Course Syllabus – Senior Team Project

CS 490 ⋅ Fall 2024 ⋅ 4 Credits

This capstone course is designed for final year undergraduate computer science students. During the course, students get the opportunity to work in teams on real-world problems while being mentored by sponsors from both industry and academia. Projects cover a broad range of disciplines, including web and application development, cryptography, machine learning and AI, distributed systems, game development, cloud computing, and more. Students will learn software engineering best practices and refine their communication and collaboration skills.

Course Information

Lecture: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday ⋅ 1:00pm – 2:05pm ⋅ LME 1223

Instructor: Matthew Malensek
mmalensek@usfca.edu
Office Hours: W, F 11:45am – 12:45pm in HR 407B

TA: Aniket Thakker
Office Hours: TBA

Prerequisites

Texts/Materials

Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, students will be able to:

Each of these learning outcomes will be evaluated via weekly standup meetings, development logs, midterm and final presentations, and final sponsor approval.

Grading and Assessment

The course is graded on an A-F basis. The grade distribution is:

Grades will be assigned as follows:

Score Grade
100 – 94 A
93 – 90 A-
89 – 87 B+
86 – 84 B
83 – 80 B-
79 – 77 C+
76 – 74 C
73 – 70 C-
69 – 67 D+
66 – 64 D
63 – 60 D-
59 – 0 F

This scale is subject to change; scoring in the ranges above guarantees you will receive at least the grade listed.

Assignments: Initial team formation and setup, tooling configuration, etc. will be evaluated via small assignments.

Development Logs and Documentation: Each team is responsible for maintaining a development log to track the current project status: what was accomplished during each sprint, and what will happen during the next sprint. This log includes design documents and their evolution throughout the project. Furthermore, the team must maintain build and test instructions, information on dependencies, and provide full code documentation.

Weekly Standup: One of the primary differences between an academic setting and the professional environment is consistent progress toward project goals. Teams will be expected to make steady progress during each sprint, and each team member will be evaluated weekly to ensure targets are being met.

Presentations: The team will prepare both a mid-semester progress presentation and a final presentation of their work.

Final Project Deliverables: In addition to turning in a working final project with documentation, both the course instructor and project sponsor must sign off on the work and confirm all goals were met. Individual student contributions and performance will be included in this grade.

Final Exam: This course does not have a final exam. Instead, the final presentation and project deliverables will serve as the final evaluation.

Grading Policy:

The course staff will run cheat detection software that includes past assignments. If you cheat, you will get a 0 on the assignment or an F in the class based on the severity of the infraction.

Please remember to commit your work to your git repository frequently as you work on assignments.

Late Policy:

Classroom Conduct

You are here to learn. Be professional and courteous toward your peers, and help create a learning environment that supports diverse thinking, experiences, perspectives, and identities. If you need to use an electronic device during a lecture, do so in a way that doesn’t distract others. And most importantly, be excellent to each other.

Important Dates

Students with Disabilities

The University of San Francisco is committed to providing equal access to students with disabilities. If you are a student with a disability, or if you think you may have a disability, please contact Student Disability Services (SDS) at sds@usfca.edu or 415 422-2613, to speak with a disability specialist. (All communication with SDS is private and confidential.) If you are eligible for accommodations, please request that your accommodation letter be sent to me as soon as possible; students are encouraged to contact SDS at the beginning of the semester, as accommodations are not retroactive. Once I have been notified by SDS of your accommodations we can discuss your accommodations and ensure your access to this class or clinical setting. For more information please visit the SDS website: https://www.usfca.edu/student-disability-services.

Behavioral Expectations

All students are expected to behave in accordance with the Student Conduct Code and other University policies (see http://www.usfca.edu/fogcutter/). Students whose behavior is disruptive or who fail to comply with the instructor may be dismissed from the class for the remainder of the class period and may need to meet with the instructor or Dean prior to returning to the next class period. If necessary, referrals may also be made to the Student Conduct process for violations of the Student Conduct Code.

Academic Integrity

As a Jesuit institution committed to cura personalis – the care and education of the whole person – USF has an obligation to embody and foster the values of honesty and integrity. USF upholds the standards of honesty and integrity from all members of the academic community. All students are expected to know and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. You can find the full text of the code online at http://myusf.usfca.edu/academic-integrity/. The policy covers:

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

CAPS’ diverse staff offers brief individual, couple, and group counseling to student members of our community. CAPS services are confidential and free of charge. Call (415) 422-6352 for an initial consultation appointment. Telephone consultation through CAPS After Hours is available Monday - Friday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m., 24 hours during weekends and holidays; call the above number and press 2. Further information can be found at https://myusf.usfca.edu/student-health-safety/caps.

Confidentiality, Mandatory Reporting, and Sexual Assault

As instructors, one of our responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. We also have a mandatory reporting responsibility related to our role as faculty. We are required to share information regarding sexual misconduct or information about a crime that may have occurred on USF’s campus with the University. Here are some useful resources related to sexual misconduct: