ECE Graduate Assistant Orientation

Catalog Handout – Probation and Separation

ECE Graduate Student Meeting and Graduate Assistant Orientation Dr. Robert A. Schill, Jr. Graduate Coordinator Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Nevada Las Vegas 08/22/2017

ECE Graduate Student and Graduate Assistant Orientation Aug. 22, 2017

ECE Graduate Document ECE Admission Requirements, ECE Graduate Program Policies, ECE Graduate Program Requirements, and Program Roadmaps/Flowcharts http://ece.unlv.edu/pdf/GradProgram.pdf • • • • • •

Faculty Information & Research Interests Goals, Objectives, Assessment Formal & Informal (ECG 695, 791, 793, 795, etc.) Courses Minimum Program Degree Requirements Details: Prospectus/Thesis/Dissertation/Req. Exams Graduate Courses Available

Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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Graduate Student Timeline From Admission to Graduation -1 Steps Find Advisor, Declare Transfer Credits, Declare Program Track (Degree Program) Select Examination Committee (Form 14) Proposed Degree Program (Forms: 28 or 30, 62, Dept. Form MS or PhD) Qualifying Exam (Two Sittings Max.) Submit Prospectus Approval to Grad. College (Form 34) Comprehensive Exam (Two Sittings Max.) Preliminary Exam (Generally Two Sittings Max.) (Assessment Form ea. com. member) Advance to Candidacy (Form 35) Robert A. Schill, Jr.

Who

Deadlines & Notes

All Students Within the first semester of enrollment; Degree Audit Requirement (My UNLV)  Declare MS Program Track (Form 63 for MS Prog.)  Major & Minor fields (PhD) (Form 63 for PhD Prog.)  Transfer credit level (includes fast tracks) (Form 07) All Students No later than the last day of instruction of the first semester of enrollment and before established degree program All Students THREE forms must be complete by:  MS Candidate – within 2 semesters (Form 28, 62, dept. form)  PhD Candidate – within 3 semesters (Form 30, 62, dept. form)  Doctoral  Master  Doctoral  Doctoral

Doctoral

Doctoral

 Must be passed within the first two semesters upon admission to the Doctoral Program.  Submitted the semester before taking thesis credit  Submitted the semester before taking dissertation credit  Must be passed within two semesters after completing all required course work and the Qualifying Exam except for 18 credits of EEG 799 After completing all coursework except for 18 credits of ECG 799 and passing the Comprehensive Exam. May not be taken more than once per semester but may be taken during the same semester as the Comprehensive exam. Submit assessment forms completed by each committee member to Grad. Coor. After all coursework is completed, the Comprehensive Exam passed, the Prospectus approved by Graduate Dean, pass Prelim Exam, and have submitted to Graduate Coordinator Prelim assessment forms completed by each committee member.


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Graduate Student Timeline From Admission to Graduation - 2 Steps

Who

Apply for Graduation

All

Submit Thesis/ Dissertation for Initial Format Check Submit Thesis/ Dissertation Draft to ECE Grad. Secretary for Dissemination to Review Committee Thesis/Dissertation Defense (Assessment form ea. com. member AND Form 58)

All

The exact deadline is announced each semester in the UNLV Schedule of Classes Around the 8th week of the semester that graduation is anticipated or earlier

All

At least twelve business days prior to Graduate College’s deadline

All

Deadline set by Graduate College. Each member on the committee must complete a Department Assessment Form. Form 58 will NOT be signed by the Graduate Coordinator until assessment forms have been submitted. Deadline set by Graduate College

Submit Final Copies of All the Thesis/Dissertation to Graduate College Submit Final Exam for All Advanced Degree Results to Graduate College Robert A. Schill, Jr.

Deadlines

Immediately following the official posting of Final Examination for Advanced Degree results. May be submitted at the same time final copies of thesis/ dissertation are submitted to the Graduate College.


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Graduate College Forms: http://graduatecollege.unlv.edu/forms/ *ECE Forms: http://ece.unlv.edu/index.html?navi=programs_graduate Form or Document Description Student Electrical Engineering M.S.E. Deg. Requirement Declaration (63) MS Students Electrical Engineering Ph.D. Deg. Requirement Declaration (63) Doctoral Students Transfer Credit (07) All Students Appointment of Advisory Committee Approval Form (14) All Students Proposed Masters & Specialist Degree Program Part 1 (28) MS Students * Proposed Masters & Specialist Degree Program Part 2 MS Students Degree Audit Companion Form (62) (with Proposed MS Program forms) MS and PhD Students Proposed Doctoral Degree Program Part 1 (30) Doctoral Students * Proposed Doctoral Degree Progr. Part 2 [Conventional PhD] [Direct PhD] Doctoral Students Degree Audit Companion Form (62) (with Proposed PhD Program forms) MS and PhD Students Prospectus Approval Form (34) Thes./Diss. Students Advance to Doctoral Candidacy Application (35) Doctoral Students Culminating Experience Results (58) All Students Change in Proposed Degree Program (32) All Students Notification of Oral or Written Examination (ECE Office) All Students Application for Graduation (in MyUNLV) All Students Independent Study (ECE Dept. Office) All Students Change of Advisory Committee Form (15) All Students Authorization for Overload (16) All Students Six-Year/Eight-Year Course Limit Extension Request (33) All Students Dissertation Approval Form (Grad. College Form) Dissertation. Students Thesis Approval Form (Grad. College Form) Thesis Students Thesis/Dissertation Submittal Form (Grad. College Form) Thes./Diss. Students Thesis/Prelim/Dissertation Assessment Form (ECE Office) Thes./Diss. Students Graduate College Appeals Form All Students ECE Graduate Student Orientation Power Point Presentation All Students Minimum Criteria for Syllabi – Spring 2015(Provost Memo – Provost Off.) Course GTAs ECE Graduate Student and Graduate Assistant Orientation Aug. 22, 2017 Robert A. Schill, Jr. Syllabi Content, Minimum Criteria (Provost Office Webpage - Forms) Course GTAs

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http://ece.unlv.edu/index.html?navi=programs_graduate ECE Department Forms • Forms – Helps plan your degree fulfilling department requirements – Required by Department – Please see ECE Grad. Secretary

• Form Options – MS: Thesis and Course Only – PhD: Conventional and Direct



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Special Notes

• Important emails are sent on an irregular basis that require action on your part. Please check your emails on a daily basis at least once in the morning and once at night and respond accordingly. • ABET Requirements (GTAs); Ethics Workshop Requirement (All); and SPEAK Test for all International Students Receiving GTAs & GRAs (Graduate College; English Learning Center) • It is important that we have updated information regarding your advancement in degree. The Graduate College requires that you declare your degree within the first semester. Degree declarations may be changed over time. Degree Audit will then be updated. • In previous semesters, we eliminated a number of graduation difficulties which in turn saved students time and money. We do not respond well to last minute efforts inappropriately labeled as “emergencies” by students. Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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Professional Ethics & Facility Usage

• Plagiarism - Severe Consequences

– Not ethical - public penalty and professional penalty – Ex.: Copying homework, take-home exams, un-referenced materials for thesis or publications, downloads from web without proper citation,…

• Work Ethic Policy - TA and Graders - Consequences – Unfair advantage - Ex.: providing solutions to assigned problems prior to assignment due date without Prof’s. consent, providing students with some or the entire the solution manual – Text Books and Solution Manuals - Not to be sold or provided to students

• Ethics in Engineering Workshop – MANDATORY – Sponsored by the College of Engineering – Attendance is taken

• Funding Source – Work Requirement vs. Academic Studies - Always communicate with Res. Advisor

• Facility Usage – Coping privileges • You are prohibited from copying books and personal material • Except for material approved by your advisor, you are prohibited to copying material related to your graduate course work and thesis – Phone and FAX privileges • Long distance phone calls and FAXes are prohibited unless approved by your advisor – Computing facilities - Are for graduate and undergraduate related work. Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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Ethics in Engineering - CoE Workshop - Mandatory • Two Sessions are Available – You Only Need to Attend ONE Session – Friday, October 6th morning – Thursday, October 19th afternoon

• First Half of the Session – – – –

Research ethics Computer coding ethics Publishing ethics Intellectual property ethics

• Second Half of the Session – Question and answer session with panel of experts

• Sign-up (CoE website, Qualtrics registration, Julie Longo)??? – http://www.unlv.edu/event/ethics-engineering-workshop?delta=0 – http://unlv.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_e2TtUKROklvv5bv – [email protected] Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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Tentative: ECE Research Poster Contest • Tentative ECE Awards – First place $500 – Second place $300 – Third place $100

• ECE Department Contest – This is over and above awards offered by the COE and the Graduate College

• Mature Research – beyond Prospectus Stage • Immature research - Prospectus Stage • Tentative Date - Spring 2017 – Mid-semester Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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$$ Sources of Money $$ • Graduate College – Fellowships and Scholarships • https://www.unlv.edu/graduatecollege/scholarships – Graduate Access Retention Grants • https://www.unlv.edu/graduatecollege/retention-grants – Awards • https://www.unlv.edu/graduatecollege/financing

• Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Representative – GPSA awards a stipend of $25 for each meeting the representative attends – http://gpsa.unlv.edu/council/

• College of Engineering – Many awards but few applications – https://www.unlv.edu/engineering/scholarships Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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Graduate Student (GS), Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA), and Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) ACADEMIC DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES (GS)

– Continuous enrollment - complete six graduate credits per rolling three semesters (including summer) toward the degree program – Full load is typically 9 credits (Minimum load 6 credits for GTA) – Probation to Separation from Program (Provide catalog handout) • Failure to complete six graduate credits per rolling three semesters (including summer) toward the degree program; • Unsatisfactory grades (Incompletes, grades below B, & Withdrawals); • Failure to consult with the advisor when requested; • Failure to establish a graduate committee; • Failure to develop an official, approved degree program; • Failure to establish the groundwork for an acceptable thesis/ dissertation • Failure of comprehensive and/or qualifying examinations. •

ADDITIONAL GRADE CONSTRAINTS (GTA)

– If Grade Point Average (GPA) falls betw. 2.0 & 3.0 for GTAs – One semester to improve grades without risk of losing GTA – Lose assistantship if: » Grades cannot be improved in the following semester » Grades fall between 2.0 & 3.0 more than once » If grade point average falls below 2.0 in any one semester Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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GS, GTA, and GRA Policies (Conti.) • Comprehensive and Qualifying Exams (GS) • Offered in the fall around the Thanksgiving break • Offered in the spring around spring break

• Department Seminars (GTA) • GTAs required to attend all department seminars – Exception: Conflicts with formal classes – Other Exceptions: written letter/email must be submitted to the Graduate Secretary prior to the seminar

• Communication (GS)- Communicate by email -- [email protected] • Personal Problems (GS) •

Contact: Advisor, Dr. Schill, or Dr. Yingtao Jiang

• GA DUTIES & RESPONSIBILTIES [20 Hrs./Wk. 50% GA] (GTA/GRA) • • • • •

Laboratory Assistant -- Teach laboratory courses – Contact Supervisor NOW! Grader and Discussions -- Grading and tutoring - Contact Supervisor NOW! Lab Monitoring - Contact Supervisor NOW! Dress attire (appropriate and lab safe) and hygiene (groom and bathe) Labs must be prepared and presented one week in advance to laboratory staff



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Contract Policy GTAs: GTA (graders, lab monitors, and lab teaching assistants) contract period – Your contract period starts Monday prior to the first week of school and ends on Friday of exam week with the submission of all requested materials and grades. Unless you have a signed letter(s) from: Dr. Greg for lab teaching assistants and laboratory monitors, the course professor(s) whom which you are the grader for, and/or the graduate coordinator regarding the first contract week, leaving early or arriving late for your GTA contract period will be grounds for contract termination, contract non-renewal, and/or proration of pay. NOTE: IF GTA DOES NOT SATISFACTORILY CARRY OUT HIS OR HER DUTIES, THE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIP WILL BE AT RISK!! Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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Special Notes to Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)-1

• GTA’s scheduled responsibilities have been assigned. Dr. Greg must be notified by email regarding any requested changes to scheduled duties in advance whether permanent or temporary (illness). • At a designated time and day each week, all GTA’s must demonstrate to Dr. Greg the following week’s lab, physical build, or code generation in Matlab. If a teaching assistant wishes to be exempt from this requirement on one or more labs, he/she must obtain written permission from Dr Greg. Permission will only be given if the same lab (labs) was (were) performed well in a prior semester. • Grades are due to Dr. Greg by Friday of finals week. Grades must be recorded on special grade sheets provided by email. • Graduate Assistants (GTAs) must be present and in the lab for all assigned lab and lab monitoring duties. GTAs must complete and return lab monitoring sign-in sheets to Dr. Greg’s mailbox in B325 on a weekly basis. • GTAs must collect all post lab reports in electronic form. At the end of the semester the reports must be electronically organized in well marked files, electronically compressed (zipped), and emailed to Dr. Greg. Robert A. Schill, Jr.


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Special Notes to Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs)-2 • GTAs must record the attendance all students for each lab session. Attendance forms with the list of names should be requested from the lab instructor. • For all 1xx and 2xx level labs, the midterm grades/points must be provided by GTA before the midterm break. • All GTAs must pass the written safety quiz • During lab monitoring, GTA must record the attendance activity on a special form • If a GTA can’t attend the lab session (e.g. because of illness) he/she must inform Dr. Greg in the advance by email/text.



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On behalf of the ECE Department Chair and ECE faculty, I want to express our appreciation to your commitment as GRAs, GTAs, and, in general, as Graduate Students in ECE. We hope you have a good and productive academic semester.



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