SWOT Analysis of CS 467 at Oregon State University
Strengths
CS 467 has strengths in its flexibility of choice where the student is allowed to choose a project of their own or a project that is suggested by the curriculum. There are even “industry-sponsored” projects that a student can apply to work on. The strength of this flexibility is clear since it allows the student to develop a project that they are interested in. Also due to the nature of the class students are forced to strengthen their team collaboration skills and are able to develop their portfolio.
Weaknesses
While CS 467 has many strengths, those strengths at times can also be a weakness. For example, the flexibility of choice means that there is probably no guideline if a student chooses a project that has never been done before. Also with industry-sponsored projects students must sign an NDA, and since faculty are prohibited from signing NDAs they cannot offer specific low-level advice if the student runs into any issues. A specific problem that I personally ran into was that the industry-sponsored project that I am working on for my capstone was handed off by two previous teams so the codebase was essentially a game of telephone by the time it fell into my teams’ hands. And since the faculty couldn’t advise me due to the nature of the project there were multiple areas of friction throughout my development time.
Opportunities
Enhancements to the course could include granting faculty and staff the capability to audit each industry-specific capstone project, and facilitating more effective guidance for students. Drawing from my own experience, this feature is especially relevant. In cases where direct auditability isn’t feasible, an alternative could be to mandate the inclusion of a technical advisor for industry projects. This mirrors the real-world scenario where seeking guidance from experienced colleagues is a common practice. By introducing this requirement, the course ensures that students have access to valuable support, aligning with the collaborative nature of professional software engineering environments.
Threats
While the absence of a dedicated technical expert, coupled with the necessity for faculty to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), poses a potential threat to the success of capstone projects, it is integral to recognize that this structure also offers a valuable lesson for students. The class design encourages independence and equips students with the skills to navigate and solve challenges autonomously. The unique structure becomes an opportunity for students to learn self-reliance and problem-solving, which are vital skills in real-world software engineering scenarios.
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