Grading

  • Reviews: 15%
  • Class Participation: 15%
  • Presentation: 20%
  • Project or Survey: 50%

Reviews

Students are expected to read both assigned papers before each class.

  • Reading: Read both assigned papers and be prepared to discuss the problem, methodology, results, and takeaways.
  • Write-ups: Submit a short review covering both papers before class (each with less than 2 * 200 words). You may skip up to five reviews without penalty; this includes absences, illnesses, and career development. In cases where students have special needs, please send an email to the instructor.
  • Format: No strict template. If helpful, use this outline:
    1. Problem: What problem is being solved?
    2. Motivation: Why is it interesting or important?
    3. Key ideas: What are the core technical insights?
    4. Limitations: What assumptions or weaknesses stand out?
    5. Next steps: What follow-up problems or extensions make sense?
  • Presenter exemption: If you present a paper in class, you do not submit the review for that class, and it does not count as a missed review.
  • Academic integrity: The UVA Honor Code applies. Write in your own words; do not copy from papers, peers, or online sources. You are allowed to use GenAI to search the part you don’t understand while reading the papers. You are allowed to use GenAI to search for parts you don’t understand while reading the papers.

Please use this form to submit the reviews.

Class Participation

  • Attendance. Regular attendance is expected and factors into participation.
  • Quizzes. Short quizzes on readings and reviews may be given; they count toward participation.
  • Engagement. Ask questions, share insights, and help maintain an inclusive, respectful discussion.
  • Peer feedback. Provide constructive feedback on your peers’ presentations and during discussion.

Presentation

Each student (or small team, depending on enrollment) will be assigned one or more papers to present.

  • Preparation. A 25–30 minute talk covering the problem, design, methods, and results.
  • Slides. Send slides to the instructor one week in advance.
  • Discussion. Be ready to field questions and lead a short discussion after your talk.

Please use this form to submit your presentation slides.

Project or Survey

Choose one of the following for your term work:

  • Research project — individual or a team of two
  • Survey report — individual

Topics should be closely aligned with the course (see the schedule). Consult the instructor to scope and refine your choice. You are allowed to use GenAI to polish your survey, but you are not allowed to use it to write one from scratch.

Research track
  • State a clear problem, motivate why it matters, propose new ideas toward a solution, and demonstrate feasibility via an implementation or simulation.
  • Evaluate against appropriate baselines or related work and discuss limitations.
Survey track
  • Pick a focused problem area relevant to the course.
  • Write a structured report that motivates the problem, synthesizes and categorizes prior work, compares approaches and trade-offs, and highlights open questions and future directions.

Checkpoints (both tracks)

1) Project proposal

  • Length: 1–2 pages.
  • Include: title, team (if any), problem statement and motivation, scope, key related work, and a biweekly timeline with milestones and risks.
  • Track-specific:
    • Research: add the initial design/approach and the expected evaluation plan.
    • Survey: include a preliminary bibliography (papers you plan to cover) and a tentative outline.

2) Final report

  • Use a conference-style format: paper template.
  • Research: introduction, motivation, background/related work, design, implementation, evaluation, discussion/limitations, and conclusion.
  • Survey: introduction and background, structured review of existing work (organized into clear categories), comparative analysis, open problems, and conclusion.

Deadlines

  • Project proposal: 10/15
  • Final report: TBD

Please use this link to submit the report/proposal.

Notes

  • Room/time/enrollment are subject to change; updates will be posted here.
  • For accessibility accommodations, please contact the instructor early.
  • Additional course policies will be announced in class and on the course site.

Acknowledgements

This course draws inspiration and select readings from systems seminars, including UIUC EE598. Many thanks to Prof. Agarwal for ideas that informed the design of this class.