CSCI 482R, Interdisciplinary Capstone Instruction and CSCI 483R, Interdisciplinary Capstone are both designated as "R" (Research and Creative Experience) courses. They satisfy the required university "R" learning outcomes as follows:
The interdisciplinary capstone project is highly synthetic. It requires students to find a project where computing can be used to solve a problem that is related to their minor(s) and to carry out the project. Students need to draw upon a wide variety of computing knowledge to do this.
In order to carry out the project, students will need to identify a problem and then identify potential solutions to the problem. Students will need to pull together disparate pieces of knowledge from their Computer Science degree (such as databases, user interface design, networks and advanced data structures) as well as self-teaching themselves any missing knowledge in order to successfully complete the project with a customized solution.
Developing, carrying out and evaluating a project that relates computing to one or two minors clearly requires students to seek and synthesize from broad and diverse sources (computer science and one or two minors). Creative thinking is necessary for developing the project and critical thinking is necessary for carrying out the project and evaluating it.
Students work in teams of two to undertake the project. If the students have different minors, both minors must be relevant to the project. Students are encouraged to find useful projects from their minor departments where computing would be useful. In order to be successful, students will need to work well with each other and with others.
Because students typically work in teams of two and typically undertake a project that is solving a problem for someone else, they will constantly be aware of how their work is impacting others and this should lead to a greater sense of responsibility.
By successfully undertaking an interdisciplinary project and presenting it at a poster session, verbally, and formally through a paper, students should gain confidence in their abilities to successfully apply their computing skills to solve real-world problems.
By carrying out an interdisciplinary project, students should become more excited about Computer Science and its ability to impact diverse areas. Carrying out such a project will also point out deficiencies in a student's current knowledge, something that should pique their interest in learning more so that they can solve such problems more easily in the future.