CSCI 6838 Capstone Projects
Grading Policy

by K. Yue, last modified: July 2010

If you are taking CSCI 6838, please read this document carefully and make sure that you understand it completely. You will be responsible for understanding and following the course policies and requirements.

I. General

The purpose of CSCI 6838 is to provide capstone experience to students working in realistic projects in a team environment. As the gate-keeping course for graduation, the capstone project is significantly more demanding than the average CSCI course. In general, the instructor expects the average student to spend about 10-20 hours per week, starting from the first week.

The capstone project involves intensive face to face communications with other team members, the faculty instructor and the mentor. Taking the course remotely is not acceptable. If a student needs to travel extensively, he should defer taking the course.

Students will be responsible for 'everything':

• ensuring that the team fully understands the problem and formulates acceptable requirement specifications,
• developing an acceptable design for the problem,
• implementing the solution in selected languages and platforms,
• ensuring that the software and hardware for implementing the solution is properly set up as early as possible,
• ensuring that all schedules and deadlines are met on time,
• managing the developing team and ensuring a fair division of labor,
• producing all required deliverable of the project,
• creating and maintaining an active Web page,
• scheduling the necessary meetings with the instructor and the mentor,
• conducting meetings, and
• ensuring all deliverables are submitted on time.

The copyright of the project does not belong to the students.

Some Tips:

• Each team member should keep an active logbook and write down every important detail the mentor said.
• Start working from day #1 and keep up the pressure. Some teams nearly stressed out in the past because of late start.
• Be sure communications and coordination works well early in the semester. Otherwise, your projects will be delayed.
• Make sure what are in the critical path and work on them as early as possible.
• Identify potential major technological roadblocks and resolve them as soon as possible.

II. Grading Policy

Grading will be based solely on the quality of the project. Failing grades will be given to students with unacceptable quality of work. The instructor will consult the mentors for grading. However, assigning grades to the students are the sole responsibility of the faculty instructors. Students should not discuss grading issues with the project mentors.

Grade will be assigned based on the quality of:

• the product deliverables
• the product design
• the technical presentation
• the final report
• the team Web page
• the technical meetings with the faculty instructor, and
• participation and attendance.

The following arguments and similar ones will not be considered in assigning grades:

• "I must graduate."
• "My company will transfer me in the next semester so I cannot retake the course."
• "I am too busy with my job/family/hobbies."
• "I travel a lot."
• "I am taking three courses and working full time."
• "I will lost my scholarship/sponsorship/immigration status if I do not have a passing grade."
• "I don't have time because ..."
• "The specifications are not clear."
• "My teammates do not cooperate."
• "The software does not work."
• "My life will be ruined if ..."
• "This is an once in a life time opportunity for me to graduate and find a job..."

There will not be any 'bonus' or 'extra' projects or assignments to any students for improving their grades.