Instructor
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David McDonald
Office: MGH 330A Phone: (206) 543-6429 Email: dwmc@u.washington.edu
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Teaching Assistant
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Kristen Shinohara
Email: kshino@uw.edu
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Description
In this course, Informatics majors apply the techniques they have learned in prior course work to a significant project of their own definition. The project may be completed through group or individual effort. The design of the course follows the goals for the capstone experience:
- Student-defined Information Problem: In the capstone course students define the information problem for themselves.
- Student-defined Method(s) of Investigation: In the capstone course students determine what techniques to use for the information problem they identify.
- Synthesis of Human-Centered and Technical Strands: The informatics approach integrates human-centered and technical dimensions of information systems. While a specific capstone project might emphasize one dimension or the other, it is expected that both dimensions will be present to some extent.
- Make a Difference: Following the overarching mission of the Information School, the Informatics capstone project should make a positive difference for the community in which it is carried out -- be it a business, school, hospital, or other context.
- Passion!: The capstone project should be something the student feels passionate about.
Course Organization & Meetings
The course meets Wednesday and Friday 9:30am-1:20pm. After the first class session, the Wednesday meeting time will be used for announcements, student/group project presentations and feedback sessions. Depending on the number of presentations, the Tuesday meetings may be shorter; other weeks the meeting time will be quite full. You should plan on being in class the full-time each week.
During the Friday course meeting time, you are required to schedule a weekly project meeting with the Teaching Assistant or the course Instructor. Your weekly project meetings will last approximately 30 minutes. These project meetings are designed to help you keep your project moving. Projects often get stuck and need help or some kind of workaround. These meetings are places to bring up those issues before it is too late.
Project groups that will meet weekly with Kristen (in MGH 420):
| • | Am I Protected? | |
| Team Unidentified | ||
| • | ASL Translator Connectivity Tool | |
| j2bn | ||
| • | NewsRoom | |
| Team Outcasts2 | ||
| • | Project Shift | |
| Project Shift | ||
| • | BookEX | |
| Rockstars | ||
Project groups that will meet weekly with Dr. McDonald (in MGH 330A):
| • | ClinixNotes: Mobile Dictation Sync | |
| Team Graduate | ||
| • | Facial Recognition Project | |
| Craig Kochis | ||
Grading
The course grading is tailored to the individual project through a project agreement between the TAs/Instructor and the student/group. Grading is based on the project work, presentations, peer evaluation and participation. In general, the materials used to evaluate the project will be natural products of completing a capstone project. The course grade will be composed of the following components.
| Project work: | 50% | ||
| Presentations: | 10% | ||
| "Information Overload" Slide | 5% | ||
| Project Abstract: | 5% | ||
| Project poster: | 10% | ||
| Final written report: | 10% | ||
| Participation: | 10% |
- Project work: The course is a project course.
The largest single portion of the grade is about the
project. The scope of the project, the phases of the
project, and the emphasis on each phase is negotiated
between the project group and the TAs/Instructor. This is
represented by a project agreement. A project agreement
will be used by you and your TA to determine deliverables
for the project. In general, there will be a minimum
of two, well developed, deliverables for each phase
of your project. Naturally, since each project is
different the specifics of the deliverables, the types
and due dates, are to be negotiated as part of completing
a project agreement.
- Presentations: During the course you will be
expected to make two presentations. Presentations will be
made at the completion of each of the first two phaese of
the project. Presentations should clearly describe the
problems, methods, and results for the previously
completed phase of the project. Presentations are your
opportunity to get feedback from student peers who may be
dealing with similar problems. As such, you are
expected to raise at least two questions during
the presentation that require feedback or input from the
members of the class. Presentations must include one
visual aid, to help explain or illustrate the
discussion; PowerPoint is optional. It is expected that
each presentation with discussion and feedback will last
approximately 30-45 minutes. Presentations will be
scheduled for the class meeting as near the completion of
a project phase as possible.
- Information Overload: The Capstone Event for
this year will include a session called "Information
Overload" which will feature 30 second, 1 slide
presentations from every capstone project group. A course
deliverable is your slide for this event.
- Project Abstract: You are expected to write a
125 word abstract which accurately describes your
capstone project.
- Project Poster: The project poster is a
short-form representation of your project. This is a
representation suitable for submission to the UW
Undergraduate Research Symposium. Sample posters of prior
projects will be brought to a class meeting for you to
review. Your project poster will be used for the
Informatics Capstone Event in May. The final printed size
of your poster will be 40x32 inches. You must design
your poster for a finished size of 40x32. However,
for the purposes of grading, you will scale and print
your poster on Tabloid (11x17) size paper. You will need
to submit 2 copies printed in color of your
poster.
- Final Written Report: This report is a written
representation of the entire project that brings together
all of the work in a coherent story. This is a formal
written description of your project. The report should
cover the work performed in each phase of the project.
The report should adhere to common standards of academic
writing (e.g. you should cite sources as appropriate).
You will need to submit 2 printed copies of your
final report.
- Individual Participation: You are expected to
participate in all parts of the course. Not only in your
project work and project presentations but also by
reflecting on the other projects in the course. This
reflection can be through verbal questions you ask, but
will also include how you contribute through discussions
of the project presentations.