Book - 7.1) Project

Introduction

One of the best ways to integrate your learning about computation is to complete a major project that uses computation in a context that is relevant and meaningful to you. completing this project is also the best way to objectively demonstrate your learning to others.

The project is divided into two steps:

• a collaborative mini-project, and
• an individual major project.

The mini-project is completed quickly (over three class periods) and is collaborative because the entire cohort produces one project. the purpose of the mini-project is to practice together each of the steps involved in the major project that follows. The individual major project is individual because each student is working on a different project. It is "major" in that it is intended to be completed over approximately three weeks.

The individual major project activities are self-directed in two important ways:

• you select the data set that to be used in the project. Ideally, this data set is relevant to your disciplinary interests.
• you determine the questions that are to be answered by a computational analysis of this data set. Ideally, these questions are meaningful to you and others.

While the goal of the individual project is to demonstrate your own mastery of fundamental ideas and skills of computing you are not expected to work in a vacuum. Keeping the individual project's goal in mind you are encouraged - as with previous work in the course - to interact with the members of your cohort and the course staff.