Capstone projects in computer science

Abstract

This study evaluates several aspects related to capstone projects in a computer science degree: level of advisor involvement, type of student, and type of project. We consider the points of view of students, advisors, and evaluation committees. Students claimed the level of advisor involvement to be significantly greater than that perceived by the advisors themselves. Regarding students skills, we found no significant differences between the opinions of advisors and students. And lastly, students have a significantly better opinion about their projects than advisors do.

A tool for capstone project management in computer science engineering

“…The results were satisfactory. The tool was widely used; and users quite appreciated its availability [14]. And so, we have maintained the group active during this course.…”

“…Over the past few years some problems have been detected, such as delays in project completion, poor quality products, unstructured development processes, and overall dissatisfaction in students and advisors [6,13]. The causes of these problems vary significantly.…”

“…This situation can magnify any small problem and turn it into a large obstacle, difficult to overcome. Moreover, some students may feel less motivated, as they are unable to share experiences, compare results and progress with colleagues [11,14,17].…”

“…He or she must find a balanced degree of support for their student: not to leaving them unattended but, at the same time, not depriving them of the opportunity to learn independently either. Students must confront the difficulties that arise during the project on their own [6,10,13]. Another problem that advisors face quite often is the lack of information about the project they receive from their students, mainly regarding progress.…”

Adjustments of Methodology Planning and Assessment Activities of Senior Projects in the Computer Science Program

“…Additional practices reported in the literature, is allowing or encouraging research topics in senior projects [8], publishing papers in conferences [10], presenting projects to audiences such as doing poster day [10] and [8], or Engineering Fair [22], the use of version control systems [21], such as the systems reported in [8] and [10] and enriching the senior project experience by including student reflection activities such as maintaining Portfolios [26], [27], and [21].…”