I've had good experiences with FOSS in capstone projects in a variety of
forms.
Here is a brief list of 4 models & some recent examples.
- integrate existing FOSS projects
- added speech synthesis to instant messaging client
- tried to integrate a content mgmt system with an ERP (business) system
- enhance a small FOSS project
- 2 students worked on a library subject guide,
in collaboration with library staff
- enhance or contribute a module to a large/complex FOSS project
- developed new modules for Moodle
- enhanced voting API in Drupal
- proposed & designed enhancements to the Drupals Views system
- use FOSS to solve a problem (usually for a real customer)
- designed & prototyped tutor management system using Drupal
In my experience, the challenge is getting the students started on the
projects,
and in the FOSS communities. I'm happy to discuss more if anyone is
interested.
I hadn't heard of UCOSP before either, but it looks intriguing...
Clif
---
Clif Kussmaul c...@kussmaul.org 484-893-0255 EDT=GMT-5:00
-----Original Message-----
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2010 09:42:50 -0500
From: Matthew Jadud <mja...@allegheny.edu>
Subject: [TOS] Senior capstone/exercise in FOSS question
To: tos@teachingopensource.org
Hi all,
I know a number of you have models at your institutions for this,
so I think what I'm asking for are URL pointers.
We have a required senior exercise at Allegheny.
http://sites.allegheny.edu/academics/senior-project/
Next term I'll have a 2-week module in our Junior Seminar within the
Comp Sci department, and I'd like to put forward a model for the
students that they might use to spend a year focusing on participating
in open source project. (My thought was to have them do an exercise
and some writing involving research into one or more communities that
they might contribute to. This conversation/series of exercises would
probably consume one of the two weeks. Greg's homework assignment re:
researching communities and openhatch.org will probably frame the
exercise that I give them.)
Currently, many of the students have a very positivist/Popperian model
of inquiry because of snippets of projects they typically see earlier
in the curriculum -- and as a result, they have a poor foundation for
collaboration-centric work. A reasonably well-defined model for FOSS
contribution in the senior year as a senior project seems like a nice
way for some students to dig into "something different" than what
they've seen before.
As an FYI, the senior project is only one course equivalent over the
span of the year -- that is, 1 CR in the fall and 3 CR in the spring.
I'll put my notes re: this up on the TOS wiki when we're done with
this thread. I assume there's some things going on at Seneca, Drexel,
and/or Western Conn that would fit this model? Any others? (I could do
all of the Googling myself, but I thought I'd start by asking instead,
because there might be things not found on the web that are important
to mention before I proceed with this course of action.)
Cheers,
Matt
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:57:11 -0500
From: Mel Chua <m...@redhat.com>
Subject: Re: [TOS] Senior capstone/exercise in FOSS question
To: Matthew Jadud <mja...@allegheny.edu>
Cc: tos@teachingopensource.org
Message-ID: <4d0150b7.6070...@redhat.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> Next term I'll have a 2-week module in our Junior Seminar within the
> Comp Sci department, and I'd like to put forward a model for the
> students that they might use to spend a year focusing on participating
> in open source project. (My thought was to have them do an exercise
> and some writing involving research into one or more communities that
> they might contribute to. This conversation/series of exercises would
> probably consume one of the two weeks. Greg's homework assignment re:
> researching communities and openhatch.org will probably frame the
> exercise that I give them.)
I'd ping the UCOSP folks - http://ucosp.ca/contact-us/ - and see if they
could add a US-based school, which I think was under discussion the last
time I talked with Andrew (OSCON, I'm pretty sure).
Copying the program admin, Andrew Louis, on this email - Andrew, I think
you're already on the TOS list, but thought I'd make sure. :)
--Mel
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