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The midterm will be given in class and last for 80 minutes. It will start promptly at 5:30, so make sure you are in the classroom and ready to start writing at that point. The midterm counts for 20% of the overall grade for this course. The midterm is closed book. Questions will refer to key points from the mini-lectures given in some classes, the discussion questions and their answers, and the readings. Questions about the readings will usually refer to the topics raised in the discussion questions, but you should also make sure that for each reading you have a clear sense of what it is about and what are the main points made by the author. Make sure that your notes include clear answers to each of the discussion questions. It consists of two sections: Section A: Single part questions. 12 questions, each addressing a specific point from a single lecture or reading. Answer all questions, each is worth three points. Each can be answered with a single phrase or one sentence. 3 additional "extra credit" questions will be included in this section. These follow the same format but are a little harder. Section B: Multiple-part questions. 4 questions, of which you should answer any three. Each question is worth 21 points. Each question is broken into several subsections. The number of points available in each subsection, and what you have to do to earn them, is clearly indicated. All questions in section B will focus on points covered either in lecture (and referenced on the PowerPoint slides) or raised by the discussion questions -- they won't focus on random issues All questions in section B can be answered using bullet points or short sentences. Each fully correct part of an answer will receive the specified number of points. e.g. a sub section might be described as "6 points, 2 for each correct answer". That tells you you should give at least three separate bullet points (or sentences if you prefer). Once you have made your point move on and make another one. Waffling will not get extra credit. Partial credit will be awarded for partially correct bullet points, or those that largely overlap with points you already made. For this reason, try and list more than the minimum number of points in answer to each of these questions. There will be more correct answers to each questions than you will need to give to receive full credit. Extra credit will be given for particularly good answers. But, do not try to answer more than three questions. (If you answer more than three, and do not indicate which three you want me to grade, then I will just grade the first three. You may have noticed that 12x3 = 36, that 3x21=63 and that 63+36=99. The final 1% you get for writing your name on the answer book. Example questions from Section A:
Example question from Section B: a) Provide the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the following kinds of system for information retrieval when researching a health condition diagnosed in a family member: a conventional non-computerized library, Google, and a medical encyclopedia on CD-ROM. Provide at least two strengths and two weaknesses of each. (12 points - one per strength or weakness). b) How does Google decide which results to return at the top of the list in response to a particular query? Identify at least three of the main things it takes into account in ordering its results. (6 points - three for each thing). c) In class we demonstrated a Google email system called gmail. One feature of this system had stirred privacy complaints. What was it? (3 points) You will see that the different parts of a Section B question have some connection to each other. You will also see that they focus mainly on the readings and discussion question topics, though they will include some references to material presented only in class. You will also see that they are often cover similar material to the discussion questions, but will not be quite the same -- so read them carefully, and think before you answer. |
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