Assessment Item E1– Capstone Course Exercise – CS399 or CS490
Skill being assessed: Apart from the technical software engineering aspect of their
capstone experience, does the student understand how software projects in their
particular focus area will have ethical, legal, security, and societal impacts?
Program outcome to which this skill is mapped: (e) An understanding of
professional, ethical, legal, security and social issues and responsibilities
Performance Assessment Abstract: Guideline 2.5 in the Association of Computing
Machinery's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
(http://www.acm.org/about/code-of-ethics) states that computer professionals
have a responsibility to:
Give comprehensive and thorough evaluations of computer systems
and their impacts, including analysis of possible risks.
Computer professionals must strive to be perceptive, thorough, and
objective when evaluating, recommending, and presenting system
descriptions and alternatives. Computer professionals are in a position
of special trust, and therefore have a special responsibility to provide
objective, credible evaluations to employers, clients, users, and the
public. …
Any signs of danger from systems must be reported to those who have
opportunity and/or responsibility to resolve them.
In your capstone experience you have been working on a large software project in
some particular area of special interest to you. You have thus taken some steps to
become “professional” in that particular area. Answer the following four questions
in clearly labeled sections of your essay:
1. What is a “sign of danger” in the sense referred to above that you feel
professionals working in this area need to be particularly watchful for?
2. Provide an example of how such a “sign of danger” in a software system in
this area could be spotted by a professional when it might not be apparent to
normal users of the system.
3. What are the possible implications for users of this software if the sign of
danger is ignored? Include relevant details from similar situations that have
actually occurred in past software development efforts in your project's area.
4. If you spotted this sign of danger, as a professional what would be your
recommendation on the course of action that should be taken to correct it?
Rubric for Evaluation
Criteria
Identification of a
specific sign of
danger that could
arise in a software
system in the
area of
application where
they have worked
in their capstone
experience
Example
indicating what a
professional in
this area would
look for to spot
such a sign of
danger
Description of
potential
implications for
normal users if
the sign of danger
is ignored.
Exemplary
The sign of
danger is clearly
identified, along
with a lucid
description of its
relationship to
the area of
application in
which the
student has
worked during
the capstone
experience.
An in-depth
description of
technical details
that would
underlie such a
sign of danger is
provided by the
student, showing
a solid
understanding of
the software
design issues that
could lead to the
emergence of this
sign of danger.
The description
of the
implications for
normal users
includes explicit
details from
similar situations
that have actually
occurred in past
software
development
efforts in the
same area.
Satisfactory
The sign of
danger is clearly
identified,
although the
description of its
relationship to
software systems
in the student's
area of
application
expertise is
somewhat vague.
Marginal
The sign of danger
is identified in
only broad terms,
with little
description of
how this danger
relates to the
student's
particular area of
expertise.
Deficient
The student is not
able to identify a
sign of danger that
could arise in
software systems
in this particular
area.
A general
description of
technical details
that would
underlie such a
sign of danger is
provided by the
student, showing
that they are able
to differentiate
what a computer
professional
would look for
that a normal use
might miss.
The description
of the
implications for
normal users is
accurate but the
student does not
provide specific
examples from
past software
development
efforts in which
users have been
negatively
affected.
The student
provides a very
shallow
description of
what should be
looked for to spot
such a sign of
danger, thereby
not separating
their perspective
on the problem
from that of a
normal user.
The student is
unable to
accurately
describe any
circumstances
that might help
them spot this
sign of danger in
the software
system.
The description of
the implications
for normal users
is given in vague
terms that avoid
specifics. For
example, the
student indicates
merely that the
user's “privacy
could be
compromised”
without providing
any details of the
form that
compromise
would take.
The student is
unable to
accurately
describe any
implications for
normal users.
Recommendation
on course of
action to follow to
correct the sign of
danger
The course of
action includes
details based on
sound software
design principles.
The student
explains the
relevance of
these principles
to the situation.
Writing Style
Written in an
extremely clear
and professional
style with no
spelling or
grammatical
errors.
The course of
action
recommended by
the student is
likely to correct
the problem, but
the student does
not provide a
clear explanation
of the
relationship of
this course of
action to broader
software design
principles that
apply in such
situations.
Written in a clear
style with a few
grammatical
errors that could
be easily
corrected
without
necessitating an
entire re-write.
The course of
action
recommended by
the student is in
very general
terms correct but
so vague that a
software
developer
attempting to
carry out the
course of action
would likely not
know how to
proceed.
The student is
unable to provide
a sensible course
of action to follow
in attempting to
correct the
problem.
Written with
numerous
grammatical
errors,
necessitating that
significant
portions of the
essay be rewritten to convey
the intended
meaning.
Written with so
many grammatical
errors that the
essay must be
completely rewritten to
accurately convey
what the student
is trying to say.