Project Resources

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

 
↓ Start Here ↓

Finding a Project

You are responsible for identifying an internship or supervised project. A supervised project means both a project and a supervisor.

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.

Past internships won't count as you must actively contributing towards your project during the semester of enrollment.

Common Type of Projects include:

  • Internship
  • Supporting an office or research lab on campus
  • Building or maintaining a technology system for a local business
  • Project that solves a real-world need
  • Continuation of a previous project that you've been working on for more than 3 months

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 substantial 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 sophistication 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.
  • The project has impact on real users.
  • Simply completing training would not be appropriate. You are required to participate in hands-on application of concepts and maintain a GitHub repository.
  • It has an acceptable supervisor who has a stake in the project outcome.
  • You can only receive credit for new, active work completed during the semester of enrollment.

Characteristics of an acceptable supervisor:

  • Someone who has had at least 1 full calendar year (12 months) of professional, full-time work experience. If you are working on your own project idea, your supervisor must be an industry professional who is currently working in the field (of any discipline/industry) relevant to your project.
  • Someone in a position to provide you with guidance and feedback on your project.
  • 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.
  • Ideally the supervisor has a stake in your project progress. For example, they might be the business owner or project lead.

If you have an internship or a supervised project

Once you've identified your internship or supervised project, submit the permission request via the online form.

If you have a project but no supervisor

Submit the permission request with a brief description of your project and also fill in the question asking the people you've connected with as potential supervisors.

Separately, send an email with a project proposal that includes a description of your goals, an outline of expected weekly milestones during the semester of enrollment along with rationale justifying your tech stack. Include relevant information pertaining to your contributions to the project (i.e. GitHub repository, diagrams, specifications, presentations, etc) along with description of your career interests/goals. If your project is approved, you could be allowed to work on that project for the class. If it is not approved, you will be assigned to work with a group on a project.

If you don't have a project nor supervisor:

Your responsibility is to make effort in searching for a project and/or supervisor, depending on your circumstances. Your search could involve preparatory steps for a successful search, including but not limited to: updating your resume, browsing job boards, pursuing professional networking opportunities shared on this page above, under "resources from Magner Career Center".

Also, here is a short list of approved projects , of supervisors recruiting students.

You may submit a project idea. Instructions can be found on the left under "If you have a project but no supervisor".

 

↓ Once you have a project ↓

 

Project Progress Tracking

During the semester as you work on your project, you are responsible for managing the production of your project's outcome, keeping regular backups, and keeping a log of your project-related activities. These tools are required:

Project Repository

A Version Control Repository must be updated regularly throughout the semester to track project files, and other documents about project information. Git is a commonly used VCS software in connection 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. A plain text or markdown file would be acceptable as well.


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.