General Course Description

IMPORTANT:   Make sure to complete all tasks in the Start Here - Overview page . Once these are completed, modules will be unlocked.

At this point in your CS education, you are getting very close to graduating. Congratulations! As part of showing what you've learned, this course will give you an opportunity to take a software project from start to finish. The instructor will play two roles in this course: the facilitator for course work, and the "Client" for your projects.

As a member of a 3-person "Development Team", you will gather requirements from the Client, propose a development plan, and then begin work. Over the course of the term you will be submitting Progress Reports to show what you have been doing. At the end of the term, you will submit a final report and showcase your projects!

You are expected to spend roughly 100 hours total in the assignments for this course, the bulk of which are authoring your Team's software project. Remember that, as in a workplace environment, you will probably be unequally yoked, and you each will have different abilities and skills. Some of you may be more capable programmers than the other members of your group!

Remember to communicate frequently and honestly to keep each other appraised of your efforts. Failure to do so has caused many issues in the past!

There are no tests, midterms, or finals in this course

Instructor and TA Information

The instructor for the course is Bill Pfeil.

The GTA(s) for the course are:

• Rashmi Jadhav
• Iman Aminzahed
• Chaitanya Nandam

Your work may be graded by the instructor or one of the TAs, roughly according to the table below:

Career Showcase

Just after Fall and Spring terms end, we hold Career Showcases where you can come hear from companies looking to hire graduates from our program. If you're available, come network with these businesses and sign up for a few time slots to speak directly with them. It's a tremendous opportunity you won't want to miss. The students who attend always rave about it - many of them get jobs and internships as a result. These events are typically held in Portland, OR.

If you would like to attend (attendance is entirely optional, of course), you may share the project you complete in this class at the Showcase using the poster you prepare at the end of this course. Simply let me know you're coming, and that you would like to use your poster, and I'll get it printed and brought with me to the Showcase. Attendance at the Showcase will be required to produce a poster; i.e., I won't print a poster if you're not there.

As part of your poster presentation, the attending employers have a dedicated time where they come by and talk to you about what you're displaying. You don't give a public speech: instead, the employers come to you and ask you about what you're showing. Past attending employers have included Intel, IBM, Mentor Graphics, Ideal-Logic, Columbia Sportswear, HP, Garmin, Daimler Trucks, CBT Nuggets, and tons more! Travel grants are available to get you to Portland, too.

If you have questions, please ask them in our discussion board.

Letters of Recommendation

As much as I enjoy having you in the class, I am generally unable to provide you with a letter of recommendation. I will only be able to write letters for students I know. If you're interested and think I know you well enough, feel free to ask!

About the Instructor

My name is Bill Pfeil and I’ll be your instructor for the Capstone course. I have a M.S. in Math Education from OSU. I did my undergrad at the University of Arizona in Applied Math and ECE. In between my two degrees I spent 25 years as a software engineer, and have worked on everything from client-server apps to games. I am excited to work with all of you as you complete your projects!

Course Name: Online Capstone Project
Course Number: CS 467
Credits: 4
Instructor Name: Bill Pfeil
Instructor Email: pfeilw@oregonstate.edu
Teaching Assistant name and contact info:

• Iman Aminzahed - aminzahi@oregonstate.edu
• Rashmi Jadhav - jadhavr@oregonstate.edu
• Chaitanya Nandam - nandams@oregonstate.edu

This syllabus describes the administrative parts of the course and serves as a contract between student and instructor. Remaining in this course indicates acceptance of these rules.

Remember that in this Capstone course, you are expected to behave professionally. Please use this document throughout the course.

Table of Contents

• Course Description
• Communication
• Time Expectations
• Technical Assistance
• Learning Resources
• Measurable Student Learning Outcomes
• Evaluation of Student Performance
• Letter grade
• Course Content
• Course Policies
  • Discussion Participation
  • Late Work Policy
• Makeup Exams
• Incompletes
• Statement Regarding Religious Accommodation
• Guidelines for a Productive and Effective Online Classroom
• Expectations for Student Conduct
• Academic Integrity
• TurnItIn
• Statement Regarding Students with Disabilities
• Accessibility of Course Materials
• Tutoring and Writing Assistance
• Ecampus Reach Out for Success
• Student Evaluation of Courses

Course Description

Real-world team-based experience with the software engineering design and delivery cycle, including requirements analysis and specification, design techniques, and requirements and final project written documentation. For students in the online CS double-degree program only.

Prerequisites: CS 344 with C or better and CS 361 [C] and CS 362 [C]

Communication

If I need to contact you, I will email you directly (or via the class mailing list).

Here is the preferred way to contact me:

Email me directly at pfeilw@oregonstate.edu (If I don't respond in 24 hours please email me again)

Note:  Messaging me on Canvas is an unreliable and indirect way to send me an email that I am less likely to notice in the sea of Canvas notification and daily digest spam from several courses I am subscribed to.

I may be on Teams / Slack from time to time, but email is STILL the best way to get ahold of me.

We are not Debuggers, Programmers, or Architects — that's your job! Do not send the instructor or TAs any code except what is required for your assignment submissions.

Don't expect the instructor or the TAs to see comments left with assignment submissions. Canvas allows us to download the entire class's submissions as one .zip file, which does not include these comments. If you need to make a meta-comment about your submission, add it to the submission or email the person grading that submission directly.

Time Expectations

This course is online only, and requires approximately 100 hours of student work on their capstone projects for a total of 4 credits. Time spent interacting with course content outside of the project, itself, is minimal.

Technical Assistance

If you experience any errors or problems while in your online course, contact 24-7 Canvas Support through the Help link within Canvas. If you experience computer difficulties, need help downloading a browser or plug-in, or need assistance logging into a course, contact the IS Service Desk for assistance. You can call (541) 737-8787 or visit the  IS Service Desk  (Links to an external site.)  online.

Learning Resources

All class materials can be found on the course web-page. There is no textbook; students are expected to source their own learning resources to accomplish the goals of their projects. A microphone and screen-recording device may be required, for submitting project or prototype demonstrations.

Note: Check with the OSU Beaver Store for up-to-date information for the term you enroll ( OSU Beaver Store website  (Links to an external site.)  or 800-595-0357). If you purchase course materials from other sources, be very careful to obtain the correct ISBN.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

After completion of this course, students will have demonstrated an ability to:

• Outline project requirements.
• Design a project plan.
• Summarize and explain their progress.
• Appraise a project, by authoring a final report.
• Demonstrate their final product.

Evaluation of Student Performance

• Syllabus Quiz and Project Choice - 20 points
• Project Planning Stage - 80 points
• Weekly Progress Reports - 100 points
• Midpoint Progress check - 50 points
• Final Report Documents - 100 points
• Final Demonstration - 150 points
• Total - 500 points

1. Familiarize yourself with the available projects on the EECS Project Portal.
2. Email the instructor with your own project idea or project preferences. (Optional)

1. Read the Syllabus and complete the Syllabus Quiz.
2. View available projects on the EECS Project Portal.
3. Discuss projects and teams (by creating a course discussion or using Slack).
4. Complete the Choose Your Project assignment.
5. Go to your group's discussion board and make a post in the Our Team Introductions topic.

1. Draft your Team Standards.
2. Work with your group to Create a Project Plan.

1. Begin working on your project, once your project plan is approved.

1. Submit your week 4 progress report (2-5 minute show-and-tell).

1. Submit your week 5 progress report (2-5 minute show-and-tell).

1. Submit your team's midpoint project report.

1. Submit your week 7 progress report (2-5 minute show-and-tell).

1. Submit your week 8 progress report (2-5 minute show-and-tell).

1. Submit your week 9 progress report (2-5 minute show-and-tell).

1. Submit your project poster.
2. Submit your final report.
3. Submit your project demonstration.

1. Nothing — Congratulations, you're done!

Please post all course-related questions in the Q&A Discussion Forum so that the whole class may benefit from our conversation. Please contact me privately for matters of a personal nature. I will reply to course-related questions within 24 hours. I will strive to return your assignments and grades for course activities to you within five days of the due date.

For questions about grading, contact the person responsible for grading that assignment.

To contact me directly, please email me at pfeilw@oregonstate.edu. I strongly suggest tagging your email with "[CS 467]" in the subject line. If you do not receive a response within one business day, feel free to send a follow-up email. Sometimes we miss things!

Synchronous Communication - Microsoft Teams

There are a variety of ways to communicate with your class and team. One good method is to use Microsoft Teams:

1. To join us on Microsoft Teams, visit the link in the nav bar ( https://teams.microsoft.com/  (Links to an external site.) ).
2. Login with your OSU ONID and password
3. Join the CS467-400 Spring 2021 Team Channel using the Team Code: vyju1sd

PLEASE NOTE:  This code is private to our class - do not share!

PLEASE NOTE:  For grading matters, or to contact the Instructor directly, ALWAYS use email:   pfeilw@oregonstate.edu

More Info:

We are not Debuggers, Programmers, or Architects — that's your job! Do not send the instructor or TAs any code except what is required for your assignment submissions.

Don't expect the instructor or the TAs to see comments left with assignment submissions. Canvas allows us to download the entire class's submissions as one .zip file, which does not include these comments. If you need to make a meta-comment about your submission, add it to the submission or email the person grading that submission.

This page describes where to find the available Software Projects and how to choose your project.

Please note the following: 

• There are no solo projects with RARE exceptions. Occasionally we may approve cross-disciplinary projects with a single Capstone student and students from other colleges. Occasionally we may approve individual research projects with a lot of lead time and strong references from other OSU faculty.
• You may propose your own project. Just send an email to the instructor, and if your project is approved, we will put it up in the project portal if need be.
• You may form your own team and choose your own project IF you propose a project of your own and it is accepted or IF you choose a project that your instructor is sponsoring. The choose your project survey will make this clear.

Choosing a project

1. Here is the link to the OSU EECS Capstone Project Portal. Please Note: Projects in the Portal are subject to change.  Visit the Portal often to see changes, additions or deletions.
2. You will want to read and follow the steps outlined in the Choose Your Project assignment.

Propose Your Own Project

Do you have an idea for a project that you'd really like to execute? If so, send an email to the instructor(s) asap. We will help you fine-tune your idea and post the project to the Portal. Note that there may not be time to add your project, so get your ideas in as early as possible (preferably before the term starts).

If you choose to work on your own idea, you may not re-use extensive amounts of code from previous projects and get credit for them as part of this course: your programming and design efforts must be new. However, if you have an existing project that you want to put 300 more hours into, you can use that project as a starting point for your team.

Evaluation Environment

In general, your instructor(s) and TAs will not have time to re-create your development environment in order to test. You should plan ahead to submit the following:

• Web Project - Link to hosted website
• iOS - Use TestFlight (preferred) or Ad-hoc deployment
• Android - Submit an apk
• School Computers (Cent OS or Windows) - Ok to submit c or c++ code and compilation instructions IF no dependencies to install. Python and Java are fine also.
• Unity projects - Prefer WebGL hosted on website (Can host on GitHub pages). Otherwise, contact the instructor(s). We may be able to load your project in our Unity environment, or may require a demonstration video.
• Other - Contact the Instructor.

Project Selection Considerations

Since this final project you create will be amazing, please consider using it as part of your portfolio to help get jobs. To this end, consider selecting a project that might appeal to your potential employers.

IMPORTANT:   Make sure to complete all tasks in the Start Here - Overview page . Once these are completed, modules will be unlocked.

Welcome to CS 467 Capstone! This course is very different from previous courses in the program. This is where you get to decide what you want to do with your term, with very little input or guidance from the instructor. Some students choose to do a pure coding project where they have an idea and run with it -- others choose to dive into hours of research on a new topic they have no experience with, trading final polish for novelty. It's up to you what you want to do. Many students have told me this was the most fun course they have taken in the program.

In past terms, more than 97% of the class finishes with an A. Failing grades are rare, but can happen. In an effort to avoid this, here are a few very important things we all need to keep in mind as we go through this term..

How to Succeed in Capstone

The best way to be successful in this course is to start working with your team early on to develop a realistic plan for your project. This will lay the foundation for the rest of the term, so put serious thought into what you are committing to! Don't worry too much though -- one goal of the course is for you to practice planning a project and estimating time and research requirements -- if you over-commit I'm not going to force you to suffer, but you will have to revise your project plan half way through the term which is not very fun. Have real milestones and keep track of them. The sooner you realize you're going off track, the earlier we can work together to fix it.

For research heavy projects, there must be a final deliverable that represents a significant level of mastery of computer science. When grading final projects, the TA's and I take into account the difficulty and novelty of the project when evaluating the deliverables. However, there must still be actual deliverables. Telling me you have done a lot of research, but have nothing to show for it is not a way to pass the class.

On your weekly progress reports, scrolling quickly up and down and clicking through different source file tabs in your IDE while talking vaguely about your "progress" is a fantastic way to earn a 0 for that week. If there is code on your screen and you say anything to the effect of "this is my code", "I did this", or "this is my work for the week", and that code is something that I find out came from some other source like a book, or another person's GitHub, or one of your group members, you will not only receive 0 points, but I will file a plagiarism case with the college. Several grades of 0 points for weekly progress reports can result in removal from your group.

Communication is KEY!

You absolutely must keep in regular contact with your team. I know that many of you have jobs and lives outside of this program, and we try to be as flexible as possible. However, this isn't a weekend-only class. You need to communicate with your team and agree on a schedule for regular meetings and progress updates. Having a busy work/school/personal life is not an excuse for disappearing on your group. If your group has gone more than a week without hearing from you, you will be removed from your group. Even excused absences can result in removal from your group if they significantly impact the group's ability to finish the project.

Group Dysfunction

You are responsible for notifying me about absent/under-performing group members. Even though I can see if a student has stopped submitting progress updates or is not showing appropriate progress, I cannot contact the other members of the group to investigate because of academic records privacy regulations. If you have not heard from a group member in more than a week, it is your responsibility to contact me. Waiting until a few days before the final project is due is not an appropriate time to send me an email about how you're the only one that has contributed anything to the project all term.

At the midpoint project check, dysfunctional groups may be broken up and students will be assigned individual projects to complete. These projects are often more difficult than working together as a group, and there is less time to complete them. In general, students that start individual projects have tended to not pass the class. Where possible, if only one group member is not contributing, I will try to preserve the group for the remaining students, adjusting the project requirements as necessary. If a student is removed from a group after the midpoint project check has passed, they may not be given the option for a solo project, and will need to retake the course.

In any circumstance, I will do everything I can to make sure that students are not unfairly punished for the actions of their group member(s). Because many students plan to use the final deliverable in their professional portfolios, I take non-participation and under-performance very seriously. Please keep in mind the effects that your choices can have on the other people in your group who have all invested a significant amount of time and money into this program and want to have the best final product to show for it that they can.