Welcome to the Information Technology/Computer Science Project Course, where theory meets practice in a hands-on exploration of real-world projects. This course is designed to elevate your programming skills by immersing you in the intricacies of coding, debugging, and optimizing software solutions. As you apply your theoretical knowledge of information technology/computer science concepts, algorithms, and data structures, you will actively bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and practical implementation. This course places a strong emphasis on teamwork and effective collaboration. You will navigate the challenges of group projects, learning to work seamlessly with peers, share responsibilities, and communicate ideas effectively. Beyond coding and collaboration, the course offers a comprehensive exploration of project management skills. From planning and scheduling to task prioritization, you will gain insights into the entire project lifecycle, experiencing firsthand the evolution of a concept into a completed solution. Furthermore, you will learn the art of crafting clear and concise project reports, and the skills to deliver impactful presentations.

You will work in teams of ideally five (5) members to define, implement and evaluate a real-world project. Project teams meet weekly starting from Week 1 with project mentors to report on the progress of the project. Assessment is based on a project proposal, progressive demonstrations and retrospectives, a final project demonstration and report, and on the quality of the software system itself. You will also get the chance to reflect on your own contributions and provide peer assessments of your team members.

This course aims to help students enhance their programming skills by working on real-world information technology/computer science projects. Students will gain hands-on experience in coding, debugging, and optimizing software solutions. Students will apply their theoretical knowledge of information technology/computer science concepts, algorithms, and data structures to design and implement practical projects. They will bridge the gap between theory and practice. Students will also learn to work effectively in teams, share responsibilities, and communicate with other team members. This course also aims to teach students project management skills, including planning, scheduling, and task prioritization. Students will experience the entire project lifecycle, from concept to completion. Students will improve their written and verbal communication skills, especially in the context of technical documentation. They will learn to write clear and concise project reports and deliver presentations.

The following table outlines a provisional schedule for this course. The contents of the lectures are described roughly and are subject to adjustments.

The most up-to-date course schedule will be available on the course's learning management platform. 

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Week   Lectures                                                                               Labs                                                                          
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1         Course Introduction, Projects, Working in Groups         Group formation, project selection, mentorship
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2         Agile Software Development, Scrum Method                Project work, progress check with mentors                                     
           project work                                                                         progress report
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3         Software Design, UI Design Principles, GitHub,          Project work, progress check with mentors                                  
            Projects work - Proposal                                                project proposal
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4         Agile Software Project Management                          Project work, progress check with mentors                         
           Projects work - Demo A, Retrospective A                  Demo A, Retrospective A
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5         Project work consultation                                            Project work, progress check with mentors                                                
           Progressive Demo A, Retrospective A                        Progressive Demo A, Retrospective A                                           
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6         Flexibility Week                                                               ---                                                                                
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7         Project work consultation                                           Project work, progress check with mentors                        
           Progressive Demo B, Retrospective B                       Progressive Demo B, Retrospective B 
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8         Project work consultation                                            Project work, progress check with mentors                                                
           Progressive Demo B, Retrospective B                        Progressive Demo B, Retrospective B                                         
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9         Project work consultation                                             Project work, progress check with mentors                              
           Final Project Demo, Project handover                         Final Project Demo     
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10       Project work consultation                                             Project Final Demos                                         
           Final Demos, project handover                                     Final Demos, project handover                                                                                                                                                     _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This course is evaluated each session using the myExperience system.

Based on feedback from previous terms, and internal and industry reviews, the course has been going through a number of improvements.

• Real-world projects will be offered by clients (e.g., academics and industry professionals) so students can be exposed to project experices similar to real-world projects. Students will work and interact with their project client as well as their mentors.
• Student's weekly work and tasks will be focused on the relvant project work and alignment with the assessments through mentorship and informal feedback which will be provided by mentors. The mentoring will be specific to each group and considering the work involved in the project.
• Students will receive feedback from their projet clients besides the ongoing feedback from their mentors in the weekly labs as well as assessments. 
• All assessment specifications and mrking criteria have been reviewed to better reflect the nature of the projects, individual and group work. More checkpoints and guidelines are provided to support the students.
• All materails are being reviewed and updated to cover related topics. Guidelines and additiona resources are provided to support student's learning. 

Students are always welcome to provide feedback at any point in the term on their experience by emailing the course account or their mentor, or completing a feedback form the course learning management platform.