Senoir Design Project | Assoc.Prof. Abzetdin Adamov | School of Information Technology and Engineering | ADA University

COURSE SYLLABUS FOR (draft): Senoir Design Project - I

COURSE ID: SITE 4790
CREDITS: 6
CLASS TERM: Fall, 2017
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Abzetdin Adamov
CLASS SCHEDULE: see My Calendar

1. General Course Description:

The Senior Design Project II (SDP-II) course results with a capstone project for students to learn about engineering research, design and implementation relating to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through their bachelor degree studies in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology and System Engineering programs of the SITE. In other words the SDP is an application of technical, communication, personal, and team skills. Oral and written communication of technical information, including progress reports, draft and final report, and oral presentations. Students are expected to work in small groups over 2 semesters to identify topic and its feasibility, define the problem, analyze competing needs and requirements, perform prior work searches, develop alternative designs, carry out cost analyses, and select and implement a design solution.

Important Glossary:

  • Project Topic: a topic of the project indicated in the proposal
  • Project Team: team of students enrolled to SDP course, who work on the same project
  • Project Advisor: SITE faculty member assigned to advise to a Project Team
  • Industry Mentor (Company Sponsor): an optional industry representative, who is part of the project proposal
  • SDP Committee: committee consisting of all Project Advisors and Industry Mentors
  • Progress Report: critical document demonstrating the project progress
  • Final Report: critical document as the main outcome of the SDP course

1.1. Senior Design Project Conponents and General Deliverables:

Senior Design Project consists of two related courses:
  • SITE-4790 Senior Design Project I (Fall)
    • Phase 1: Proposal
    • Phase 2: Requirements, Analysis and Design (Draft Report)
  • SITE-4890 Senior Design Project II (Spring)
    • Phase 3: Prototype/Implementation
    • Phase 4: Final Report and Presentation

1.2. What is different about this class

Unlike other courses, this course does not intend regular participation in class, instead it is independent study/research. For SDP I course the professor will schedule some in-class meetings throughout the semester. Other meetings mainly are scheduled with the Project Advisor (faculty mentor) for the particular Senior Design Project. Each Project Team will meet together weekly, keeping detailed minutes of the meetings.

1.3. Learning Objectives:

  • Learning to select and plan a CS/CE/IT/SE project involving analysis and design tasks
  • Learning to conduct a literature survey
  • Learning to carry out, as a team, CS/CE/IT/SE design project
  • Learning to perform the relevant calculations, analysis, and implement his design.
  • Learning to understand economic, environmental issues related to technology.
  • Learning the administrative issues of engineering R&D
  • Learning to understand the impact of engineering on societal issues.
  • Learning to communicate technical information in writing.
  • Learning to communicate in oral and critically evaluate technical information

1.4. Learning Outcomes and Competences:

At the end of this course student will (titles refer to ABET learning outcomes.):
  • Design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret DATA.
  • Design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.
  • Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems.
  • Understand professional and ethical responsibility.
  • Communicate effectively.
  • Understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context.
  • Recognize the need for, and engage in, life-long learning.
  • Know contemporary issues.

1.5. Recommended Resources

  • No specific textbook
  • Internet Resource,
  • Library,
  • Project Advisor,
  • Industry Mentor (if applicable),
  • Your peers.

2. Implementation of Senior Design Project I

2.1. How to form Project Team?

  • SDP should not be carried out as an individual project.
  • Team size is restricted to only 3 or 4 students. In exceptional cases, Project Advisor or Course Coordinator can recommend larger team of 5 members.
  • Students are responsible to form their team.
  • In exceptional cases, when students are not able to form their team, Project Advisor or Course Coordinator can assign team members.
  • Team may consist of students from different programs of the SITE.
  • Contribution of each Team Member into project success must be clear during all phases of the project.
  • Each Project Team should assign Team Leader (first in the member list).

2.2. Where to get Project Topics?

  • Projects can be in any area of Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Technology and System Engineering.
  • Project’s Topic can come from:
    • from Project Team
    • from faculty members (or SDP Committee Members).
    • from Industry mentor
  • Wherever Project Topic comes from, its subject to the SDP Committee approval.
  • It is the team's (Project Team) responsibility to find a suitable project.
  • All projects must be realized, documented, and demonstrated at the end of the term.

2.3. Potential Expenses

  • SDP Project can require additional equipment, software, consumables, electronic sets and parts.
  • SITE will not provide additional support beyond the allowance to use equipment and parts available in Labs.
  • The cost of the project may be exclusively Project Team's, exclusively your sponsor company's (if applicable), or may be shared.

2.4. Evaluation and Deliverables

SDP is based on PASS / FAIL evaluation according to the following components:
  • Quality of Proposal
  • Web Presence (standard will be shared)
  • Project Progress Report
  • Final Report and In-Class Presentation
  • Class participation (when you informed)
  • Advisor's evaluation
Teams are highly encouraged to publish a paper related to SDP topic

2.4.1. Progress Report:

  • Each team must prepare Progress Report and deliver to Project Supervisor by 9th week.
  • Each Project Advisor can require to submit a weekly Progress Report showing the progress accomplished during the preceding
  • week and the plans for the coming week.
  • For the CS/CE/IT/SE students, the frequency and deadlines of required Progress Reports is given by the Project Advisor.
  • A report format will be furnished.

2.4.2. Final Report and In-Class Presentations:

Each team is responsible to deliver Final Report to Project Advisor and present in-class by 12th week or within time-scope allocated by Project Advisor. In-Class Presentation should include at least:
  • Objectives - State the problem and the objective(s) of the project
  • Significance - What problem did you try to solve? What are potential applications? Whom it will help?
  • Novelty - What have others done to solve this problem? Describe differences form exiting devices, software, solutions or technology.
  • Solution - Approach, Methods and Procedures that you plan to use in order to solve the problem.
  • Output/Deliverables - Describe the output of the project: prototype, computer code listing, production drawings.
  • Timeline - Describe the expected evolution of the project using Gantt Chart.

2.5. Senior Design Project – Approximate Timeline:

  • Week 1-2 Delivering Introduction and Guidelines
  • Week 2-3 Team Members/Team Formed/Team Leader selected
  • Week 1-4 Project Proposals from Faculty Project Advisors (SDP Committee should approve all Projects)
  • Week 3-5 Faculty Project Advisor and Project Topic selected
  • Week 5 Project Proposal Submitted – a well-defined project proposal that includes a description, problem statement, conceptual design, and a detailed list of deliverables.
  • Week 6 Industry Mentor (Project Sponsor) determined, if applicable
  • Week 9 Progress Report - Quart Chart
  • Week up to 10 Team/Project Web Presence - Website that includes project title, logo, description, team, etc.
  • Week 12 Final Report and In-Class Presentation - standard template will be shared

3. References:

Course Policies

General:

Respect due dates - No late projects, lab assignments, papers, or quizzes will be accepted unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor. Quizzes will be announced at least one week before the actual date, will be no quizzes allowed after the established deadline.
Since this course is about computer programming, it is strongly recommended that you have a working computer at home connected to the Internet. Most of course matherials are located online and it's also good for your success to use recommended additional online tutorials.

Student contributions:

The Students are expected to follow to instructor's recommendations when preparing homeworks, tasks, laboratory reports, tests, theses, etc.
  • Communicate in a professional manner with instuctors and/or classmates (including online communication)
  • Participate actively in-class discussion topics
  • Complete all in-class and homework-tasks/projects in time
  • Most successful students are expected to make proposal for in-class seminar on a original topic that is not covered by course
  • Preview course materials for the topic is going to be covered that week, before class starts

Bonus Project:

Bonus is optional project and each student can offer his own unique topic within bounds of the course or request one from instructor. Each student who pretend for bonus points should prepare paper according to the announced standards and present it in class. Bonus points will be added to your final grades just in case of success for course without considering bonus points. Part of bonus points may come from participation points related with your attendance.

The Student Conduct Code:

Students are expected to follow to general rules of condact and behavior. Students have to be familiar with regulations described in the ADA University Student Handbook.
To avoid distractions late students are asked NOT to enter the class after the doors are closed. In particular, excessive and loud talking, leaving and reentering class without permision, cell phones using, or other means of disrupting the class will not be tolerated and students may be asked to leave the class. Students who constantly disrupt class may be asked to leave permanently and will fail the course. Be responsible for your own actions.
Important: All cell phones and other gadgets should be turned OFF, they may not be used in the classroom and students are NOT allowed to leave room to use their cell phones.

Attendance:

It is expected that students will attend and participate actively in all classes during semester. One of the the key factors in success in this course is to attend to all scheduled classes and be actively involved in learning process. Attendance is an indispensable element of the educational process. In compliance with Azerbaijani legislation, instructors are required to monitor attendance and inform the Registrar and the Dean of the respective School when students miss significant amounts of class time. Azerbaijani legislation mandates that students who fail to attend at least 75% of classes will fail the course.
ADA attendance policy excuses two (2) student absences, though these should reflect a serious need on the student’s part to be away from class. In case of involuntary and unpredictable serious disruption of normal life, students may appeal to a grievance procedure through Office of the Dean of the School of Education.
Student is responsible for all work missed during his absences.

Academic Dishonesty - Cheating:

All graded projects must be your own work. My strong recommendation - "If you are not able to do more, do less, but do them right and by yourself". An act of academic dishonesty or plagiarism may result in failure for a project or in a course. Plagiarism involves representing another person's ideas or outcomes, including material from the Internet, as your own. Cheating or acts of academic dishonesty also include fabricating data and results, copying, and offering or receiving unauthorized assistance or information from another person. Students involved in activities such as cheating and/or plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary action in accordence with ADA University Student Disciplinary Regulation.

Communication:

eMail is a Prefered Communication Tool. Be awared that only emails that sent from your ADA University @ADA.EDU.AZ account will be considered - CLICK to Sign In

Meeting Hours and Appointment:

  • For meeting follow to Office Hours (check my online Calendar or on-door calendar)
  • You can apply for meeting by appointment beyond the stated office hours via email
  • Only emails that has been sent from @ADA.EDU.AZ will be considered

Please let me know if you do not understand any topic, concepts or projects in bounds of this course. Feel free to clarify any questions you may have during class, or via email.