I’ve thoroughly enjoyed CS-467 and my project- HTML 5 tower defense game. This project and class has allowed me to grow and improve my skills as a developer and as a professional in the industry. Below is my SWOT analysis of the course based on my experiences during the Winter 2024 session.
In terms of strengths, the course has been great at exposing us to a large variety of potential different projects we may see in the future. The projects varied from newer technologies like AI in industries like finance to more general day to day apps like pet adoption applications. A related strength was how similar to a professional experience it was for project development and work. We were assigned a mentor(like a Sr. Developer) that we could ask question to but the bulk of the work(research, design, learning guides, etc) was done on our own which was a great experience since it really allowed me personally to test my skills that I’ve gained through this degree.
For weaknesses, the biggest standout to me is that I felt that scope creep was very prevalent during the life of the project. Even though we defined the project at the beginning as we weren’t as familiar with this type of project in our pasts it led to us working on very niche parts of our projects. Though if I had to admit it was very enjoyable to develop these niche parts as well since it really helped me dive into the project and gain a sense of ownership/satisfaction that I typically do not get from a general homework assignment.
Next up, opportunities! For the course I think one of the improvements that could be made is to ensure that everyone shares their video camera prior for progress report posts to simulate how it would be in a work/in person setting. It is always so difficult to get comfortable with narrating/presenting but it is a necessary skill we all have to do to present to managers/professors in the future. And , it can also be a very fun experience as well if you put your own spin on it like adding a personal background to hide your background/room for privacy. Another potential improvement I think would be great is if there was more information on pursuant of graduate studies in the course. Most of the extra credit and readings were geared towards finding a job and issues we would find there but what if we want to pursue graduate studies? Maybe a few readings on current hot topics in graduate studies would be a great contrast to the existing readings.
Lastly, for threats, I don’t believe there are any serious issues with the course except in terms of ensuring team collaboration I believe there should be more integration into the existing discussion board on canvas for project items. While it was great that we were able to use Jira/Discord/etc. communication mediums I think leveraging the Discussions board for team chats/uploads of assignments would’ve been great as it would be a central location we can all go back to to find the reports/assignments. In addition, the discussion board would be a great resource for Teaching Assistants/Mentors to look through as needed to ensure sufficient team collaboration is done and to see if there’s any critical points that teams are getting stuck on.
All in all, this was a great course with very minimal issues and I am very glad to have taken this course!
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