Week 1: Project Planning and Project Proposals (January 9)
Deliverable: Students must come to class with a presentation of their project proposal and plan (max 10 minutes). It should explain what they plan to do, why they plan to do it, what the closest related work or projects are to it, and offer a timeline for completing the project in the term. We will critique the presentations and give feedback for students.
Topics: Students will learn how to plan the procedures and methods needed to carry out a large-scale interdisciplinary project. They will build on skills learned in course prerequisites (e.g., IAT 309W) to develop a graduation project proposal that describes a project of significant size and scope.
Week 2: Final Proposal and Plan (January 16)
Deliverable: Students must come to class with an updated presentation of their project based on the feedback received last week (max 10 minutes). Students must also bring an updated written project proposal – this will be extended based on their original proposal and be updated to reflect the feedback from the previous week.
Topics: We will work to refine the scope and planning of the proposed projects so that they are doable in the time frame of the course. We will discuss how to engage with stakeholders, such as industry.
Weeks 3, 4, and 5: Project Research, Practice, and Professional Ethics (January 23, January 30, February 6)
Deliverable: Each week, students should come with a report of their progress from the previous week. Be prepared to show and talk about everything that you have done. This might include early mockups, sketches, storyboards, or scenarios related to project components.
Topics: Students will conduct research around their chosen topic area, present background knowledge and projects of a similar nature to the class, identify the opportunities for their project that differentiate it from prior work, and receive project feedback from the faculty lead, mentor, and peers. They will be taught professional ethics around their topic area and how to engage with various stakeholders. Results will be reported weekly for critique and discussion.
We will discuss mid-term project presentations for next week.
Week 6: Midterm Presentation and Report (February 13)
Deliverable: Students must come to class with a presentation of their project work to date (max 10 minutes). It should explain what they plan to do, why they plan to do it, what the closest related work or projects are to it, explain what has been done in detail, and offer a timeline for completing the project in the term. We will critique the presentations and give feedback for students.
Students will also submit a mid-term project portfolio that contains a written project report.
February 20 is reading week – no class.
Weeks 7, 8, 9: Refined Artifacts and Output (February 27, March 6, March 13)
Deliverable: Each week, students should come with a report of their progress from the previous week. Be prepared to show and talk about everything that you have done. This might include showing components of the project that are finished or components still underway.
Topics: We will discuss a variety of topics related to the specific types of projects in the class. This will involve studio work, discussions, and crits.
Week 10: Final Output and Showcase (March 20)
Topics: Students will learn how to produce the final output of their graduation project and how to properly showcase their project work for the general public. They will produce early ideas for their final output and plans for the showcase. They will receive feedback from the faculty lead, mentor, and peers.
Weeks 11: Final Work (March 27)
Deliverable: Students will continue work on their final project output and showcase ideas.
Topics: Students will present their near-final project artifacts that show iteration based on prior feedback and receive feedback from the faculty lead, mentor, and peers. They will conduct any necessary refinement based on feedback.
Week 12: Showcase Preparation (April 3)
Deliverable: Students must come to class with a final presentation of their project (max 10 minutes). It should explain their goals and motivations, what the closest related work or projects are to it, what process they took to complete the project, and show everything they accomplished.
(Carman cannot be in class due to administrative commitments.)
Topics: Students will present their near-final project artifacts that show iteration based on prior feedback and receive feedback from the faculty lead, mentor, and peers. They will conduct any necessary refinement based on feedback.
Week 13: Graduation Project Showcase (April 10, Student setup @ 9:30am, Presentations/Demos from 10am-3pm)
Deliverable: Students present their project as a part of a graduation showcase for the general public and other SIAT faculty and students. Presentations will commence at 10am and will be followed by demos in an open forum.
Due to the potentially highly diverse set topics and approaches employed in student projects, the specific class content and activities may be adapted to better suit student project needs over the course of the semester.
Evaluation Scheme:
Project Proposal 10%
Midterm Portfolio 40%
Final Project 50%