The project proposal is your chance to formalize and outline all the fundamental requirements of the capstone project. A well written proposal with adequate detail will probably average about 2-3 pages in length, but focus primarily on covering each of the requirements in detail. Project proposals are expository writing, and should include proofread, well-constructed sentences and paragraphs, though utilizing headings is also fine. Submissions should be saved or exported as PDF and uploaded to your team GitHub repository.
Please ensure that all of the following is covered in your proposal:
Title
You should include an initial proposal at a working title for your project that also reflects your research question. This can of course change or shift later depending on your conclusions, but should convey to a reader an immediate idea of what you are trying to accomplish.
Research question
Highlight the specific research question that your team is seeking to address with your capstone project. This can be 1-3 sentences and follow the guidelines put forth in Lecture 1. Remember to be as specific as possible in constraining your question while still leaving room to explore a topic.
Motivation
Explain the context behind why this research question has intellectual, cultural, or commerical merit. Why is this problem meaningful to you? How is it meaningful to others? How would a better understanding of this question affect our world or our understanding of it?
Data
Break down and explain the data that you will be using or acquiring for this project. If existing datasets, exactly where will you be accessing the information from, and what is necessary to access said information. If pulling from multiple datasets, how will you be able to combine the information? If you will be actively scraping live information, where will you be grabbing the data from and at what interval? In either case, include specific URLs or API endpoints. The fundamental requirement of the data you use for this project is that it must be unique to your project, so explain how your acquired data will meet this requirement.
Methodology Requirements
As part of your methodology on this project, you are required to showcase expertise in each of the core class areas. For each of the core areas delineated below, discuss some of the ways you will be able to demonstrate and utilize your proficiency in that area.
- Statistical Thinking (Data 501):
- How will you incorporate statistical analysis or inference into your analysis? How will you quantify the confidence you have in your results?
- Data Visualization (Data 502):
- What are some quick sketches or descriptions of some types of data visualization you can see yourself utilizing in demonstrating your conclusions?
- Data Engineering (Data 503):
- This is almost certainly mostly demonstrated through the acquisition and organization of your data, as already mentioned above. But if there are other ways or techniques that you plan to use from this course in the analysis of your data, you should state them here.
- Machine Learning (Data 505):
- How will you demonstrate or utilize elements of machine learning in answering your research question? How will you interpret these results in the broader context of your statistical analysis?
- Data Ethics (Data 504):
- What are some of the ethical concerns or implications that surround either your research question or the data itself? How will you navigate these concerns or provide context to them?
Scoring
Each of the above requirements will be scored on a 4-tier rubric as described below, as well as the quality of the writing, for a total of 30 points.
| Category | 3 points | 2 points | 1 points | 0 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental requirement (x9) | Requirement discussed with well thought out applications and details relating to the project | Requirement discussed with some details but some key details missing or leaving holes in how they apply to the project | Requirement mentioned but missing lots of details or unclear application to the specific project | Requirement not discussed |
| Writing | Writing clear and articulate without typos, incomplete sentences, or other grammatical mistakes. | Writing clear and easy to read, but includes some typos or small grammatical mistakes | Writing is not as clear as it should be, and includes many typos or large grammar issues | Writing is very poorly organized and written, making it difficult to follow what the proposal is trying to say |