Introduction

The Capstone Research Experience program is designed to be as open-ended as possible, with no a priori restrictions on topic area, content, or participants.  Because it is meant to be an honors-track alternative to the established, corporate-sponsored Capstone course, however, sponsors should strive to set and enforce the highest possible expectations for projects.  Only the strongest students whose capability to produce excellent research in beyond doubt should be considered to staff these projects.  To help establish a certain uniformity of structure, effort, and outcomes, this document provides a few basic requirements for CRE sponsorship.  These requirements can be split into project requirements and sponsor requirements.

CRE Project requirements

To enforce quality and a certain uniformity of effort and outcomes, all CRE projects must meet the following requirements:

• Teaming.  Teaming and project management skills are a central element of the Capstone experience.  Researchers must learn to organize their efforts with collaborators.  Thus, all CRE projects must consist of at least two, and preferably 3-5 research team members. 
• Eligibility.  CRE teams must contain at least two Computer Science majors who have successfully completed CS386.  Additional team members (from CS or other disciplines) may participate, but will not receive CS486 credit (although other credit, e.g., independent study, a parallel course in another major, may be possible).
• Project Management.  Planning and managing a research effort is even more important in a research project than in a corporate project, due to the open-ended nature of research.  All CRE teams will (a) propose a project schedule as part of their original project description, and (b) present updated schedules at regular meetings with their sponsors.  Persistent failure to meet scheduled tasks should be considered strong grounds for terminating (failing) the project effort.
• Project Website.   All CRE projects must produce and maintain a project website.  The website should be designed to (a) allow academics and others to learn about the project and assess its status, (b) provide a place to post all significant deliverables related to the project, and (c) create an archival record of the project.  Links to the project website should be sent to the faculty member in charge of the Capstone course (overall) within two weeks of project initiation for integration into the Capstone site.
• Validation.  All CRE projects shall be reviewed and approved by (a) the faculty member in charge of the Capstone course; and (b) the Department Chair.  The review is for structure and deliverables (to ensure completeness and high quality), not the research ideas or content being tackled.
• Project Structure and Deliverables.   Although CRE projects will vary widely in topical content, all projects are expected to produce similar research-oriented results.  Required deliverables include:
  • A project plan and work schedule.  Proposed/approved at start of project; updated (with sponsor input) throughout the term.
  • A literature survey.  CRE teams should be guided and encouraged to survey literature relevant to the chosen research area.   A professional survey paper shall be delivered in the first third of the project period.  Note that this must be an analytic survey paper, not merely a list of reading done; students should demonstrate understanding and mastery of background in the research area.
  • A software deliverable: to support the core purpose of the CS Capstone program (i.e., software design), all CRE projects must include a substantial software deliverable that embodies or demonstrates the ideas explored/proposed in the literature survey.  The software must represent a meaningful, original contribution in Computer Science research.  The software deliverable should be finished in time to allow time to write/revise the technical report that documents the research outcome of the project.
  • A technical report.  At the end of the project, the student shall produce a professional quality technical report on the project.  Essentially, we expect a refined technical paper suitable for publication in an actual research forum, e.g., journal, conference proceedings, etc.  Ideally, this report will be revised in collaboration with mentoring faculty, and submitted for publication to an appropriate forum.  It is the express purpose of the CRE to stimulate this integration of teaching and faculty research. 
  • Presentations:  All CRE projects will result in one mid-project "proposal defense", and a final project presentation.  For spring term projects, the final presentation will be scheduled during the Capstone Conference.  For Fall or Summer Projects, final presentations will be scheduled during the final weeks of Fall term in a Capstone Colloquium organized by the faculty member in charge of the Capstone course.

A high standard of quality should be enforced for all project deliverables.  It is worth repeating that the CRE option is an honors-grade alternative to the ordinary capstone course; unusually high standards for creativity, clarity of expression, and completion of work should apply here, and should be rigorously enforced to maintain the integrity of this program.

Guidelines for Sponsor Participation

Sponsorship of a CRE project can yield substantial benefit to a faculty sponsor, by providing a quality, highly-motivated undergraduate research team for exploring a research question.  In exchange, sponsors are expected to make a strong commitment to the CRE team, providing continual guidance and mentorship in research techniques.  Specific commitments include:

• Meet regularly with the CRE team.   The minimum requirement is bi-weekly meetings, with weekly (or more often)  meetings recommended. 
• Provide strong mentorship in research techniques.  Despite the generally top quality of CRE students, they should be treated as undergraduate researchers, with a corresponding level of guidance provided.  In particular, faculty members must provide pointers to relevant literature, arrange to discuss literature and project planning with CRE team, and generally provide strong guidance to ensure the success of the CRE effort. 
• Review written and software deliverables as quickly as possible, providing detailed feedback and direction as appropriate. .
• Provide strong guidance in technical matters; if certain technical quandaries fall outside of a faculty sponsor's area of expertise, the sponsor should facilitate access to an expert in the relevant domain. 
• Attend all project presentations.
• Work with the CRE team to get project results written up, revised, and (wherever appropriate and possible) submitted for publication.
• Provide evaluation information on the performance of the CRE team throughout the term of the project.
• Make available all resources possible (e.g., through CS or faculty member labs) to support project completion.
• Complete and submit a CRE Project Evaluation for each member of the CRE team.

If your project idea meets this requirement, please proceed to the CRE Project Description Template to propose the project.