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CMSE495 Data Science Capstone

Syllabus: CMSE 495 — Experiential Learning in Data Science (W)

1. Course Identification and Description

Department: Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering (CMSE)
Official Title: Experiential Learning in Data Science (W)
Equivalent Courses: CSE 495 & STT 495

This course consists of team-based data science projects working with real-world data in collaboration with client or company sponsors. Students engage in the professional practice of software development, data collection, curation, modeling, and scientific visualization. The experience culminates in the professional presentation of results to stakeholders.

Prerequisites:

The CMSE 495 capstone course provides you with a unique opportunity to integrate the diverse skill sets you have acquired across your academic career. By developing a final project that tackles real-world problems for actual clients, you transition from classroom theory to mentored professional practice. Instructors are here to facilitate that bridge as you prepare for your future careers.

2. Core Course Goals

The course is structured to empower students through three primary objectives:

  1. High-Impact Project Experience: Solving complex, real-world problems through end-to-end data science applications that integrate modeling, curation, and visualization.
  2. Professional Skill Development: Mastering communication, teamwork, and leadership frameworks via the CyberAmbassadors curriculum to excel in professional environments.
  3. Industry Networking: Fostering professional relationships with industry partners, community organizations, and campus colleagues to build a robust career network.

3. ABET Student Outcomes Mapping

The following table maps course activities to the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) General Criterion 3 (1–5) and Program Criteria (6).

     
ABET Student Outcome Description (Verbatim from Criterion 3 / Program Criteria) Mapping Course Activities
Outcome 3 Communicate effectively in a variety of professional contexts. Professional presentations, video storyboards, and final technical project reporting.
Outcome 4 Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles. Navigating client data privacy; implementing informed judgments regarding ethical modeling.
Outcome 5 Function effectively as a member or leader of a team engaged in activities appropriate to the program’s discipline. Team-based project execution and CyberAmbassadors professional skills modules.
Outcome 6 Apply computer science theory and software development fundamentals to produce computing-based solutions. Application of theory and software fundamentals to develop sponsor-driven technical solutions.

4. Tier II Writing-Intensive (W) Requirements

This course satisfies the University’s Tier II writing requirement by immersing students in an iterative feedback loop. Writing in this course is not a static submission but a dynamic process involving drafts, critical review, and substantial revision.

The Iterative Feedback Loop: Students engage in multiple cycles of drafting for all major technical documents. This process incorporates detailed feedback from both the instructor and peers. Students are expected to demonstrate growth in their ability to translate complex data findings into clear, professional technical documentation.

Key Written Deliverables:

5. Course Structure and Activity Categories

The course fosters a professional environment through meetings held three times per week. Classroom time is strategically utilized to support project success:

Note: As a capstone experience, students are expected to maintain a high level of dedication to project tasks outside of scheduled classroom hours.

6. Professionalism and Compliance

Non-Disclosure and Intellectual Property Notice: Students may be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement (“NDA”) or an assignment of intellectual property rights (“IP Assignment”) to work with some project community partners.

Respectful Environment Policy: Aligned with ABET standards, this course is committed to maintaining a respectful environment that supports, values, and treats all members fairly and with dignity. Professional conduct is expected at all times to maintain a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere.

7. Major Milestones and Deliverables

Students must achieve the following milestones to successfully complete the capstone:

8. Generalized 15-Week Semester Schedule

9. Resources and Mentorship

To support your technical and professional growth, the following resources are recommended:

Instructor Contact Information: Dr. Dirk Colbry Email: colbrydi@msu.edu

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Syllabus: CMSE 495 — Experiential Learning in Data Science (W)

Course Description

The Data Science Capstone course provides students with an opportunity to integrate knowledge and skills developed throughout the CMSE curriculum while working on real-world projects with community partners.

Students work in teams to develop solutions to authentic problems while practicing communication, project management, technical development, and professional collaboration.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Course Philosophy

Real-world projects involve uncertainty, communication, collaboration, and continuous learning. This course is designed to help students practice those skills while working with real community partners on meaningful projects.

Success in this course is measured by more than technical outcomes. Students are expected to develop skills in project planning, professional communication, teamwork, documentation, and problem solving. The course emphasizes growth, reflection, and continuous improvement throughout the semester.

Course Format

CMSE 495 is a project-based capstone course.

Students are assigned to teams early in the semester and work with a community partner on a semester-long project. Class meetings combine project development, professional skills training, technical learning, peer feedback, and project communication activities.

The course follows a recurring weekly rhythm:

Milestone assignments are published early in the semester and students are expected to plan ahead and manage project work throughout the term.

Students should expect to spend approximately 10-15 hours per week outside of class working on project-related activities.

Additional details regarding recurring activities, milestones, communication expectations, and project workflows can be found in the Course Guide.

Professionalism

Professionalism is a significant component of this course because success in real projects depends on more than technical work.

In this course, professionalism is closely tied to engagement. Students are expected to actively engage with their project, their teammates, their community partner, and the broader course community.

Professionalism may be demonstrated through communication, preparation, documentation, technical contributions, initiative, reliability, problem solving, and support of others. Evidence may come from attendance, participation, check-ins, reflections, repository activity, issue reporting, communication, and other forms of engagement throughout the semester.

Professionalism is evaluated holistically based on patterns of engagement observed throughout the semester rather than any single activity. Students who consistently contribute to the success of their project and the people around them will generally demonstrate stronger professionalism than students who remain passive observers.

Professionalism should not be confused with extroversion. Different students contribute in different ways, and professionalism may be demonstrated through leadership, communication, technical work, documentation, planning, mentoring, or other meaningful contributions.

Professionalism is a skill that can be developed through practice and feedback. The purpose of this component is not to judge personality, but to encourage habits of engagement, communication, initiative, reliability, and follow-through that contribute to success in project-based environments.

Assessment and Grading Information

This course includes a combination of individual, team, technical, and professional activities. Detailed expectations for specific assignments are provided in the Course Guide and individual milestone descriptions.

Activity Grade Percentage
Individual Course Contributions 20
Individual Reflections 20
Team Logistics 10
SCHOLAR Tutorial 10
Weekly Project Milestones 20
Final Project 20
Total 100%

Grading Scale

The following scale provides an approximate conversion between percentage grades and final course grades. The instructional team retains responsibility for assigning final grades.

Course Grade Percentage
4.0 90% or higher
3.5 85% or higher
3.0 80% or higher
2.5 75% or higher
2.0 70% or higher
1.5 65% or higher
0.0 Below 60%

Team Meetings

Teams are expected to organize and participate in regular meetings throughout the semester, both within their team and with their community partners.

While some class time is reserved for team work, teams are responsible for coordinating additional meetings outside of class as needed.

Use Meeting Agenda and Notes for required structure and documentation expectations.

Logistical Information

Course Website

Information for this course is being managed via the course website:

https://cmse.msu.edu/cmse495

Accompanying course information, including the official course calendar, can be found at this website. The course also may use a Desire2Learn page for assignment grading and organization, which can be found at http://d2l.msu.edu

Course Meeting Time and Location

Please see the course D2L page or MSU course catalog for class meeting times and locations.

Required Materials for Class

The “in-class” programming assignments are a critical part of the learning process in this course. To that end, you will need to ensure that you have the following:

Reading Materials

All required readings will be provided as Open Educational Resource (OER) via link on the course website.

Instructors Contact Information and Office Hours

Lead Instructor:

Dr. Justin Gambrell (he/him)
Department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering (CMSE)
Email: gambre11@msu.edu
Office: EB 1501
Virtual Office: Justin’s Zoom Office
Passcode: 037636
Office Hours: 2:00-3:00 pm and 4:00-5:00 on Fridays. On zoom, but can be in person if requested. Office hours can be by appointment as well. Just email and ask.

Co-Instructor:

Dr. Dirk Colbry (he/him/his)
Institute for Cyber Enabled Research (ICER) and Department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering (CMSE)
Email: colbrydi@msu.edu
Web: http://www.dirk.colbry.com
Office: EB 1516
Virtual Office: Dirk’s Zoom Office
Office Hours: I have an hour after class blocked off for Mondays and Wednesdays (we can meet inside or next to our classroom) and Tuesdays 10:30-11:30pm In my office (EB 1516) of via zoom (if you remind me).

Teaching Assistant:

Mohammad (Moe) Rajaian Hoonejani
Email: rajaianm@msu.edu
Office: N/A
Virtual Office: Moe’s Zoom Office
Office Hours: Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 AM

Course Policies and Expectations

Data Policy, Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) and Intellectual Property (IP) agreements

All student’s in the course are expected to follow Michigan State University Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) which can be found at the following website:

In addition to the above, many of the community partners will require students to sign an Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and in some rare cases will be asked to sign an Intellectual Property (IP) agreement. Your instructor will work with you so that you understand your rights and you will not be required to sign either document. If students are unwilling or unable to sign these document they will be assigned to an alternative project.

Class Attendance

This class is heavily based on material presented and worked on during class, and it is critical that you attend and participate fully every week! Therefore, class attendance is required.

Arriving late or leaving early without prior arrangement with the instructor of your session may be counted as an unexcused absence. Note that if you have a legitimate reason to miss class (such as job, graduate school, or medical school interviews) you must arrange this ahead of time to be excused from class. Three or more unexcused absences will result in the reduction of your grade by one step (e.g., from 4.0 to 3.5), with additional absences reducing your grade further at the discretion of the course instructor. If you are unable to attend class or complete assignments due to illness or self-isolation (as per the CDC recommended guidelines), your instructor will work to provide the necessary accommodations to ensure that your performance in class is not significantly impacted.

Assignment Submissions

Follow the directions on the assignment submissions. Please do not make your instructors guess where things are. If it takes work to track something down then points will be taken off projects. If it is obvious to you then it may not be obvious to the instructors. Remember professionalism is a key learning goal in this course.

Email

At times, we will send out important course information via email.  This email is sent to your MSU email address (the one that ends in “@msu.edu”).  You are responsible for all information sent to your university email and for checking this account daily.

Microsoft Teams

In addition to email, students will be expected to check the course Teams Channel. Students are responsible for all information sent to Teams. It is highly recommended that students download the app and turn on alerts.

Inclusive Classroom Behavior

Respectful and responsible behavior is expected at all times, which includes not interrupting other students, refraining from non-course-related use of electronic devices or additional software during class sessions, and not using offensive or demeaning language in our discussions. Flagrant or repeated violations of this expectation may result in ejection from the classroom, grade-related penalties, and/or involvement of the university Ombudsperson. In particular, behaviors that could be considered discriminatory or harassing, or unwanted sexual attention, will not be tolerated and will be immediately reported to the appropriate MSU office (which may include the MSU Police Department).

In addition, MSU welcomes a full spectrum of experiences, viewpoints, and intellectual approaches because they enrich the conversation, even as they challenge us to think differently and grow. However, we believe that expressions and actions that demean individuals or groups comprise the environment for intellectual growth and undermine the social fabric on which the community is based. These demeaning behaviors are not welcome in this classroom.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517-884-RCPD or on the web at http://rcpd.msu.edu. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be issued a Accommodation Letter (formally known as a Verified Individual Services Accommodation or “VISA” form). Please present this letter to the instructor at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc.). Requests received after this date may not be honored.

Academic Honesty

Intellectual integrity is the foundation of the scientific enterprise.  In all instances, you must do your own work and give proper credit to all sources that you use in your papers and oral presentations – any instance of submitting another person’s work, ideas, or wording as your own counts as plagiarism.  This includes failing to cite any direct quotations in your essays, research paper, class debate, or written presentation.  The CMSE course adheres to the policies of academic honesty as specified in the General Student Regulations 1.0, Protection of Scholarship and Grades, and in the all-University statement on Integrity of Scholarship and Grades, which are included in Spartan Life: Student Handbook and Resource Guide.  Students who plagiarize will receive a 0.0 in the course.  In addition, University policy requires that any cheating offense, regardless of the magnitude of the infraction or punishment decided upon by the professor, be reported immediately to the dean of the student’s college.

It is important to note that plagiarism in the context of this course includes, but is not limited to, directly copying another student’s solutions to assignments; copying materials from online sources, textbooks, or other reference materials without citing those references in your source code or documentation, or having somebody else do your in-class work or homework on your behalf.  Any work that is done in collaboration with other students should state this explicitly, and have their names as well as yours listed clearly.

More broadly, we ask that students adhere to the Spartan Code of Honor academic pledge, as written by the Associated Students of Michigan State University (ASMSU):

“As a Spartan, I will strive to uphold values of the highest ethical standard. I will practice honesty in my work, foster honesty in my peers, and take pride in knowing that honor is worth more than grades. I will carry these values beyond my time as a student at Michigan State University, continuing the endeavor to build personal integrity in all that I do.”

Limits to Confidentiality

Personal assignments and peer review information materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University’s student record policies.

However, for many assignments this course is partnering with partners outside of MSU and students should be aware that instructors will not be able to maintain confidentiality with respect to project deliverables and anything that may come up which conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others.

As the instructors, we must report the following information to other University offices (including the Department of Police and Public Safety) if you share it with us: suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child, allegations of sexual assault or sexual harassment when they involve MSU students, faculty, or staff, and credible threats of harm to oneself or to others. These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling Center.

Changes to Syllabus

The syllabus may also be adjusted if needed. These types of changes will be announced during class, by email and/or in the course website.

Commercialized Lecture Notes

All lectures, videos and notes provided in this course are copyrighted by the university. Recording of lectures and/or commercialization of other university-provided course materials is not permitted in this course.

Disruptive Behavior

Article 2.III.B.4 of the Student Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) for students at Michigan State University states:

“The student’s behavior in the classroom shall be conducive to the teaching and learning process for all concerned.” Article 2.III.B.10 of the SRR states that “The student and the faculty share the responsibility for maintaining professional relationships based on mutual trust and civility.”

General Student Regulation 5.02 states:

“No student shall . . . interfere with the functions and services of the University (for example, but not limited to, classes . . .) such that the function or service is obstructed or disrupted. Students whose conduct adversely affects the learning environment in this classroom may be subject to disciplinary action through the Student Judicial Affairs office.”

Grief Absence Policy

Michigan State University is committed to ensuring that the bereavement process of a student who loses a family member during a semester does not put the student at an academic disadvantage in their classes. If you require a grief absence, you should complete the “Grief Absence Request” web form no later than one week after knowledge of the circumstance. I will work with you to make appropriate accommodations so that you are not penalized due to a verified grief absence.

Student Illness

If a student is exposed to someone who is ill, they will stay home, contact a health care provider and follow all public health recommendations. There are multiple policies available to complete course work. Please talk to your instructors and review the university policies.

Instructor Illness

In the event that the instructor gets ill, the course will continue. Backup instructors have been identified and will step in.