Scaffolding Research Projects in Theory of Computing Courses

Abstract: Theory of Computing (ToC) is an important course in CS curricula because of its connections to other CS courses as a foundation for them. Traditional ToC course grading schemes are mostly exam-based, and sometimes a small weight for traditional proof-type assignments. Recent work experimented with a new type of assignment, namely a mock conference'' project wherein students approach and present ToC problems as if they were submitting to areal'' CS conference. In this paper we massively scaffold this existing project and provide our experiences in running such a conference in our own ToC course.