Seminar: 1 hour per week
Field Experience: 3 hours per week
or
Hybrid: 2 hours per week in person; 2 hours per week online
Experiential learning, lecture, seminar and tutorial are used in this course. Weekly communication with the instructor will be compulsory.
- Content Common to all Projects: The content details will depend upon the particular subject of each project. However, there will be several common topics. Lectures and discussions will be held to deal with:
- The proposal of a project
- The format of a contract
- The techniques of gathering data/information
- Organizing and running meetings
- Information sources, such as libraries and resource centres
- The preparation of a report
- The management of weekly status reports of a project
- Criteria for Selections of Project Topics:
- A project's subject must be related to computer systems and be viewed by faculty as providing valuable information
- A project's scope must be such that its objectives can be attained in one semester
- The client preferably should be an organization outside the educational institution; should be an entity not related to the student (such as a relative)
- The contents and results of a project must be original
- Projects are done in groups - group members work cooperatively to attain project objectives
- Typical projects have included (but are not strictly limited to) research, analysis, design or development in one of the following areas:
- Database applications
- Web applications related to database
- Visual/object-oriented programming-related applications
- Data communications systems (such as LAN, WAN)
- Multimedia/graphical designs
- Feasibility studies/analyses
- Accounting applications
- Hardware/software evaluations
- Management contact systems
- Mobile Applications
- Data Analytics applications
- Data mapping/visualization projects
- Data driven business/decision making applications
- Project Management Life Cycle:
- Project management deliverables
- Project milestones
- Risk management
- Problem solving skills
- Project Management software
- Project Implementation - full or partial such as a prototype
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will be able to:
- Prepare a project proposal
- Formulate and negotiate an agreement to set up the terms and conditions of a project
- Identify a set of objectives/tasks that can be accomplished within the time allotment
- Apply the life-cycle of systems analysis and design to a computer system project
- Gather pertinent information and data through interviews, questionnaires, surveys and observations of a computer information system’s activities
- Organize a project meeting, prepare an agenda, and issue timely minutes
- Use problem solving skills to resolve problems encountered during the project period
- Present orally and provide written memos/reports to clients and faculty supervisor in a formal environment
- Prepare technical documentation and a final project report on the work performed
- Use project management software effectively to manage the project
Assessment is in accordance wit the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.
| Negotiation: review of contract and the written project plan |
15% |
| Implementation: review of student's progress reports (including a time line) |
10% |
| Communication: oral presentations |
20% |
|
Midterm Written Report(s) Final Written Report: |
15%
|
| Total | 100% |
Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students
Because of the possible variety of project topics, no general reference material can be prescribed. Specific material will be indicated to each student by the instructor as required.