This year’s capstone course will run May - June, 2025 (~8 weeks).
The approximate timeline is below, followed by additional detail on each event.
| Event | Deadline/Period |
|---|---|
| Call for Capstone proposals opens | September 1, 2024 |
| Suggested initial submission of proposal | October 15, 2024 |
| Proposal deadline | December 30, 2024 |
| Partners submit video presentations | January 19, 2025 |
| Virtual Capstone Fair | Early February, 2025 |
| Students rate proposals | Early February, 2025 |
| Selection of proposals | Mid-February, 2025 |
| Partners demonstrate/declare readiness of data | End February, 2025 |
| Partners submit signed legal documents | End February, 2025 |
| Students are assigned to projects | March 31, 2025 |
| Kickoff meetings | April, 2025 |
| Capstone project development | May 1 - June 24, 2025 |
| Student presentations | June 24, 2025 |
Proposal revision process
Members of an organization interested in participating as a capstone partner should submit a project proposal.
Members of the MDS Okanagan (MDSO) leadership team will review the proposal, and work with the potential partner to establish a finalized proposal. Potential partners should feel free to ask us for our opinion on any aspect of this step ahead of time, such as whether the main idea of the proposal is appropriate.
We recommend the first submission of the proposal to be well before the November 30th deadline, so that we can offer suggestions in case it needs revision.
Partners submit video presentations
Capstone partners should submit video presentations (~5 minutes) to provide information additional to the proposals. We are not expecting production-quality videos and we do not want you to spend too much time on this. The main purpose here is to help our students better understand your project(s) before attending the capstone fair so that they are ready to ask you meaningful questions.
Virtual Capstone fair
The virtual Capstone Fair is an opportunity for Capstone partners to meet with the students and answer any questions they may have.
Students rate proposals
A list of finalized proposals will be reviewed by the students. The students will then rate their interest in the proposals.
Selection of proposals
The MDSO leadership team will select proposals based primarily on student interest and will invite the successful organizations to be a capstone partner.
Partners provide data
Before a project is accepted, the partner must provide MDSO with a demonstration or written (email) declaration that the data has already been collected and prepared, and exists in its entirety (in the form specified in the proposal), and is ready to be shared with the students.
Partners submit signed legal documents
Partners may view our NDA and IP agreements here. There may be no edits to any of the capstone documents. These documents are provided to give the partner clarity on how they are interacting with a student group. This is not a paid consulting situation and may not be treated as a product development contract.
Students are assigned to projects
Based on student interest, the MDS leadership team assigns student groups to the projects. In the unlikely scenario that there is insufficient interest in a project, no student group will be assigned to that project.
Kickoff meetings
The students will arrange a date and time with their capstone partner to have an initial meeting to discuss the project.
Capstone proposals
Students propose the data product and approach.
- The student team works with each other, colleagues, and teaching fellows to develop an approach.
- Students present the proposal at UBCO to solicit ideas and feedback.
- Students write the proposal. This will be passed to the capstone partner to check that the proposed product is indeed in line with the capstone partner’s needs.
Capstone project development
Students develop the data product. This involves:
- Regular meetings with the teaching fellow mentor.
- Regular meetings with the capstone partner.
Project presentations
The capstone presentations will be held on June 25, 2024 (Time: TBA). These presentations are open to the capstone partners and entire UBC community.