SECCM Assessment Plan - Roger Williams University

Senior Capstone Sequence
The hallmark of the computer science curriculum is a two-semester senior capstone experience that
immerses students in a real-world project. Every course in the curriculum provides some aspect of
the underlying knowledge students require to meet a real-world computing problem. Students are
given the opportunity to put that knowledge to use in solving open-ended problems for clients as part
of COMSC490/492 Senior Design I&II. Students form three or four-person teams (with students of
other disciplines if possible) and meet their respective client to begin the process of establishing a set
of requirements. Using an iterative approach, students analyze the needs of the client and balance
them against available resources; including the experience each student brings to the team. Over the
course of two semesters students are exposed to almost all aspects of total system development
from problem statement through client delivery. Tentative solutions are subject to numerous realistic
constraints involving performance, quality, documentation standards and target system integration
requirements.
As students refine their design and implementation, they are expected to produce functional
prototypes. Student teams conduct frequent review presentations for their client detailing the
progress, risks and mitigation strategies and future events leading towards successful completion of
the project. The primary goal of the course includes the delivery of a successful project to the client
by the end of the second semester course. Other critical goals are the use of a systematic process to
bring a project to completion as well as the experiences accrued through reliance on team members
other team members.
The types of projects that the teams undertake are similar to those commonly found in industry. They
are characterized by reliance on team members as well as the importance of communication skills in
dealing with the clients. Projects completed over the most recent years included remote programming
of industrial robots, data fusion and visualization, web-based surveys, and autonomous maze solving
robotic mice. Several projects have been used as prototypes for further study as commercialized
enhancements of their current product lines. Students have presented their work at national
conferences, regional competitions, and the Roger Williams University Senior Showcase.
Other objectives for the two-semester Computer Science Capstone Sequence include the following:
1) Understand how a computer information system must fit into an organization or be part a
component of a larger system.
2) Understand the importance of a systematic approach in software system production
3) Know how to conduct requirement analysis and develop a software system using object
oriented and conventional methodologies.
4) Develop and execute an implementation strategy resulting in the delivery of a satisfactory
artifact to a real-world client.
5) Effectively use computer-aided tools to assist in conducting the requirement analysis, design,
implementation, testing and delivery of a software system
6) Demonstrate the effective integration of the aforementioned skills (as well as skills developed
in other classes) by actively participating as a team member in developing a software system
for an open-ended problem with a real client
Computer Science Program Objectives
The program objectives of the Computer Science Program at Roger Williams University are listed
below in Table 3.9, RWU Computer Science Program Educational Objectives. These objectives are
published in the Roger Williams University Undergraduate Catalog, on the School of Engineering,
Computing and Construction Management’s web site and in a number of promotional materials.
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