Faculty of Business and Information Technology

BUSI 4990U Capstone Workshop and 4995U: Capstone Study Project

Course outline for Fall 2018 & Winter 2019

1. Course Details & Important Dates*

Term Course Type CRN Day Time Room
BUSI 4990U-001 11:10 – ERC 2056
Fall 2018 Hybrid Friday
2:00pm
Winter BUSI 4995U-001 11:10- UA1220
Hybrid Friday
2019 2:00pm

Last day to drop course

Classes Start Classes End without academic Final Exam Period
consequence
September 6 December 5
October 3th, 2018 No exam
2018 2018
January 7
April 6th February 1nd, 2019 No exam
2019
* for other important dates go to: www.uoit.ca >Current Students >Important Dates and Deadlines

2. Instructor Contact Information

Instructor Name Office Phone Email
Vera Barton UB 4028 Ext. 3783 Blackboard mail
Office Hours: Fridays 11-2 pm or by appointment

Course Coordinator Office Phone Email

Tim Claydon UB 4028 Ext. 3780 Blackboard mail
Office Hours: Fridays 11- 2pm or by appointment

Course Director Office Phone Email

TBA

3. Course Description
The UOIT Capstone course is an intensive 8 month project bringing together small
teams of, fourth year students from Commerce, IT and Game Development
backgrounds.
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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT

Student teams work with an outside client organization, completing a comprehensive

analysis and evaluation of the organization and developing appropriate
recommendations and implementation for improved performance and problem
resolution. Through Capstone, students will develop a thorough understanding of the
technology, environment, markets, and operations of an organization by applying the
theory and knowledge that they have learned.

Capstone is a 3 credit course scheduled for the Sept-April academic year with the
course credit being received in the Winter term. The Capstone classroom sessions
and project selection is in September. The team projects begin in October and run
through the balance of the fall and winter semester.

4. Learning Outcomes
As a member of a student team, students will work with an actual organization,
complete a comprehensive analysis and evaluation, and develop appropriate
recommendations for improved performance by addressing a particular problem or
group of problems. The Capstone Team Project will enable students to develop a
thorough understanding of the technology, environment, markets and operations of a
real organization by applying the theory and knowledge learned from other courses.

5. Course Design
This course is designed as a hybrid course, with some class lectures. The majority of
the work will be submitted online. Communication will be through email or
appointments during office hours.

6. Outline of topics in the Course

Date Topics/Assignment
Launch Day

 Mandatory attendance for all students In ERC 2056

September 7, 2018
11:10 Last name beginning with A-L
12:10 Last name beginning with M-Z

Project Applications – Due by September 16th-Midnight

 Submit individual project applications via Blackboard.
 All students are required to apply to four (4) projects listed.
Lecture on Communication
September 14  Mandatory attendance for all students

11:10 Last name beginning with A-L

12:10 Last name beginning with M-Z

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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT
Lecture on Teamwork
 Mandatory attendance for all students

Sept. 21 In class Meet team members and hold first team meeting

11:10 OR 12:10 Team splits to be announced

Lecture on Project management

 Mandatory attendance for all students
Sept. 28
11:10 OR 12:10 Team splits to be announced

Lecture on Research
 Mandatory attendance for all students
Oct. 5
11:10 OR 12:10 Team splits to be announced

Oct. 9-14 Fall Study Week – no classes

Project Charter Submission
Oct 19 The signed Project Charter due

Milestone Report 1 due by 4:30pm, submission via

Blackboard.
Nov 30
Peer Evaluation opens for comments

January Kick Off class

 Mandatory attendance for all students
Jan. 11th 2019
11:10 OR 12:10 Team splits to be announced

February 15 Milestone Report 2 due.

Feb 19-24 Winter Study Break – no classes

Capstone Expo Day
March 22 or March
Poster display and presentation of team project. Teams will be
29
scheduled. Poster submission via Blackboard.
Final Report Due
April 5
Hard copy report and electronic submission of final report.

Peer Evaluation opens for comments

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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT
7. Required Texts/Readings
There are no required text or readings for this course

8. Evaluation Method
Team Blog 5%
Project Charter 5%
Milestone 1 Report 10%
Milestone 2 Report 20%
Poster & Presentation 20%
Final Report/Demo 30%
Final Peer Evaluation &
Professionalism 10%

Final course grades may be adjusted to conform to program or Faculty grade

distribution profiles. Further information on grading can be found in Section 5 of the
UOIT Academic Calendar.

9. Assignments

Project Application
Students are required to apply for four projects of their choice. Using the Project
Application Form, each student will write a brief description of intent for their chosen
project(s), which includes their skills applicable to the project requirements. Individual
students will be assigned to a project team by the Capstone Instructor. *Please see the
Project Application Instructions document to be posted on Blackboard for details and
instructions. Applications are due by September 16th at 11:59pm.

Team Blog (5%)

Each project team is required to complete a series of blog entries that documents the
team’s experiences throughout the course of the project. This will be done using the
blog tool set up for each team in Blackboard. The blog will not be shared with your
client, so it will provide you with an opportunity to think and write freely. A guideline for
length is 100-200 words per entry.

Project Charter (5%)

The Project Charter is the formal agreement between the Capstone team and the client
regarding project scope and project confidentiality. Teams are required to complete and
have the clients sign the Project Charter after the team has been assigned. Charter is
due October 19th by 2:00pm. *Please see the Project Charter document to be posted
on Blackboard.
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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT

Milestone Report 1 Report (10%)

The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the client and project. The report
must be submitted on or before, November 30th by 2:00pm to Blackboard. Late
submissions will not be accepted. *Please see the Milestone Report 1 Requirement
document to be posted on Blackboard for details and instructions.

Research Ethics; A Capstone team may determine that further primary research is
necessary and may design their research tools to be used outside of the client
organization. In this case, the team must must contact their course instructor to
determine what approval might be necessary to complete this research. This should be
done in conjunction with Milestone Report 1 due November 30th.

Milestone Report 2 (20%)

The purpose of the Milestone Report 2 is to provide an idea of where the project is
going and how the team will address scope with a detailed project plan. This Report
must be submitted on or before February 15th by 2:00pm to Blackboard. Late
submissions will not be accepted.
*Please see the Report Requirement document to be posted on Blackboard for details
and instructions.

Capstone Expo Poster and Presentation (20%)

Team will be scheduled to present during class time on March 22th or 29th. Teams will
highlight their Capstone Project in a poster and presentation format. Project Posters will
be displayed in a public venue and clients will be invited to attend. All team members
must be in attendance and a 10-15 minute presentation is required.
*Please see the Poster Presentation Requirement document to be posted on
Blackboard for details and instructions.

Capstone Final Report/Demo (30%)

The final report is due April 5th by 2:00pm. The report is to be submitted in hard copy
formal report format to both the client and Capstone Instructor, and electronically via
Blackboard.
The final report is a ‘standalone’ document to be prepared with the client in mind as the
main audience. This report must contain all the information and arguments that are
needed to support all recommendations and conclusions made. The team’s final report
will be evaluated by the Capstone Instructor.
*Demo’s for Gaming and IT projects will be evaluated by appropriate faculty members.
*Please see the Final Report and Demo Requirement document to be posted on
Blackboard for details and instructions.

Professionalism and Final Peer Evaluation (10%)

Individuals will evaluate other team members in their assigned group by submitting a
peer evaluation score for each team member. The evaluation will be due following the
submission of the final report. If a student chooses not to submit an evaluation, they will
receive a score of 0 on this component of the course. Your individual evaluation score
for each team member will affect the distribution of the overall project grade the team
has received throughout the course. Evaluation scores will also be influenced by client
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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT
and faculty evaluations and are subject to adjustment by the Course Director/Instructor.
In some cases the findings of these evaluations may result in a final debriefing with the
team and Course Instructor(s).

Professionalism: As part of a project team, all team members are expected to

contribute in an equitable manner to the discussions, research and deliverables of this
project. All team members are required to conduct themselves in a professional
manner, especially during all client interactions.

Missed Course Work

Coursework missed for medical or serious personal reasons must be documented and
reported to the instructor within three (3) working days of the missed work. Medical
absences must be accompanied by a UOIT Medical Statement form completed by the
student and physician within 24 hours of the missed course work. Coursework includes,
but is not limited to, quizzes; written assignments; participation; reports. If missed
coursework totals more than 20% of the final grade, this must be documented through
the FBIT Academic Advising office. The instructor will contact you regarding a make-up
assignment. If you miss coursework and do not notify the instructor within the three (3)
working day deadline, you will receive a score of zero on the missed component.

10. Accessibility
Students with disabilities may request to be considered for formal academic
accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. Students
seeking accommodation must make their requests through Student Accessibility
Services. Requests must be made in a timely manner, and students must provide
relevant and recent documentation to verify the effect of their disability and to allow
the university to determine appropriate accommodations.

Accommodation decisions will be made in accordance with the Ontario Human

Rights Code. Accommodations will be consistent with and supportive of the
essential requirements of courses and programs, and provided in a way that
respects the dignity of students with disabilities and encourages integration and
equality of opportunity. Reasonable academic accommodation may require
instructors to exercise creativity and flexibility in responding to the needs of students
with disabilities while maintaining academic integrity.

11. Academic Integrity

Students and faculty at UOIT share an important responsibility to maintain the

integrity of the teaching and learning relationship. This relationship is characterized
by honesty, fairness and mutual respect for the aim and principles of the pursuit of
education. Academic misconduct impedes the activities of the university community
and is punishable by appropriate disciplinary action.

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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT
Students are expected to be familiar with and abide by UOIT’s regulations on
Academic Conduct (Section 5.16 of the Academic Calendar) which sets out the
kinds of actions that constitute academic misconduct, including plagiarism, copying
or allowing one’s own work to copied, use of unauthorized aids in examinations and
tests, submitting work prepared in collaboration with another student when such
collaboration has not been authorized, among other academic offences. The
regulations also describe the procedures for dealing with allegations, and the
sanctions for any finding of academic misconduct, which can range from a
resubmission of work to a failing grade to permanent expulsion from the university.
A lack of familiarity with UOIT’s regulations on academic conduct does not
constitute a defense against its application.

Further information about academic misconduct can be found in the Academic

Integrity link on your laptop. Extra support services are available to all UOIT
students in academic development, study skills, counseling, and peer mentorship.
More information on student support services can be found in the Academic
Calendar (Section 8).

12. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

The following is an important notice regarding the process for submitting course
assignments, quizzes and other evaluative material in your courses in the Faculty of
Business and Information Technology

As you may know, UOIT is governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection
of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”). In addition to providing a mechanism for requesting
records held by the university, this legislation also requires that UOIT not disclose
the personal information of its students without their consent.

FIPPA’s definition of “personal information” includes, among other things,

documents that contain both your name and your Banner ID. For example, this
could include graded test papers or assignments. To ensure that your rights to
privacy are protected, the Faculty of Business and Information Technology
encourages you to use only your Banner ID on assignments or test papers being
submitted for grading. This policy is intended to prevent the inadvertent disclosure
of your information where graded papers are returned to groups of students at the
same time. If you still wish to write both your name and your Banner ID on your
tests and assignments, please be advised that UOIT will interpret this as an implied
consent to the disclosure of your personal information in the normal course of
returning graded materials to students.

If you have any questions or concerns relating to the new policy or the issue of
implied consent addressed above, please contact the UOIT Chief Privacy Officer
at accessandprivacy@uoit.ca

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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT

13. Course Evaluations

Student evaluation of teaching is a highly valued and helpful mechanism for
monitoring the quality of UOIT’s programs and instructional effectiveness. To that
end, course evaluations are administered by an external company in an online,
anonymous process during the last few weeks of classes. Students are encouraged
to participate actively in this process and will be notified of the dates. Notifications
about course evaluations will be sent via e-mail, and posted on Blackboard, Weekly
News and signage around the campus.

14.Sexual Violence Policy

UOIT is committed to the prevention of sexual violence in all is forms. For any UOIT student
who has experienced Sexual Violence, UOIT can help. UOIT will make accommodations to
cater to the diverse backgrounds, cultures, and identities of students when dealing with
individual cases.

If you think you have been subjected to or witnessed sexual violence:

 Reach out to a Support Worker, who are specially trained individuals authorized to
receive confidential disclosures about incidents of sexual violence. Support Workers can
offer help and resolutions options which can include safety plans, accommodations,
mental health support, and more. To make an appointment with a Support Worker, call
905.721.3392 or email supportworker@uoit.ca
 Learn more about your options at: www.uoit.ca/sexualviolence

15. In the event of the illness

In the event of illness, you are suggested to:
 Please stay home so as not to spread it to others
 Contact your Academic Advisor by email or phone right away – not your
instructor.

The Academic Advisors will organize any assignment, test or lab adjustments if
needed.
You can find your academic advisor contact information at:
http://businessandit.uoit.ca/EN/main/35922/142644.html

*Also check the following website http://www.cdc.gov for further health and wellness
information.

16. Academic Planning and General Information

Please follow the link below to view our academic resources and calendar. This link
will provide you with information pertaining to Grade point average (GPA), Academic
Standing Requirements, Internship Programs, Graduation Information, etc.
http://www.uoit.ca/EN/main/11258/academic_resources.html

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 University of Ontario
Institute of Technology
Faculty of Business & IT

Other links of interest include:

http://www.businessandit.uoit.ca/undergraduate/index.php for information pertaining

to FBIT Undergraduate Programs
http://www.gradstudies.uoit.ca/ for information on Graduate Programs
http://uoit.ca/main/current-students/services/index.phpfor information on
Campus Services
http://www.businessandit.uoit.ca/about/student-clubs/index.php for information
pertaining to Student Clubs

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