School of Engineering and Applied Science Department of Computer Science CSci 110 -- Technology and Society http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~mfeldman/csci110/summer07 Prof. Michael B. Feldman, course instructor mfeldman@gwu.edu

The Social Impact Analysis Project on the Real ID Act -- 30% of grade, due in Stages

The main project for this course will be based upon an investigation of a 2005 U.S. law called Real ID. This controversial law has legal and technological aspects that will affect us all. The framework and details of the Real ID law, and the arguments of its proponents and opponents, comprise an ideal subject for the major project of this course in 2007.

Your assignment is to research the topic as a class and design a survey to examine public attitudes about this law and its challenges. Each student will be assigned to one of two or three groups; each group will develop its own survey, and deploy it on the zoomerang.com survey website. You will collate and analyze the data, and each group will write a report of its findings. ONE final project paper per group is expected.

Procedure:

Week 2 -- Group mini-reports on Real ID issues (5%): Each group investigates the law and the surrounding controversy (see below), and reports back to the entire class. Each group can divide the effort among its members, but the group will present a single report.

Week 3 -- Draft survey instruments (5%): Each group will provide questions for the final survey instrument based upon their research.

Week 4 -- FINAL SURVEY INSTRUMENT due and deployed. Each group will deploy a survey on Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com). Each group will designate one person on the team to create a FREE account (good for ten days) and enter the survey questions, etc. EMAIL INSTRUCTOR THE URL FOR YOUR SURVEY so I can help "advertise" your need for data. Be sure you also recruit your own family, friends, etc. to take your survey! :)

Week 5 -- Collate, analyze, preliminary results from survey data (5%): Each group will examine and analyze its survey data to provide preliminary results.

Week 6 -- Final Social Impact Analysis Report (15%): Each team will write a report based upon the data that contains an abstract, introduction to the Real ID law and its various aspects, discussion of the research protocol, presentation of the findings, conclusions and bibliography.

A few sources to start your research:

• A good summary on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REAL_ID_Act
  
• The law itself (focus on Title II): http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.00418:
• Department of Homeland Security Q & A: http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/laws/gc_1172767635686.shtm
• Details of proposed implementation: http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/laws/gc_1172765386179.shtm

Focus for the creation of survey questions:

• Demographics of respondents.
• Attitudes related to Real ID features and technologies.
• Attitudes related to social impact, policy issues, legal, etc.
• Open-ended questions where respondents can type comments.