FIT3231 · Computer science in practice: Project 2

Overview

This unit is the capstone unit in the Computer Science practice stream and, for most students, the final stage of the Monash IT Industry Practice Program. You will make a substantial individual contribution to a student-led company through real projects, products or services that require rigorous computational thinking, software development, software design and technical problem solving. At this stage, you are expected to operate with professional independence, contribute to company direction and outcomes, and demonstrate readiness for industry or further study. You will take responsibility for your own professional and academic development, shape the evidence you need to demonstrate capability, and contribute to the sustainability of the company through programming, software design, configuration management, technical review, mentoring, process improvement, project delivery or technical leadership. As this unit is an exit point from the practice stream for most students, you will also help ensure that the company is well positioned to continue progressing the computational and software work you have been engaged with. This may include documenting technical decisions, improving development workflows, preparing handover materials, supporting continuity of codebase and design knowledge, mentoring successors, strengthening team practices, and identifying next steps for the company’s products, services or projects. You will prepare a showcase portfolio that presents evidence of your capability, achievements, professional growth and individual contribution. This portfolio will support reflection on your development across the practice program and provide a curated record of your work that can be used when applying for industry roles, placements, graduate opportunities or future study. Your work will require you to apply computer science capability with judgement, including programming, software design, configuration management, algorithmic thinking, systems reasoning, testing, documentation and technical review. Assessment is centred on an individual evidence-based portfolio that demonstrates your contribution, capability, judgement, growth, readiness for professional practice, and contribution to the ongoing sustainability of company work.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Apply responsible computer science practices by addressing security, privacy, ethical, social good, accessibility, sustainability and stakeholder impact considerations in company project work;
2. Direct your professional and academic development through self-assessment, targeted development planning, feedback response and evidence-based reflection, preparing a showcase portfolio that communicates your capability, achievements and readiness for industry or further study;
3. Communicate computational concepts, technical decisions, progress, risks, evidence and outcomes clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders using appropriate professional forms;
4. Plan, coordinate and sustain company technical work by managing tasks, risks, dependencies, quality expectations and handover processes, collaborating across teams to position software products, codebases, services or projects for continued progress beyond your contribution;
5. Investigate complex computational and software problems, evaluate alternative approaches and justify defensible solutions using evidence, experimentation, algorithmic reasoning and professional judgement;
6. Apply digital, data, programming and design practices to design, implement, test, debug, document, refactor and evaluate substantial software contributions that meet stakeholder needs, technical requirements and project constraints;
7. Select, apply and critically evaluate software design and configuration management practices, including requirements analysis, component modelling, version control, integration, release coordination, traceability and collaborative development in authentic professional contexts.

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled online and face to face learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated reading and preparation for scheduled teaching activities.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.