Project Proposal
Due: Week 12, Thursday 4/9 at 11:59 PM
Weight: 2% of course grade
Length: 1–2 pages
Format: Submit as PDF or markdown on Moodle (linked to Gradescope)
What to Include
Your proposal should cover four things:
1. Project Concept
Describe the pattern or design you want to create. What does it look like? What’s the inspiration? You don’t need to have everything figured out, but you should have a clear enough idea that you can start planning around it.
2. Technical Approach
Explain how you plan to generate the pattern with code. What Python concepts will you use? Any data structures, functions, loops, conditionals? You don’t need to write any code yet, but sketch out your thinking. For example: “I’ll represent each row as a list of color values, and write a function that generates a stripe pattern based on a given width and color list.”
3. Target and Timeline
Break down your work into weekly milestones from Week 12 through finals. What do you plan to have done each week? A rough plan is fine — the point is to show you’ve thought about pacing. Use the key deadlines below as anchors:
| Week | Date | Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | 4/9 | Proposal |
| 13 | (your target here) | |
| 14 | (your target here) | |
| 15 | 4/28 | Check-in Presentation |
| 4/30 | Fabrication session | |
| 16 | (your target here) | |
| 17 | 5/15 | Final submission |
4. Check-in Preview
What do you expect to have ready by your check-in presentation? This could be a working prototype, early sketches or mockups, a partially functioning program, or a clear plan with examples. You don’t need polished code by then, but you should have something to show and talk about.
Grading
Satisfactory (2%): Proposal clearly describes the concept, identifies Python concepts to be used, includes a plausible week-by-week plan, and describes check-in goals. Scope is appropriate for CS1.
Not Yet (1%): Scope is unclear, plan is missing or unrealistic, or technical approach isn’t described. You’ll be asked to revise within one week.
Unassessable (0%): Minimal effort, missing key sections, or not submitted on time.
Tips
- You don’t need a perfect idea! A well-scoped simple idea is better than an ambitious vague one.
- If you’re unsure whether your scope is right, come to office hours before the deadline.
- Minor changes after the proposal are fine. Major pivots should be discussed with the instructor as early as possible.