This page contains grading guidelines for
Senior Project. This document outlines guidelines for how your
milestones and deliverables will be graded. These are guidelines, not
absolutes (as each project is different).
General note
Key to a high grade in this class is meeting the requirements for
your project. However, easy requirements and/or a simplistic solution
will not earn a high grade. Thus, the grade is a balance between the
difficulty of the project and how well it was executed. Think of it
this way - just meeting the requirements is a "C", meeting them well
is a "B", and meeting then really well ambitious project is an
"A".
Status reports and video demos
Status reports are how you communicate goals and accomplishments. The
video demos are how you show progress. General rubrics include:
Are the status reports complete and submitted on time?
Are the goals and accomplishments numbered and measurable?
Is critical thinking evident in the review of goals accomplished and
also not accomplished?
Are the videos clear and understandable - are the requirements being
covered explicitly noted?
Do the videos show progress in terms of more requirements covered since
the last submission?
Requirements document
The requirements are arguably the most important part of any project. The
requirements describe what the customer wants. General rubrics include:
Does the introduction provide sufficient background for understanding the
requirements, but not itself describe requirements or solution? Are all
non-obvious terms defined in the introduction and/or glossary?
Are all things given to you listed in the assumptions? Are the assumptions
reasonable and non-trivial?
Are the requirement items all numbered and measurable (measurable is very
important)?
Are the requirement items in order of priority for the problem being solved?
Is the document formally written, well formatted, without grammatical and
typographical errors, contains names, contact information, version, date, and
page numbers in the form of page x of y?
Peer design review
General rubrics include:
Is the problem clear? Was necessary background presented to make the
problem clear?
Is the design clear (clear means that someone else could go and
implement it)? Was confidence inspired that the design could be realized?
Are enginering constraints and standards clearly identified?
Does the plan include clear measurable milestones? Does the plan inspire
confidence in that the project can be completed on time and to specification?
Are the slides neat (e.g., is the font size sufficient, the images neat
and large enough, and the slides well organized)?
Is the presentation style suitable (e.g., loud enough, looked at the
audience, etc.)?
Are the presenters appropriately professional in appearance and manner?
Specification document
I cannot over stress the importance of having ideas and then being able to
describe your ideas in a specification/design/patent filing so that someone
else can implement your idea. General rubrics include:
Are the "minor details" including names, contact information, date, version,
and page numbering all in order?
Is there an introductory paragraph that sets the stage for the document?
Are unusual terms defined and specialized concepts explained?
Is the syntax described? This might include descriptions of fields and/or
user screens?
Are the semantics described? This must include a diagram of some sort (such
as a flowchart or FSM)?
Are all input, outputs, and data transformations described?
Are enginering constraints clearly identified?
Are appropriate engineering standards identified and properly referenced?
Is there a traceability matrix (with trace back to requirements)?
Could this document be given to a third person - someone who is "skilled in
the art" - where this person could correctly implement your project so as to
meet your requirements?
Is the document formally written, well formatted, without grammatical and
typographical errors, contains names, contact information, version, date, and
page numbers in the form of page x of y?
Test plan
Being able to describe how to test something is very important. Many of you -
especially those of you joining large companies such as Microsoft or Intel
- will likely begin your careers in test. General rubrics include:
Is the test strategy well described as a "design of experiments"?
Are test cases described so that someone completely unfamiliar with the
project could execute them?
Do all test cases descriptions include a) test case name, b) system
configuration, c) exact input, and d) exact expected output?
Do you have the small details covered such as cover page with names, contact
information, version, and date? Also, do you have page numbers on all pages?
MVP (or prototype) demonstration:
Being able to demonstrate a minimally useful profuct to you customer is a
key part of a project. Clearly, there must be running software and/or hardware.
General rubrics include:
Can you clearly show that most requirements have been fully met?
Can you describe the engineering contraints for your project?
Can you describe the relevant standards for your project?
Can you describe the risks and how to mitigate them for your project?
Can you describe the design trade-offs (including alternative designs
considered) for your project?
Final presentation and demo
Being able to clearly and coherently present your ideas and accomplishments is
very important. General rubrics include:
Is the presentation well organized and smoothly presented? Was everything
made clear?
Is the problem clear? Were the requirements clear and did they follow from
the problem?
Did the demo go smoothly and CLEARLY show that all requirements had been
met?
Are the slides well prepared (organization, font size, use of figures,
etc.)?
Is the presentation style suitable (e.g., loud enough, looked at the
audience, etc.)?
Are the presenters appropriately professional in appearance and manner?
Final deliverables
Your final deliverables are graded following the rubrics given to you in the
feedback for your requirements, specification, and test plan (see above).
Specific grading rubrics are below. The grade sheet to be used is
here.
Quality of your final deliverable artifact. Have you met your requirements?
Is all software clear and well documented? Is all hardware well documented? Is
correct functionality validated and clear?
Quality of poster. Does it tell your story in a standalone fashion? Are the
background, problem, requirements, design, and implementation clear? Is the
poster content neatly organized and presented?
Quality of mini press release. Does it cover the 5 Ws and 1 H? Does it
contain a user quote? Is the picture suitable?
