CSCI 446 Unit #13

Final Paper

As you move forward in your careers, it will be important to not only learn new tools, but also analyze and choose technology. You'll be required to make decisions such as what architecture to use for a project, whether/when it makes sense migrate a product to the latest version of a tool, what tools (ides, repos, etc.) your company should use, etc.

You will choose your own topic for this paper, so as a first step I suggest you spend some time googling topics such as single page applications, best web practices, building websites from scratch vs using content management system, mobile app vs responsive website, angular vs react, MVC vs MVP, etc.

Now choose a topic. Pick something you really think is interesting - it will make the paper much easier to write. Not sure if your topic is appropriate? Send me an email.

Specific Requirements

This paper is worth 5 points (5% of course grade). I expect most grades to be 3/5 or 4/5. Very good papers (strong technical content and well written) will receive 5/5. A paper which appears to have been produced with little effort will receive 1/5 or 2/5.

Requirements:

• Must be 1.5 - 2 pages (no longer)
• Must have your name and a paper title on the first line (no need for a separate cover page).
• Must include list of sources (can be on a 3rd page, if needed)
• Must be single spaced with 1" margins
• Must not have spelling or grammatical errors
• Must include some structure (e.g., subheadings, like "Background", "Pros", "Final Analysis" etc. - will vary depending on your topic)
• Must be submitted as pdf
• Must show understanding. Copying phrases from a website without explaining them will result in lower score (unless they relate to concepts that were covered in class... no need to explain those). It would be better for you to spend some time exploring one new topic and explaining it (including why it's important), rather than just putting jargon you don't understand in your paper.
• Must be interesting. I should learn something (or be exposed to a new perspective) from each paper. Web programming is a huge domain, so this should not be difficult if you challenge yourself to learn something.
• Must be technical. I'm not interested in fluff, like "this technology will revolutionize the way users interact ... blah blah blah". Be concrete.
• If it's easier, you can frame this paper as a memo to your "boss" about a design choice (e.g., an SPA is/is not appropriate in certain contexts because x, y, z).

Think writing isn't important? If your boss asks you to research this kind of topic, and you can create a concise document with a clear analysis, that's a huge plus! I'm looking forward to reading your papers.