Procedures and requirements to register in Graduation projects.
PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS TO REGISTER FOR GRADUATION PROJECTS
CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECT (CDP)
The Capstone Design Project (CDP) is divided into two graduation projects, each spanning one semester. The course numbers of the two graduation projects (Graduation project-1 and Graduation project-2) are CE 496 and CE 497, respectively. Each project carries two credit hours. A student can register for Graduation Project-1 (CE 496) if he completes at least 129 credit hours and passes all courses from levels 1 to 7. Graduation Project-2 (CE 497) can be taken only after completing Graduation Project-1 (CE 496) successfully. The graduation projects can only be taken during the first or second semester of the academic session (not during the summer semester).
SCHEDULE
Schedule of CE 496 and CE 497 (for a typical semester having 15 weeks of teaching)
S. No. | Items | Date | Week # |
1 | Registration for CE 496 and CE 497 and formation of teams | - | 1 |
2 | Introductory lecture | Thursday from 2:00 – 4:00 pm | 1 |
3 | Assigning supervisors | Sunday/Monday | 2 |
4 | Formation of joint examination committees | Sunday/Monday | 2 |
5 | Submission of CDP proposal form (for CE 496 only) | Sunday by 4:00 pm | 3 |
6 | Midterm exams of CE 496 and CE 497 [During the midterm exam, students are expected to present their work and show that their progress is satisfactory] | Sunday through Thursday | 9 |
7 | Submission of two hard copies of the final report by the students (for both CE 496 and CE 497) | Thursday by 12:00 Noon | 14 |
8 | Final presentation (for both CE 496 and CE 497) [During the final presentation. students are expected to present their entire work conducted during the semester] | Sunday through Thursday | 15 |
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs)
CE 496 CLOs | |
CLO1 | Identify real-life engineering complex problems addressing various civil engineering specialties. |
CLO2 | Formulate the problem, covering the methodology of integrating knowledge drawn from previous courses and information. |
CLO3 | Recognize alternative design method/s covering the design viability and evaluation criteria and select the preferred alternative. |
CLO4 | Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in the context of global, economic, environmental, and societal situations. |
CLO5 | Work effectively as a member of the project team, providing a conducive environment and good leadership. |
CLO6 | Establish goals and plan tasks to accomplish objectives for the project using planning techniques to ensure proper project timing and budgeting. |
CLO7 | Prepare technical report and present the results orally to the audience. |
CE 497 CLOs | |
CLO1 | Design preferred alternatives based on calculations and/or experimental tools using modern engineering tools. |
CLO2 | Evaluate the impact of the selected design on public health, safety, welfare, and global, cultural, social, economic, and environmental factors. |
CLO3 | Work effectively as a member of the project team, providing a conducive environment and good leadership. |
CLO4 | Acquire and apply new knowledge beyond taught courses, using appropriate learning strategies, including updated Codes, Software, webinars, etc., to complete the project. |
CLO5 | Prepare professional technical reports, including necessary design reports and drawings, as well as make an oral presentation to the audience. |
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CE 496 PROJECTS
Introductory Lecture
An introductory lecture is delivered for CE 496 students in the first week of each semester. It is mandatory for project students to attend the lecture. The lecture attendance and submission of the CDP proposal is allocated a 5% grade in the mid-term grade of CE 496. The lecture is a comprehensive orientation covering all CE 496 and CE 497 aspects. Broadly, it covers CDP's nature and philosophy, which encourages the students to apply their skills, including critical thinking, creating engineering systems, solving challenging problems, and developing oral communication skills, public speaking, research skills, teamwork, and planning. Plagiarism issues are discussed with students in detail. Students are guided on how to use others' work. Students are told that using others' work in their projects without crediting the source is plagiarism, which is considered academic dishonesty and a breach of ethics.
Capstone Design Proposal Form
The student groups will consult with their supervisors to complete the CDP Proposal Form. It is mandatory for all student groups and has a 5% grade allocation from the mid-term exam (including attendance at the first introductory lecture). This is explained in the first introductory lecture, and the duly filled-in form must be submitted within two weeks. It contains instructions and information about the potential CDP project.
EVALUATION OF CE 496/CE 497 PROJECTS
Mid-Term Examination
This is conducted between weeks 8 and 9 of the semester, depending on King Saud University's academic schedule. The main objective of introducing the mid-term exam was to provide the right direction for CDP as per its expected learning outcomes and to assess the project's progress. This has been a beneficial activity and helped streamline the projects at the early stages. The mid-term exam is allocated 20% of the total CE 496 or CE 497 grade.
Final Examination
This is conducted between weeks 14 and 15 of the semester, depending on King Saud University's academic schedule. In the final examination, project students are expected to submit a project report (and a poster for CE 497 groups) and present their work before the examination committee at the end of the semester. The final exam is allocated 40% of the total grade.
Supervisor’s Evaluation
The assigned supervisors evaluate their students based on their overall performance and their efforts to complete their assigned projects. 40% of the total grade is allocated to the supervisors.
EVALUATION FORMS FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF CE 496/CE 497 PROJECTS
Specially designed evaluation forms are used for mid-term exams, final exams, and supervisors' evaluations to ensure a fair distribution and award of marks for all students. A set of evaluation forms are designed for the evaluation of CE 496/CE 497 graduation projects. Each set has (i) the examiner’s Mid-term evaluation form (20% grade), (ii) the examiner's final evaluation form for the presentation (20%), (iii) the examiner’s evaluation form for the report and poster (poster is required for CE 497 only) (40% grade), and (iv) the supervisors' evaluation form (40% grade). The above four evaluation forms cover the following aspects of evaluation:
Midterm Evaluation Form: Capstone Aspect; Technical content; Progress; Presentation skill and competency.
Presentation Evaluation Form: Style and Organization; Technical content; and Skills and Competency.
Report (and Poster - for CE 497 only) Evaluation Form: Final Report Organization; Writing Quality; Introduction; Overall Content; Design Methodology; Results and Discussions; Capstone Aspect; Terminal Sections; and Poster Content and Quality- for CE 497 groups only.
Supervisors Evaluation Form: Attendance; Motivation; Progress; Participation; Report Organization; and Report Main Body.
WEIGHTAGE OF DIFFERENT ASSESSMENTS
The weightage for both CE 496 and CE 497 assessments is as follows:
- Supervisors’ assessment: 40%
- Midterm assessment by the examining committee (Oral presentation): 20%
- Final assessment by the examining committee (Oral presentation, report (and poster for CE 497 only): 40%
