Description
The idea of the capstone project is to develop and complete a project that will bring together all that you have learned in your program of study. This project should represent the culmination of your education and demonstrate your skills. Ideally the project can be used as a portfolio piece that you can show potential employers. It should help give you the confidence that you can do what you have been studying to do.
To Do
In the syllabus I have outline steps and assignments that will help you define and complete your project. The hardest part of all is coming up with the initial idea.
Here are some general suggestions:
- It should be complex, but not too complex
- The project should be complex enough to demonstrate something of the variety of skills and techniques that you have learned. But it should not be so complex that it cannot be finished in a quarter's time.
- It's OK to stretch
- It's OK to stretch a little beyond the skills you have, but again the caveat is to be careful to keep the project doable in the context of a quarter.
- Think about potential employers
- The project is most useful when you can show it to a potential employer and say,"Here is an example of what I can do." When you think of different ideas for your project, which ones have the most potential to look good on your resume? Which onesbest demonstrate the skills you believe an employer might like to see?
- Consider your resources
- Think about what you need in terms of server space, platforms, software and resources. Some things may be wonderful to do, but simply may not be practical given the restraints of current situation.
- Pick something you will enjoy doing
- The project is a big and time consuming activity. Pick something you will enjoy working on, otherwise the tedium and lack of interest will keep you from doing the best you could do.
To turn in
At the end of the quarter, I will want to see the completed project with all the other documentation outlined in the syllabus. I should be able to run and/or view the project. I would like to see all programming code including xhtml, and the schemas of any databases.
Probably the easiest way to turn all these in is on a CD, but I will accepted printed output and a url if you created a web site.