FAQS

General Questions

1. What are the expected learning outcomes from the project?
Answer: The expected learning outcomes from the project include gaining practical experience in real-world software development, enhancing problem-solving skills, and applying theoretical knowledge to design, implement, and test functional solutions. It also involves learning to collaborate effectively, manage timelines, and adapt to challenges.

2. Is the project mandatory for all students?
Answer: Yes, the project is mandatory for all the students.

3. Is this an individual or group project?
Answer: This is a group project. The number of students in a group varies depending on the project requirements.

4. How does the project align with academic goals or curricula?
Answer: The project aligns with academic goals by integrating theoretical knowledge with practical application, enabling students to experience the complete software development lifecycle. It helps students develop teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills while preparing them for real-world challenges in the software industry.

Project Details

1. How are the topics for the project selected?
Answer: A new project statement is created every semester by the course faculty. It addresses an interesting problem and encourages innovative solutions by integrating the latest technologies.

2. Why is the Project Statement Open-Ended?
Answer: Designing an open-ended problem statement is intentional to give students ample opportunity to develop innovative solutions.

3. Is there a structured outline or template for the project?
Answer: No, there is no structured outline or template for the project. However, milestone requirements are provided.

4. What are the key deliverables?
Answer: Please refer to this term’s problem statement, as deliverables may vary depending on the specific requirements.

5. How many phases or stages does the project have?
Answer: The problem statement is divided into six milestones, structured based on the Waterfall model.

6. Are there any specific guidelines for presenting the project?
Answer: During the presentation, each team is given 15 minutes — 10 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A.

Collaboration and Support

1. How are teams or groups formed for the project?
Answer: Initially, students have the opportunity to form their own teams based on mutual interest and compatibility. Those who do not join a team within the given timeframe are randomly assigned to existing teams to ensure balanced participation and inclusivity.
The team size is not decided yet for the current term.

2. Will there be access to mentors or advisors throughout the project?
Answer: Each team is assigned a client (TAs or someone from the project team) for weekly meetings.

3. How often should teams meet among themselves?
Answer: It is recommended to do a Scrum Meeting every week.

3. Are there any collaboration tools recommended (e.g., GitHub, Slack, etc.)?
Answer: There are no specific recommended tools. Teams can choose any tools that suit their workflow and preferences.

4. How will team contributions be evaluated?
Answer: Team contributions are evaluated based on multiple factors, including presentations, the quality of milestones submitted, peer reviews, client meetings, and overall teamwork.

5. What is Peer Review?
Answer: After milestones 3 and 6, each student is assigned a team to evaluate based on predefined rubrics.

6. Is Peer Review to be filled by the team?
Answer: No, each team member must individually evaluate a separate team.

7. Are peer reviews or feedback sessions part of the process?
Answer: Yes, after milestones 3 and 6, a Form is rolled out with rubrics for peer reviews.

8. Is Peer Review Mandatory?
Answer: Yes, peer reviews are mandatory. Students who fail to complete peer evaluations will not receive marks for that component.

9. How can conflicts within the team be resolved?
Answer: In case of conflicts or disagreements, team members should first attempt to resolve the issue internally, maintaining respect and open communication. If the issue persists, it should be escalated to the Teaching Assistant (TA) for mediation. If the problem remains unresolved after the TA’s involvement, the instructor will step in to mediate and ensure a fair resolution for all parties involved.

10. Are there tutorials provided for skill-building?
Answer: Yes, tutorials are primarily delivered during weekly live sessions, offering students hands-on guidance and opportunities to build relevant skills in real-time.

Technical and Practical Aspects

1. Are there any recommended platforms for project management?
Answer: There are several project management tools available, such as Jira, GitHub Projects, Trello, and Asana, which can help teams organize tasks, track progress, and collaborate efficiently.

2. How can students seek assistance with technical problems?
Answer: Students can seek assistance with technical issues during the weekly live sessions or by reaching out to the teaching assistants (TAs) for support.

3. What should students do if they lack the required technical skills?
Answer: Students can learn the necessary skills through tutorials, self-study, and by seeking help from peers, instructors, or TAs to acquire the required technical knowledge.

4. What are the guidelines for using open-source or third-party tools?
Answer: There are no restrictions on using open-source tools; teams can utilize any tools they find suitable for their project. However, if specific open-source tools are mentioned in the problem statement, those should be incorporated as part of the project requirements.

5. How should sensitive or confidential data be stored and used?
Answer: Sensitive or confidential data, such as API keys, should be stored securely in an environment file and imported as needed to avoid exposing them in the codebase.

6. Are there specific coding languages or frameworks that must be used?
Answer: There are no restrictions on coding languages or frameworks. Teams are free to choose any tech stack that fits their project. However, the project must follow a decoupled architecture, with the frontend focusing on user interface and experience (using technologies like React.js, Angular, or Vue.js), and the backend handling server-side logic, database interactions, and APIs (using frameworks like Express.js, Django, Flask, or Spring Boot).

Other Questions

1. How will this project impact final grades or evaluations?
Answer: The project contributes 30% to the final grade. It includes multiple evaluation components such as milestone achievements, peer reviews, and overall project quality. The marks from these components are aggregated to determine the final project score, which is then factored into the overall course evaluation.