Project Resources

This page describes project resources for students enrolled in CISC 4900/4905.

 
↓ Start Here ↓

Finding a Project

At the beginning of the semester, you are to identify a supervised project. That means both a project and a supervisor. It would be ideal to have this settled within the first week of the semester, to maximize your time to work towards your project objective(s).

Students may find their own project, within or outside the school. Many students use projects at work for their CISC 4900 project. Active internships can potentially qualify as well.

Helpful Links

Characteristics of a suitable supervised project include:

  • It should be related to your major; or at the very least one of the three CIS majors.
  • It should be of substational nature, requiring approximately 15 hours per week of a well-defined time commitment. (Summer semester students should expect to devote 40-45 hrs per week since the semester is five weeks in duration.)
  • The sophistical level should be that of a student past the introductory sequence. The suitability of the project completed can impact the final grade. It is possible to complete a project satisfactorily and receive a grade below A if the project is simple and straightforward application of elementary programming techniques. For example, introductory HTML/CSS would be considered too simple for this course.
  • It has an acceptable supervisor.
  • You can only receive credit for new, active work completed during the semester of enrollment.

Common Type of Projects include:

  • Internship
  • Fellowship/Residency
  • Technology system for a local business
  • Project that solves a real-world need

Characteristics of an acceptable supervisor:

  • Someone who has had at least 1 full calendar year (12 months) of professional, full-time work experience. Your supervisor may be a faculty member at Brooklyn College, at other universities, or even an industry professional.
  • Someone in a position to provide you with guidance and feedback.
  • Can provide the 4900 instructor with a fair and accurate evaluation of your work.
  • Ideally the supervisor should be a in a position to evaluate your work from a technical as well as professional perspective. For example, it should not be a family/friend who has no technical expertise in the area of your project.

If you have a supervised project

Once you've identified your supervised project, submit the project proposal via a Google Form. You can find the link by logging into the course website on Blackboard.

If you don't have a supervised project

Your responsibility is to make effort in searching for a project and/or supervisor, depending on your circumstances. That involve preparatory steps for a successful search, including but not limited to: updating your resume, browsing job boards, pursuing professional networking opportunities.

 

↓ Once you have a project ↓

 

Project Progress Tracking


Project Repository

A Version Control Repository must be updated regularly throughout the semester to track timelogs and other documents and project information. Git is a commonly used VCS software along with a GitHub account.


Project Management Board

A Project Management Board must be used to track your project tasks and course requirements; updated regularly. Those who are using a GitHub repository to track your project files can consider using GitHub Projects.


Project Timelogs

The log contains a record of all project-related activities; it should indicate both the time spent and the nature of the activity. You are to update your project logs throughout the semester and submitted with reports.

Helpful Links

 

↓ Documenting your progress ↓

 

Project Deliverables

You are responsible for documentation of project-related activities that go into planning and completing the project. Your project deliverables are several iterations of documentation. The instructions for submitting your project deliverables will be announced at the beginning of the semester, as the specific details for submissons can vary each semester.


Diagrams

As part of project planning you should have a technical understanding of the system you are working with. Your diagrams may include sketches showing data flow, programming logic flow, user interfaces, organization chart, etc.


Presentation Slides
Your presentation slides compose of a brief description of your project, including diagrams showing the designs for explaining your project, along with demonstrations with work completed. Describe the work completed thus far and outline any remaining work, such as screenshots of your repository, your project management board, etc. You will be asked to submit a draft version before the final version.


Demo Recordings
This is an opportunity to explain your project goals and demonstrate your progress since the beginning of the semester. Demo videos should be 2-5 mins long.


Live Presentation
During the middle of the semester, you will be responsible for explaining your project designs and demonstrate your work in progress in real time over a video chat. Please be prepared to turn on your video during your presentation. Your presentation time slot will be 10 minutes long where you present your demo and have Q&A. There is only one live presentation per group. Please note that live presentation appointments need to be made in advice, please pay careful attention to the course calendar for the deadline to book your appointment.


Final Project Video Recording
This is your opportunity to explain your project outcome, including demonstrations and and highlighting select moments your experience throughout the semester. Demonstrate the work you've completed and explain how you've constructed the project. Presentation materials can include slides, source code, example use cases, and so forth to demonstrate the work that you have completed. Final video recordings should be 15 minutes long.

 

 

Sample previous projects can be viewed on the 'Showcase' page.

© Designed by Katherine Chuang. This page is still a work in progress, contents may shift around.