Framework for CS/IT/IS Undergraduate Thesis/Project Advising

Philippine Society of IT Educators

Introduction

Framework was prepared by PSITE Research as a result of the NCITE 2009 Pre-conference on CS/IT/IS Project Advising The following documents were used as references:

CMO 53 s. 2006 ACM Computing Curricula 2005 NCITE pre-conference presentations

Introduction

The working group is composed of the following:

Dr. Randy Gamboa Dr. Jaime De Leon Caro Dr. Vladmir Mariano Dr. Allan Sioson Dr. Bart Tanguilig Oliver Malabanan Edwin Maraon Cherry Lyn Sta. Romana

Objective

Produce a document containing details on the following:

Expectations/Definition of a BSCS thesis, BSIT project and BSIS project Similarities/Differences among BSCS thesis, BSIT project and BSIS project Required output document with description for BSCS thesis, BSIT project and BSIS project

Output

The committee came up with a table describing the expectations from a BSCS thesis and IT/IS projects The output is a work in progress and PSITE National will do its best to continue with the work and hopefully come up with a manual

BS Computer Science

CMO 53 s. 20006 Definition

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS) program prepares students to be IT professionals and researchers, and to be proficient in designing and developing computing solutions.

CMO 53 s. 20006 Definition

Thesis is a requirement for the BSCS program. Contents must be focused on the theories and concepts of computing and it should be in the form of scientific work that may be presented in a public forum.

Adviser/Panel Composition

The thesis is prepared under the guidance of an adviser and should be presented and accepted by a Panel composed of at least 3 members that includes the adviser. The adviser must have completed a CS project beyond the bachelors degree project. As much as possible, the adviser should be a full-time faculty member of the HEI otherwise a full-time faculty co-adviser is required. Advisers and Panel Members should have a degree in an ITE or allied program. At least one of the panel members must have a masters degree in ITE (preferably Computer Science) or allied program. As a general rule, faculty advisers should handle at most five projects/theses.

Duration/Team Composition/ Presentation

2 semesters Individual or team of 2 to 5 members depending on the complexity of the project Public Presentation is required

School-based presentation open to the public Other Options:

Regional Student Congress (PSITE Regional Chapters are encouraged to organize undergraduate paper presentations) Presentations to Philippine Computing Science Congress of CSP, National Conference on IT Education of PSITE

Suggested Thesis for BSCS

Software development projects under the following areas are considered theses mobile computing systems; software extensions or plug-ins; expert systems; decision support systems; systems software (software tools/utilities, interpreters, simulators, compilers etc); intelligent systems; game development; computer vision; image/signal processing; natural language processing; pattern recognition and data mining; bioinformatics; modeling and simulation; graphics applications; human-computer interaction/ affective computing/emphatic computing; cloud computing; parallel computing; embedded systems; emerging technologies

The development of the software system should involve algorithm- based research and development and anchored on computer science principles.

Suggested Thesis for BSCS

Foundations of Computer Science Automata and Formal Languages Data Structures Algorithm Design and Analysis Web Semantics Coding theory Programming languages Visualization systems

Manuscript Template (for Foundations of CS)

ACM Format

Manuscript Template (for Foundations of CS)

Title Page Abstract Table of Contents List of Figures, List of Tables, List of Notations Introduction

Background of the problem Statement of the problem Objectives Significance Scope and limitations

Manuscript Template (for Foundations of CS)

Related Literature Theoretical Background

Design and Methodology

include comprehensive discussion on theorems, definitions, fundamental algorithms , mathematical models/formula Include discussion on conceptual design / system architecture/ block diagrams and algorithms

Results and Discussion Conclusions and Recommendations Appendices may include the following

Relevant Source Code Evaluation Tool Sample input/output/Reports

Manuscript Template (for Software Development Projects)

Title Page Abstract Table of Contents List of Figures, List of Tables, List of Notations Introduction

Related Literature

Project Context Purpose and Description Objectives Scope and limitations

Manuscript Template (for CS Software Development Projects)

Technical Background

Design and Methodology

include in-depth discussion on relevant technical aspects of the project Include discussion on conceptual design / system architecture/ block diagrams and algorithms

Results and Discussion Conclusions and Recommendations Appendices may include the following

Relevant Source Code Evaluation Tool Sample input/output/Reports Users Guide Curriculum Vitae

BS Information Technology BS Information Systems

BSIT

The Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) program prepares students to be IT professionals, be well versed on application installation, operation, development, maintenance and administration, and familiar with hardware installation, operation, and maintenance.

BSIS

The Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (BSIS) program prepares students to be IT professionals and be expert on design and implementation of IS for business processes.

CMO 53 s. 2006 Definition

Capstone project is required for the BSIT program. It should be in the form of a systems application or an enterprise resource plan.

Adviser/Panel Composition
The project is prepared under the guidance of an adviser and presented and accepted by a Panel composed of at least 3 members that includes the adviser. The adviser must have completed an IT/IS project successfully beyond the bachelors degree project. . As much as possible, the adviser should be a full-time faculty member of the HEI otherwise a full-time faculty co-adviser is required. Advisers and Panel Members should have a degree in an ITE or allied program. At least one of the panel members must have a masters degree in ITE (preferably Information Technology/Management/Systems) or allied program and at least one must have industry experience. As a general rule, faculty advisers should handle at most five projects. *** As much as possible, the organization for which the project is intended should be represented

Duration/Team Composition/ Presentation

1 or 2 semesters Individual or team of 2 to 5 members depending on the complexity of the project Public Presentation is recommended

School-based presentation open to the public

Suggested Projects for BSIT

Software Development software customization information systems development for an actual client (with pilot testing) web applications development (with at least alpha testing on live servers) mobile computing systems

Infrastructure implications with the introduction of the system should be clearly specified in the final report

Suggested Projects for BSIT

Multimedia systems game development e-learning systems interactive systems information kiosks
Network design and implementation; and server farm configuration and management IT Management IT Strategic Plan for sufficiently complex enterprise IT Security Analysis, Planning and Implementation

Suggested Projects for BSIS

Software Development software customization information systems development for a actual client web applications development mobile computing systems

*** Changes in process flow and/or information policies with the introduction of the system should be clearly specified in the final report

Suggested Projects for BSIS

IS Planning Enterprise Resource Plan Information Systems Strategic Plan Analysis and design of a sufficiently complex system

Manuscript Template for IT/IS

Title Page Executive Summary Table of Contents List of Figures, List of Tables, List of Notations Introduction

Review of Related Literature/Systems

Project Context Purpose and Description Objectives Scope and limitations

Manuscript Template for IT/IS

Technical Background Methodology

Recommendations Implementation Plan (Infrastructure/Deployment for BSIT/ Processes/Policies/Personnel for BSIS) Appendices may include the following

Requirements Specification Analysis Design Development and Testing

Relevant Source Code Evaluation Tool Sample input/output/Reports Users Guide Curriculum Vitae

Manuscript Template for IT/IS

for Information Systems Strategic Plan template, refer to the National Computer Centers Information Systems Strategic Planning Guidebook
Template for Software Development projects may be used for the Analysis and Design Projects excluding the Implementation portion No recommended template for Multimedia Systems Development, Network Design and Implementation and IT Management No recommended template for Enterprise Resource Planning

Conclusions

A lot of work still needs to be done in order to come up with a Manual on Thesis/Project Advising We invite schools to share their best practices with us so that we can incorporate them in succeeding revisions We still need to get endorsement from the Commission on Higher Education in order to avoid misinterpretation of CS/IT/IS projects in relation to thesis/project requirements of other disciplines

Thank you for listening. Enjoy the Bohol Tour!