Computer Science 587 - Fall 2009

Group Presentation

Presentations will be given by groups of two to three students (two is recommended). Individual presentations will be allowed only by special request and with good reason(s). Your group must find and read an article/paper on an interesting topic in the field of software testing and prepare a presentation for the class based on that paper. You should attempt to find a paper from a technical journal or professional periodical where the papers have been reviewed before being published. Try to find papers that are available on-line to facilitate access by other students in the class, and fairly short so students are not over burdened since they may be required to read several papers in one week. If the paper you choose is long, you might want to cover only part(s) of the paper and specify which portions other students should read in preparation. If the paper is not available on-line it will be your responsibility to make copies for all members of the class and the instructor. Additionally, the paper you select must be approved by the instructor of the course.

All members of the group should present a roughly equal amount of material, and all should participate in the questions and answers portion of the presentation. Each presenter will be evaluated individually based on a standard evaluation scoring sheet.

The presentations will begin on 11/4 and continue through the end of the semester. (Note that 11/11 is a holiday and the last class day is 12/9.) We will have at most four presentations during one class meeting. Presentation dates will be assigned on a “first come, first served” basis. However, you must have your paper selected and approved before you may request a presentation date.

Rules for the presentations:

1. The presentation duration should be approximately 20 minutes including time for questions and answers.

2. Your presentation should include appropriate visuals, e.g., PowerPoint slides.

3. You should summarize the paper you chose and describe its relevance to this course.

4. Be sure to emphasize what you believe are the most important ideas expressed in the paper and describe any disagreements you might have with the author(s).

For each presentation for which you are not a presenter, you must do the following to earn full participation credit.

1. Before the presentations you must read the papers and prepare a written (typed) list of questions. The questions should cover aspects of the reading where you would like further clarification or where you had areas of disagreement.

2. During the presentation you should add any new questions that come to mind as a result of the material presented.

3. At the end of the presentation you may ask any questions that have not been addressed, and when the question and answer period is over, you must turn in your list of question.

4. Finally, you will need to fill out a review form commenting on the effectiveness of the presentation and the content of the material presented and a wrap-up sheet.