamshudin who is a McMaster alumnus, now working at IBM. Here is the abstract of his talk:

  The lecture will focus on the importance of communication in the corporate world. Discussion will take place around understanding your audience and how to ensure you communicate in the most effective manner to that audience. There will be real life examples of poor communication along with the consequences of those examples. This will be followed by tips to help improve one's presentation and writing techniques. Finally, there'll be some time for Q&A.

• Sept 16: For the essays please use single space and 12pt font (two pages).
• Sept 4: The tutorials start on Monday September 15; in particular, there are no tutorials during the first week of classes.

Lectures:

• September 9: First lecture: course introduction
• September 16: Avoiding Clutter
• September 23: Invited Lecture: Husein Shamshudin [slides].
• September 30: Commonly misused words (Part I)
• October 7 & 14: Presentations:
  • Public Speaking
  • Answering Questions
  • Job Interview
  We also started Commonly misused words (Part II)
• October 21: We covered chapter 15, "Science and Technology," in William Zinsser's "On Writing Well."
• October 28: Lecture by Tim Paterson from the Center of Forensic Sciences.
• November 4: Presentations.
• November 11: Lecture by Craig Wilson, from EMC^2. Click here for the presentation slides.
• November 18 & 25: Presentations.