CIS 490 Project Management and Practice
Student Learning Outcomes, Spring 2010
Introduction
This document address three areas of learning outcomes associated with the Computer Information Systems Option for Computer Science:
1. Demonstrate effective oral and written communications
2. Write technical documents like specifications, design and user manuals in appropriate formats
3. Demonstrate self-management and team management
The Project Management and Practice course introduces students to a number of new concepts as well as reviewing concepts introduced in other coursework. Students who are reviewing information have a different experience than those who are hearing things for the first time. For students, the course strengthens their knowledge, and can boost students whose prior coursework was weak. For the new concepts students were exposed to, having had an introduction in CIS 490 will enhance their learning experience when they revisit concepts in their future courses.
Preliminary Evaluation of Students
Students in the class ranged from graduating seniors to students without prior Web programming course. The following is a summary of noted abilities at the beginning of the semester.
Learning outcome / RemarksEffective oral and written communications / A very large variation in abilities. Some related to lack of practice, or English being the students’ second language. Two students thought they has excellent oral and written communications skills, but became modest later after they learned more on project management
Writing technical documents / Students had several weak areas in writing technical documents
Self-management and team management / Some students overestimated their abilities of completing their assignments and projects in a timely fashion
To be more specific to the CIS 490 course, I will use the following detailed learning outcomes for the rest of this evaluation.
1. Demonstrate effective oral and written communications
a. Student successfully writes to express ideas and questions in agenda and minutes of meetings [Hereafter referred to as “1a”]
i. Concise
ii. Proper punctuation
iii. Well organized
iv. Complete
b. Student orally participates in meetings, and comments, questions, and answers are on point. [Hereafter referred to as “1b”]
2. Write technical documents like specifications, design and user manuals in appropriate formats
a. Student creates documents such as UML Use Case diagrams and written descriptions [Hereafter referred to as “2a”]
b. Student creates a complete requirements specification document for a software system [Hereafter referred to as “2b”]
3. Demonstrate self-management and team management
a. Student completes assignments in a timely manner [Hereafter referred to as “3a”]
b. Student works on a team to complete a semester project using a project management tool to organize and be in command of their time and tasks. [Hereafter referred to as “3b”]
Summary of Evaluations
The following applies to the initial and final self-evaluation scores assigned by the students:
0 No demonstrated ability
1 Limited knowledge or performance, some misconceptions
2 A weak understanding or performance
3 A demonstrated basic knowledge of the desired task
4 Skills strong enough to expand upon current knowledge in future courses or job situation
5 Excellent skills demonstrated
Student / Learning Outcome / Initial / Final1 / 1a / 3 / 4
2 / 1a / 2 / 3
3 / 1a / 3 / 4
4 / 1a / 1 / 3
5 / 1a / 3 / 5
6 / 1a / 4 / 4
7 / 1a / 3 / 3
8 / 1a / 5 / 3
9 / 1a / 5 / 4
10 / 1a / 4 / 5
11 / 1a / 0 / 4
12 / 1a / 3 / 4
13 / 1a / 3 / 4
14 / 1a / 1 / 4
1 / 1b / 4 / 5
2 / 1b / 0 / 3
3 / 1b / 3 / 4
4 / 1b / 2 / 3
5 / 1b / 4 / 5
6 / 1b / 1 / 4
7 / 1b / 2 / 3
8 / 1b / 4 / 4
9 / 1b / 2 / 4
10 / 1b / 4 / 5
11 / 1b / 2 / 4
12 / 1b / 4 / 5
13 / 1b / 3 / 4
14 / 1b / 3 / 4
1 / 2a / 3 / 4
2 / 2a / 1 / 4
3 / 2a / 4 / 4
4 / 2a / 2 / 4
5 / 2a / 3 / 4
6 / 2a / 2 / 4
7 / 2a / 1 / 4
8 / 2a / 1 / 2
9 / 2a / 2 / 3
10 / 2a / 3 / 3
11 / 2a / 2 / 5
12 / 2a / 3 / 5
13 / 2a / 0 / 0
14 / 2a / 1 / 3
1 / 2b / 3 / 4
2 / 2b / 1 / 4
3 / 2b / 3 / 5
4 / 2b / 3 / 5
5 / 2b / 3 / 5
6 / 2b / 2 / 4
7 / 2b / 2 / 5
8 / 2b / 1 / 4
9 / 2b / 1 / 3
10 / 2b / 5 / 4
11 / 2b / 3 / 4
12 / 2b / 2 / 5
13 / 2b / 0 / 0
14 / 2b / 2 / 3
1 / 3a / 5 / 5
2 / 3a / 3 / 4
3 / 3a / 4 / 5
4 / 3a / 4 / 5
5 / 3a / 4 / 4
6 / 3a / 3 / 5
7 / 3a / 2 / 5
8 / 3a / 4 / 3
9 / 3a / 4 / 4
10 / 3a / 3 / 4
11 / 3a / 4 / 4
12 / 3a / 3 / 4
13 / 3a / 5 / 3
14 / 3a / 4 / 4
1 / 3b / 3 / 5
2 / 3b / 4 / 2
3 / 3b / 4 / 4
4 / 3b / 3 / 4
5 / 3b / 4 / 5
6 / 3b / 3 / 5
7 / 3b / 2 / 4
8 / 3b / 5 / 3
9 / 3b / 2 / 3
10 / 3b / 3 / 4
11 / 3b / 3 / 5
12 / 3b / 3 / 5
13 / 3b / 0 / 3
14 / 3b / 4 / 4
Analysis
1. Demonstrate effective oral and written communications
Writing well is an important component of CIS 490. In the job market, students must be prepared to write for a variety of readers from programmers to upper managers. Writing skills were assessed at the beginning of the semester based on preliminary project report. Due to the nature of the writing, it is especially important that papers be written with precision and be organized in a manner that is easily understood. The final assessment is based on the final project report.
The following applies for Learning Outcome 1a Student successfully writes to express ideas and questions in agenda and minutes of meetings
Ave Initial / Ave Final / Ave Improvement / Remarks2.857 / 3.857 / 1.000 / Some improvement related to better understanding of expectations
The ability to communicate orally is important for CIS students. They must be prepared to present their findings and ideas to peers as well as management. The initial assessment was based on the students’ ability to articulate their ideas to start the design of an information system. The final assessment is based on many of the concepts learned during the semester and their project presentations.
The following applies for Learning Outcome 1b Student orally participates in meetings, and comments, questions, and answers are on point
Ave Initial / Ave Final / Ave Improvement / Remarks2.714 / 4.071 / 1.357 / Comfort level improved participation
2. Write technical documents like specifications, design and user manuals in appropriate formats
The Unified Modeling Language is a set of graphical models, or notations, to illustrate a software system. Students were given many opportunities during the semester to practice creating Unified Modeling Language through designing and implementing their projects. The initial assessment was based on prior knowledge combined with the first in-class practice exercise. The final assessment was based on the final project.
The following applies for Learning Outcome 2a Student creates documents such as UML Use Case diagrams and written descriptions
Ave Initial / Ave Final / Ave Improvement / Remarks2.000 / 3.500 / 1.500 / Initially, students had a lot of trouble creating the necessary documentation for project management
Writing a requirements specification document means creating an important deliverable for a software system. For their projects, four or five students created a formal report during each phase of the project sponsored by customers. These students had to interview real customers, ascertain their needs and document system requirements. The initial assessment was based on whether students had any experience with such a process, and the final assessment was based on the completion of their final report.
The following applies for Learning Outcome 2b Student creates a complete requirements specification document for a software system
Ave Initial / Ave Final / Ave Improvement / Remarks2.214 / 3.929 / 1.714 / Numbers are based on a student count of four or five
3. Demonstrate self-management and team management
Time management is an important component of all courses. As assignments are designed to facilitate mastery of the course material, it is imperative that students manage their time in order to complete them. The initial assessment was based on the first assignment, and the final assessment was based on a project that spanned the entire semester, and was submitted five times. Students have many competing commitments and schoolwork can become a low priority. When a student puts a high priority on doing well in class, they demonstrate mastery of this learning outcome.
The following applies for Learning Outcome 3a Student completes assignments in a timely manner
Ave Initial / Ave Final / Ave Improvement / Remarks3.714 / 4.214 / 0.500 / Most students are seniors who understood the importance of completing assignments on time
Time management in a team setting is critical for a successful completion of a group project. In CIS 490, all students worked with partners to complete a project. They maintained a specially designed timesheet and use Microsoft Project to keep track of tasks and progress. The initial assessment was based on students’ prior experience working on a team and the final assessment was based on the final project completion combined with the actual project report and project presentation.
The following applies for Learning Outcome 3b Student works on a team to complete a semester project using a project management tool to organize and be in command of their time and tasks
Ave Initial / Ave Final / Ave Improvement / Remarks3.071 / 4.000 / 0.929 / Students gradually learned the tools and skills of managing a significant project in a real-world environment
Shaun-inn Wu
Created: May 2010
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