DEPARTMENT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Running The Post-graduate Course The course starts with the winter term. So, the event queue for the organiser starts before then: ---- Summer: by early August Get together a brief course description and a general reading list, to be sent out to new PGs. ---- Summer: by Sept. 15, say. Organise the time table. Check that the lecturers will be available at the desired times, and that they know it. Send them time tables. Dig out information about rooms - for shared courses contact the other course organisers. The first lecture is a welcome by the head of the department. ---- Start of term Check that people have arrived, and have made contact with their putative supervisors. Appoint PG minders - volunteers from amongst 2nd/3rd year PGs who can hold a (specific) newcomers hand to start with. Distribute time tables, no later than the first lecture (which, in many cases, will be your first contact point, so be there). Also distribute details of the course in general. New PGs need: a friendly face or two basic orientation computer access Remind the right people. Check the existence of willing PG uncles - people (appointed by Jim) who will resolve any contretemps between student and supervisor. One at HPS and one at FH is sufficient. Hereafter, keep an eye on the lectures, lest foul-ups happen. ---- Mid term: by Nov. 7, say. Remind supervisors to suggest presentation topics to their students. Organise the first set of presentations. This needs a timetable (1/2 hour per PG, in tolerable blocks) and rooms. Schedule it for the last week of the first term or first week of the second term. Broadcast the final details to the PGs and to everyone who might want to attend, including all supervisors. Try to get details of who will talk about what, to avoid embarrassing duplications. Make sure the performers know the ground rules - send out a handout about them. ---- Before the presentations. Announce them in the newsletter. ---- The presentations. Stick to the ground rules: 1/2 hour each, made up of 25 mins talking and 5 mins of questions. Don't allow over-running. An alarm clock helps. Referee, and remember that stage fright is common. Thank everyone... ---- Middle of second term: by Feb 20th, say. Organise the next set of presentations, as before. If the previous set were at the start of the second term, make the second set at the start of the third term. Remind the PGs that a working paper, based on their second presentation, is expected by the end of the third term. ---- Second set of presentations. Be even harder about time-keeping... ---- Middle of third term. Check up on working paper progress. Worry about next years applicants. Good idea to organise a reading list for pre-course preparation. ---- End of third term. Prod PGs and supervisors about getting thesis proposals together, though this should be well in hand. Hold a post-mortem so that PGs can feed back about the course. Broadcast the results to those concerned, e.g. teaching committee. ---- Summer. (see above...)