Successful Graduation Projects

1. Successful Graduation Projects

2. Presentation Outline • Introduction • importance, expectations and general overview • Pre-registration • Project allocation and committee appointment • Project Coordination • Biweekly meetings, project milestones and deliverables • Dispute and grievance • Evaluation forms and grading policy • Supervisor’s evaluation • Committee member’s evaluation • Grade distribution • Conclusions

3. Introduction • The graduation project is a capstone of the undergraduate curriculum • Graduation project offers an opportunity to undergraduate students to apply knowledge comprehensively in solving a reasonably complex and realistic problem • CCSIT offers 3 programs - Graduation project should reflect majority program outcomes as achieved by the students • Through the graduation projects, the college wishes to train its students towards successful professional careers

4. Importance of Graduation Projects • The successful completion of graduation project is an indication of the students’ readiness to pursue a professional career. • The variety and quality of graduation projects in the college reflect the academic profile and achievement of CCSIT. • CCSIT offers three distinct programs in CS, IS and CN – variety of projects/topics can be pursued • Multi-disciplinary and externally sponsored projects are encouraged

5. Graduation Project Committee • The college appointed GPC (Graduation Project Committee) • GPC consists of representatives (GP coordinators) from each program • GPC aims to facilitate and coordinate successful graduation projects in the college

6. Graduation Project - General Overview • Graduation Project is generally conducted over two consecutive semesters (Semester 7 and 8). • In most cases, students will conduct their graduation projects in group and under the close guidance of a supervisor. • The supervisor will nominate Co-supervisors (if needed). The supervisor will also nominate a committee of two members for each graduation project. • A Pre-registration process is initiated at the end of Semester 6. An early pre-registration enable students to start working for their project on time. • Students will prepare and defend a Project Proposal (in Semester #7) before undertaking the actual project work, Project Implementation (in semester #8).

7. Pre-registration • Pre-registration involves project selection, project allocation and committee appointment • Project proposals (topics) are proposed and allocated at the end of the 6th semester • Graduation Project Coordinators from each program would co-ordinate the event with GPC • For each project a suitable supervisor must be found. • The supervisor nominates committee members • GPC approves/finalizes project topics and committee appointment

8. Pre-registration • Who propose the project (topic and idea) • Students (strongly encouraged) • Students are advised to discuss their own project idea with the faculty members in the college for potential supervision • Faculty members • Based on their expertise, faculty members would propose a number of projects they are willing to supervise; Students may bid to join such projects • External partners • Students may choose to work with our industry partners on their sponsored projects

9. Pre-registration • What is an acceptable project • Comprise significant realistic challenges and constraints: Graduation projects cannot be simplistic or available on the Internet or elsewhere as done or solved by others. • Provide opportunity to integrate knowledge from various courses in the curriculum and beyond: Not as simple or monotonous as a course project • Offer opportunity for creativity: Library and Laundry Management Systems every year aren’t challenging

10. Pre-registration • What is an acceptable project • Emphasize design, experimentation and hands-on skills • Provide major challenges in terms of planning, analysis, design, implementation, comparisons and validation • Reflect scientific and technical methodology and approach throughout • Require significant efforts corresponding to the credit requirement • Allow teamwork among students in one or more majors • Include acceptable and measurable deliverables as agreed by both the supervisors and committee members • -

11. Pre-registration • What is an acceptable project • Realizable within two semesters: Students and supervisors should consider the time constraints practically to define the scope of the graduation project and to make realistic plans accordingly. • Required resources must be available or supported by the university or sponsor

12. Pre-Registration and Committee Appointment • To enable students start working on their projects right from the first week of 7th semester, GPC will • coordinate with students and faculty to submit project proposals ahead of time • scrutinize and allocate projects based on specific criteria (cf. Graduation Project Handbook) • oversee committee appointment together with the departments and college

14. Key Stakeholders and their Roles • Supervisor, Co-supervisor and the Committee • The supervisor plays the key role in guiding the students and the project. • Supervisor may nominate a co-supervisor, if necessary. • Multidisciplinary – e.g., CCSIT with College of Education or Medicine • Industry sponsored project – e.g., CCSIT with Aramco or SABIC • Coordination with Female students/faculty • The supervisor also nominates a committee of two faculty membersfor each project. • The supervisor and the committee jointly evaluate the project at various milestone – also provide appropriate advice and feedback to enhance students’ skills and improve the quality of students’ project.

15. Key Stakeholders and their Roles • Students, GPC, Departments and the College • Students actively progress through each milestone of their graduation projects under the guidance of their supervisor and committee • It is students’ graduation project and students must do the real work • Students must be willing to acquire new skills as necessary and take up new challenges • Supervisors and committee members are the facilitators - offering useful advice and guidance to the students • GPC traces and tracks progresses and problems; acts as a mediator and facilitator; organizes workshops and seminars to guide and train students • GPC together with the College and departments archive and promote students’ project and encourage students to showcase their projects in various events

16. Major Tasks of GPC • Project pre-registration and committee appointment • Early coordination with students and faculty (project topic assignment and approval; supervisor and committee appointment, etc.) • Project Coordination (including Evaluation) • Bi-weekly meetings • Project milestones • Deliverables for each milestone • Evaluation criteria and forms • Miscellaneous • Compilation of a newGraduation Project Handbook with revised policy and guidelines • Templates for report and presentation • Creating awareness (publishing leaflets, organizing events) • Archival of graduation projects for the college and departments

17. Project Coordination (Bi-weekly Meetings) • Trace and track progresses and problems • Bi-weekly meeting forms will be signed by the students and submitted to GPC by the supervisor regularly • Project supervisor shall report all progresses and problems to the graduation project committee • Students attendance will be recorded to enforce KFU attendance policy (75% or more attendance required for final presentation) • Together with departments and college, GPC will review the bi-weekly reports for the purpose of attendance, progress tracking and dispute resolution • Students may directly contact GPC to discuss any issues (including dispute and grievances) related to their project

19. Project Coordination and Evaluation (Milestones) • From Initial Project Proposal to Final Project Implementation, there are five milestones with clear targets (deliverables) • Each milestone emphasizes on both evaluation and feedback by the supervisor and committee members

20. Milestones, Evaluation Criteria and Forms • Common program outcomes of all undergraduate programs of the college are considered • Appropriate program outcomes and deliverables for each milestone are determined • Appropriate program outcomes for supervisor and committee members are identified • Evaluation criteria for each milestone (Evaluation Forms) are crafted based on respective program outcomes and deliverables • Weights of program outcomes (and related criteria) are determined according to their importance

21. Milestone 1 – Week 5 (Semester 7) Milestone 1 - Initial Project Proposal: During this milestone students’ understanding and preparedness concerning the selected project will be assessed by the committee. Committee members are expected to offer necessary feedback in the presence of the supervisor. Students should be able to • Demonstrate their ability to analyze the problem • Identify and define the computing requirements for the project • Illustrate the local and global impacts of their project on individuals, organizations, and society as a whole

22. Milestone 1 – Deliverables Students are expected to provide the following information during this phase: • Background of the project • Motivation for the project • Problem statement • Scope of the project • Project baseline requirements • Expected outcomes • Identified tasks and a tentative work plan

23. For Committee Members

24. Milestone 2 - Week 9 (Semester 7) Milestone 2 – Midterm Proposal Progress: During the second phase, the students are expected to show their maturity in handling the project through comprehensive review and analysis of related work and proposed solutions. By the end of this phase, students should be able to • Comprehensively analyze related work • Demonstrate their ability to apply knowledge of computing and mathematics • Define the computing requirements appropriate for proposed solutions

25. Milestone 2 - Deliverables Students are expected to provide the following information during this phase: • Background of the project • Motivation for the project • Problem statement • Scope of the project • Comprehensive analysis of related work • Detailed project requirements • Identification of alternative solutions/approaches and justification of selecting a solution/approach • Expected outcomes • Identified tasks and a realistic work plan

26. Milestone 3 - Week 16 (Semester 7) Milestone 3 – Final Proposal:During the final phase of project proposal, students should prepare and present a comprehensive Project Proposal. By the end of this phase, students should be able to • Show competency in analyzing the problem • Design a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs of the project • Use current tools and techniques and engaging themselves in continuing professional development • Show awareness about professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities • Present and defend a comprehensive project proposal during the final proposal evaluation

27. Milestone 3 - Deliverables Students are expected to provide the following information during this phase: • Background of the project • Motivation for the project • Problem statement • Scope of the project • Comprehensive analysis of related work • Project requirements • Identification of alternative solutions/approaches and justification of selecting a solution/approach • Discussion of tools and techniques used during project proposal • Appropriate analysis • Details of proposed design conforming to the problem statement • Description of tools and techniques to be used during project implementation • Identified tasks and a realistic work plan for project implementation

28. Proposal Evaluation Form for Supervisor

29. Milestone 4 - Week 9 (Semester 8) Milestone 4 – Midterm Implementation Progress:During the first half of the implementation phase the students are expected to make acceptable progress in implementing the project. Students are expected to: • Show their ability to implement and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired needs of the project • Demonstrate ability to use current tools and techniques • Engage themselves in continuing professional development

30. Milestone 4 - Deliverables Students are expected to provide the following information during this phase: • Background of the project • Motivation for the project • Problem statement • Scope of the project • Comprehensive analysis of related work • Project requirements • Identification of alternative solutions/approaches and justification of selecting a solution/approach • Appropriate analysis • Details of partial implementation conforming to the design/proposal • Commands of tools and techniques being used during project implementation • Preliminary outcomes/results • Analysis of preliminary result through comparison/validation/verification • Remarks on preliminary results and intermediate conclusions • Identified tasks and a realistic work plan for next phase

31. Milestone 5 - Week 16 (Semester 8) Milestone 5 – Final Project Presentation: During the final presentation student will make a comprehensive presentation. They will also submit a report highlighting their contributions. Students are expected to • Complete their projects according to the project proposal • Highlight their achievements and contributions appropriately • Show their ability to implement and evaluate a computer-based system, process, component, or program to meet desired need of the project • Demonstrate their capability to use current tools and techniques and engage themselves in continuing professional development • Show their awareness about professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities by the end of this phase.

32. Milestone 5 - Deliverables Students are expected to provide the following information during this phase: • Background of the project • Motivation for the project • Problem statement • Scope of the project • Comprehensive analysis of related work • Project requirements • Identification of alternative solutions/approaches and justification of selecting a solution/approach • Appropriate analysis • Details of project implementation conforming to the project proposal • Mastery of tools and techniques being used in project implementation • Overall project outcome/achievements • Analysis of overall result through comparison/validation/verification • Comprehensive remarks on overall project outcome and achievements (conclusions and future work)

33. Grade Distribution Project Proposal Project Implementation • Rewards and Penalties from GPC • GPC will nominate outstanding projects for awards or distinctions • GPC may deduct up to 10 points for irregularities such as, failure to attend meetings/seminars, delays and unconformities in submitting the final bound report, etc.

34. GPC Publications • Graduation Project Handbook detailing regulations and guidelines • Templates for Report and Presentation • Various Forms • Pre-registration form • Biweekly meeting form • Supervisor evaluation form for project proposal • Supervisor evaluation form for project implementation • Committee evaluation forms for 3 phases of project proposal • Committee evaluation forms for 2 phases of project implementation • Various Leaflets and Checklists

35. Conclusions • GPC aims to facilitate quality graduation projects at the college by coordinating with all stakeholders and by adopting best practices. • GPC wishes to promote teaching and learning activities that foster a culture of creativity and innovation in the college through active participation. • GPC welcomes your cooperation and feedback

36. Questions and Discussion