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The essay shall present and discuss selected theory, technology and tools related to the big data and emergency management, backed by scholarly and other references.
The essay shall present and discuss selected theory, technology and tools related to big data.


This autumn, we specifically invite essays that are preferably related to either big data, IoT, social media and emergency management.
This autumn, we specifically invite essays that are related to your group assignments, for example discussion privacy aspects of your project (if any).


== Theme ==
== Theme ==
Your mandatory essay is supposed to be "an individual, theoretical essay on chosen topic". In practice, it is you who propose a theme, and then I either accept it as is or guide you towards a more suitable theme.
Your mandatory essay is supposed to be "an individual, theoretical essay on chosen topic". In practice, it is you who propose a theme, and then I either accept it as is or guide you towards a more suitable theme.


I am open for essays that are not theoretical, but based on your own investigation and data collection, for example through interviews and/or archival analyses. But in any case, your essay should demonstrate "thoughtful research and discussion". It should be well backed by scholarly literature. More literature backing is needed if you have not done any investigation/data collection of your own beyond your literature search.
I invite essays that are not purely theoretical, but that present and reflect over your work with the group assignment. For example, the essay can discuss privacy-related aspects of your project. But in any case, your essay should demonstrate "thoughtful research and discussion". It should be well backed by scholarly literature.  


== Finding a theme ==
== Finding a theme ==
It is a good idea to start thinking about possible essay themes already now. At least to get the processes started! Send me your ideas in an email, and I will provide early feedback. All I need is a few keywords or a sentence about one or more ideas your are considering. Later we can talk face to face.
It is a good idea to start thinking about possible essay themes early in the semester, at least to get the processes started! Send me your ideas in an email, and I will provide early feedback. All I need is a few keywords or a sentence about one or more ideas your are considering. Later we can talk face to face.


* Here is an example of an initial idea on the keyword stage: "Ethics and Privacy in using social media for emergency management."
* Here is an example of an initial idea on the keyword stage: "Ethics and Privacy in using social media for news production."
* A step further: "I want to look into interoperability of different freely available emergency data sources using big data technologies. What information is needed? who needed?"
* A step further: "I want to look into how open and non-sensitive information collected from independent sources about the same individuals can become sensitive when recombined."
* Here is an even more developed idea: "Something about how realistic it is to analyse lots of Twitter messages using sentiment analysers. Analysing messages takes computing resources, and there are so many Twitter messages posted after an emergency occurrence. I want to write something about the accuracy of the twitter data analysis."
* Here is an even more developed idea: "How can potentially sensitive information be identified in big-data streams for news production? And how can guards be put in place to ensure that sensitive information is not created as part of the news production stream."


== Proposing a theme/ Selection deadline ==
== Proposing a theme/ Selection deadline ==
Everyone who intends to take the course must send an essay proposal by email to [mailto:vimala.nunavath@usn.no vimala.nunavath@usn.no].
Everyone who intends to take the course must send an essay proposal by email to [mailto:Andreas.Opdahl@uib.no Andreas.Opdahl@uib.no]. The subject line must contain the string "INFO319 Essay Proposal".


'''Deadline:''' Friday August 28th 1400
'''Deadline:''' Wednesday September 14th 1500
 
The proposal does not have to be long, but the following points must be made clear:
*    Which problem or opportunity you are planning to address.
*    Why this problem or opportunity is real.
*    How you are going to investigate the problem or opportunity.
*    Which relevant literature or other information sources you know already.
*    How your are going to find more suitable literature.
*    Whether you plan to collect your own data and, if so, from where and how.
*    And, if so, how you are going to present and use them in your essay.
*    How you plan to structure the essay (coarsely).


== Length ==
== Length ==
Suggested length is 4000-6000 words. A theoretical essay should normally be a little longer than an essay based on own data collection. But effort quality is much more important than length. I encourage submitting the essay wholly or partially as one or several Wikipedia pages, or as clear extensions to existing pages.
Suggested length is 4000-6000 words. A theoretical essay should normally be a little longer than an essay based on your own programming project. But effort quality is much more important than length.




== Essay submission ==
== Essay submission ==
'''Hard deadline:''' Friday November 20th 1400
TBD
 
Essays are submitted through Inspera in PDF format. The file name and title page should clearly indicate who the author is.
 
== Evaluation criteria ==
These are the main evaluation criteria we will use:
*    Clear, good and well-motivated problem.
*    Extent and coverage of your literature, in particular of the academic research literature.
*    Depth of literature is more important than breadth.
*    Originality, in particular of your independent/own contribution.
*    How well argued and/or empirically backed the contribution is.
*    Extent: how hard you have worked and how much you have done.
*    Quality of presentation.


== Essay presentations ==
== Essay presentations ==
The session on Thursday, November 26th will focus on essay presentations. 10 minutes and around 5-8 slides are an appropriate length.
The session on Thursday, November 24th will focus on essay presentations. 10 minutes and around 5-8 slides are an appropriate length.


Depending on the number of people who take the course, we may not have much time per essay. This includes: getting your slides up and running, presenting the actual essay, presenting critique, and posing/answering questions. In addition to presenting your own essay. you are supposed to offer comments to at least one other essay.
Depending on the number of people who take the course, we may not have much time per essay. This includes: getting your slides up and running, presenting the actual essay, presenting critique, and posing/answering questions. In addition to presenting your own essay. you are supposed to offer comments to at least one other essay.


This means that you need to be really well prepared. A short presentation is much harder than a long one: "Lincoln [... w]hen asked to appear upon some important occasion and deliver a five-minute speech, he said that he had no time to prepare five-minute speeches, but that he could go and speak an hour at any time." (H. H. Markham, Governor of California, 1893)
This means that you need to be really well prepared. A short presentation is much harder than a long one: "Lincoln [... w]hen asked to appear upon some important occasion and deliver a five-minute speech, he said that he had no time to prepare five-minute speeches, but that he could go and speak an hour at any time." (H. H. Markham, Governor of California, 1893)
== Presentation outline ==
The presentation form is up to you, but you should probably touch most of these points:
* What is the problem you have addressed?
* Why is this problem important?
* Which existing area(s) of research and/or practice are you building on?
** explain the ones we have not yet touched in the course!
** spend some time on this: for the listeners it may be the most interesting part
* What is your independent/own contribution?
** examples: how your field(s) has evolved over time; missing knowledge/research; own data collection, e.g., through interviews; comparing different approaches - in practice or theory; designing a new solution for something; suggesting a framework of how different contributions fit together and are different; ...
* What has been your strategy to make that contribution?
** how did you convince the reader that your contribution was sound?
* Which academic research literature did you use (in addition to the curriculum in INFO319)?
** show your literature list, but don't try to explain the papers :-)
'''Important:''' Upload your draft presentations to the portal in advance on Wednesday December 4rth. Upload them in the folder EssayPresentations in Canvas (https://mitt.uib.no/courses/13673/).
== Essay oppositions ==
These are very brief and even more free form. You could address two or more of the issues below, or perhaps other ones. Do not try to address them all:
* Have you got reasons to think this problem unclear - if so how?
* Have you got reasons to think this problem is less relevant?
* Are there other areas of research and/or practice that are relevant here?
* Do you think the plan for an independent/own contribution are realistic? Is it the right type of contribution?
* Do you think this contribution is likely to be convincing? If no, which problems do you see?
* Have you got concrete ideas for finding more literature (but not just: maybe you can search in the library/on the internet...)?

Revision as of 13:38, 5 July 2022

The essay shall present and discuss selected theory, technology and tools related to big data.

This autumn, we specifically invite essays that are related to your group assignments, for example discussion privacy aspects of your project (if any).

Theme

Your mandatory essay is supposed to be "an individual, theoretical essay on chosen topic". In practice, it is you who propose a theme, and then I either accept it as is or guide you towards a more suitable theme.

I invite essays that are not purely theoretical, but that present and reflect over your work with the group assignment. For example, the essay can discuss privacy-related aspects of your project. But in any case, your essay should demonstrate "thoughtful research and discussion". It should be well backed by scholarly literature.

Finding a theme

It is a good idea to start thinking about possible essay themes early in the semester, at least to get the processes started! Send me your ideas in an email, and I will provide early feedback. All I need is a few keywords or a sentence about one or more ideas your are considering. Later we can talk face to face.

  • Here is an example of an initial idea on the keyword stage: "Ethics and Privacy in using social media for news production."
  • A step further: "I want to look into how open and non-sensitive information collected from independent sources about the same individuals can become sensitive when recombined."
  • Here is an even more developed idea: "How can potentially sensitive information be identified in big-data streams for news production? And how can guards be put in place to ensure that sensitive information is not created as part of the news production stream."

Proposing a theme/ Selection deadline

Everyone who intends to take the course must send an essay proposal by email to Andreas.Opdahl@uib.no. The subject line must contain the string "INFO319 Essay Proposal".

Deadline: Wednesday September 14th 1500

Length

Suggested length is 4000-6000 words. A theoretical essay should normally be a little longer than an essay based on your own programming project. But effort quality is much more important than length.


Essay submission

TBD

Essay presentations

The session on Thursday, November 24th will focus on essay presentations. 10 minutes and around 5-8 slides are an appropriate length.

Depending on the number of people who take the course, we may not have much time per essay. This includes: getting your slides up and running, presenting the actual essay, presenting critique, and posing/answering questions. In addition to presenting your own essay. you are supposed to offer comments to at least one other essay.

This means that you need to be really well prepared. A short presentation is much harder than a long one: "Lincoln [... w]hen asked to appear upon some important occasion and deliver a five-minute speech, he said that he had no time to prepare five-minute speeches, but that he could go and speak an hour at any time." (H. H. Markham, Governor of California, 1893)

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