A3: Project Proposal

On This Page Overview Specifications Extra Credit Grading Criteria (15) What to Turn In Overview During this assignment, you will: Identify a problem that needs to use a database for a solution Identify the expected output from your database Develop a potential list of data to store in the database Optionally, prepare a presentation to give to the instructor and (possibly) other students ^ top Specifications Prepare a project proposal that has the following elements. Make certain to include the headings for each of the elements. Also, as is standard for all documents, you should put your name and date on the proposal. Statement of the Problem The first step is to identify a problem. Find someone with a data processing problem you think you can solve. It needs to be a problem that involves storing and processing data to produce information. State the problem clearly and succinctly. For ideas, see the CIS-165PH Project Information page. Give examples as needed to explain the problem. Expected Database Output Try to identify the information that will be produced by the database. Who is the information produced for? When? Why? In what format (numbers, graphs, tables, text)? Describe your expected database output and create a mock-up of at least one Web page. Note that this assignment is only concerned with what the database produces, not with beautiful web-page graphics. List of the Data to Store Create a list of data items that will need to be stored in the database to produce the expected results. For instance, you may need names and addresses of people, lists of items such as books or products, or various attributes for items such as part numbers, color or style. The list does not have to be complete but should be detailed enough so you can decide if the data needed makes the project practical. Note that you do not need to define the structure of the database, such as tables or columns, for this assignment. You will decide on the structure in the next assignment. Prepare the project proposal as a text file so you can submit it to WebCT. Note that HTML is a type of text file. You may also submit graphics files to support your proposal, if desired. For an example of a project proposal, click here. ^ top Extra Credit Extra credit for this assignment is to present your project to the rest of the class. I will set aside the last hour of class for the presentations. You can earn up to 3 extra credit points (20%) as described in Grading Criteria. If you decide to present your proposal, bring your presentation information in digital form via the Internet, disk, etc. You can easily display your text file on the overhead projector using gedit, a browser or another Linux tool. Do not bring Powerpoint, Word or other non-text files, as we do not have the setup for it. The presentation should consist of the following parts: Statement of the Problem Identification of the Expected Database Output List of the Data to Store Try to keep the presentation to less than 4 minutes. I will cut you off after 5 minutes. Note that if you do not want to present your project to the entire class, you can wait until the end of the class time and present it to just the instructor. Make certain that your README.txt file lists any extra credit attempted. ^ top Grading Criteria The instructor will evaluate your assignment using the following criteria. Each criteria represents a specific achievement of your assignment and has a scoring guide. The scoring guide explains the possible scores you can receive. Some scoring guides have a list of indicators. These indicators are a sign of meeting, or a symptom of not meeting, the specific criterion. Note that a single indicator may not always be reliable or appropriate in a given context. However, as a group, they show the condition of meeting the criterion. For information on grading policies, including interpretation of scores, see the course information page. Problem Statement 5: Shows complete mastery of the questions, ideas and situations leading to the problem. 4: Shows substantial understanding of the questions, ideas and situations leading to the problem. 3: Shows some understanding of the problem. 2: Shows little understanding of the problem. 1: Shows a complete lack of understanding of the problem. 0: No apparent attempt to describe the problem. Expected Database Output 5: Shows complete understanding of the needs of the users and expected output of the database. Who will get the output is clearly identified When and why output are produced is clear Examples of output are provided 4: Shows substantial understanding of the needs of the users and expected output of the system. 3: Shows some understanding of the needed output. 2: Shows little understanding of the needed output. 1: Shows a complete lack of understanding of the needed output. 0: No apparent attempt to describe the expected output. List of the Data to Store 5: Shows complete understanding of the data that needs to be stored. 4: Shows substantial understanding of the data that needs to be stored. 3: Shows some understanding of the data to store. 2: Shows little understanding of the data to store. 1: Shows a complete lack of understanding of the data to store. 0: No apparent attempt to describe the data to store. Proposal Presentation (Extra Credit) 3: Proposal is presented clearly, completely and succinctly Student presents information in a logical and interesting sequence All requirements of the proposal were presented Examples were provides as needed to explain the points of the proposal Presentation was succinct at < 4:00 minutes 2: Proposal presentation has minor problems Student presents information in a logical sequence All but one of the proposal requirements were presented Presentation was somewhat succinct between 4:00 and 5:00 minutes 1: Proposal presentation or report has some problems Student presents information in a fairly logical sequence All but two of the proposal requirements were presented Presentation was somewhat lengthy at > 5:00 minutes 0: Did not present the proposal. Maximum Score: 15, plus extra credit ^ top What to Turn In Submit your assignment following the instructions for homework. Include the following items for grading: README.txt file proposal.txt or proposal.html file containing your project proposal Any other files you need to help describe your project proposal Note: Do NOT submit Word or RTF files, or anything but a text file. You can easily tell if something is text by looking at it in WebCT after you upload the file. If you can read the text, with out seeing extraneous characters or loading an application, then it is a text file. Submitting anything but a text file may result in a 0 (no credit) for the assignment. ^ top Home | WebCT | Announcements | Course info | Expectations | Schedule Project | Help | FAQ's | HowTo's | Links Last Updated: March 08 2006 @12:15:12