Assessment and Grading
This course requires you to work independently to achieve your goals. Your overall course grade will consist of:
- Daily Standup Updates & Team Meeting Attendance: 20%
- Technical Mentor Evaluation: 40%
- Final Project Report: 40%
We provide the details about how each of the above items will be assessed here, though you should also carefully review the corresponding materials in Weeks 1 (Daily Standups) and 10 (Mentor Evaluation and Final Report) of the course for the full details.
Assessments
Daily Standup Updates & Team Meetings
Standups
Daily standups are a critical component, reflecting a practice widely adopted in the tech industry to promote team alignment and facilitate efficient problem-solving. Conducted asynchronously via a Slack bot, these standups require students to provide updates on their well-being, accomplishments since the last update, objectives for the current day, and any obstacles they might be facing. The expectation is for students to engage consistently and promptly, offering clear, honest, and concise updates, while being open to feedback and collaboration with mentors and teammates.
Please carefully review the detailed lesson in Week 1 on Daily Standups.
Team Meetings
Weekly meetings with your team mentor are a valuable component of Industry Experience. These sessions, lasting between 30 to 60 minutes, will focus on project updates, challenges, feedback, and goal setting. To make the most of these meetings, you should prepare by reviewing your past week's work, identifying specific topics or questions, and setting goals for the upcoming week. Active participation, note-taking, and engaging with your mentor's advice are key during the meeting. Afterward, act on feedback and reflect on how to incorporate this into your work.
Please carefully review the detailed lesson in Week 1 on Team Meetings with Mentor.
Technical Mentor Evaluation
As you begin your Industry Experience, it’s crucial to understand how your performance will be evaluated by your Technical Mentor, as this evaluation constitutes 40% of your final grade. Over the 10-week course, you're expected to contribute 30 hours of work per week to an open-source software project, working collaboratively and making meaningful contributions. Your mentor will assess your performance across several categories, which collectively paint a picture of your readiness for future roles in the industry.
Your mentor will evaluate you based on your technical skills, the quantity and quality of your code contributions, your initiative in taking on tasks and learning new skills, your communication effectiveness (especially in a remote work setting), and your professionalism, including attendance, promptness, and dependability. These aspects are critically analyzed with a rating scale ranging from New Grad Hire Level, indicating exceptional performance, to Below Intern Level, signaling that performance does not meet the basic expectations of an intern. It’s important for you to actively seek out responsibilities, deliver high-quality work, and maintain professional standards. Your ability to exceed in these areas can lead to a recommendation for future internships or full-time positions. Understanding these expectations early on will help guide your efforts and focus throughout the internship, ensuring you maximize this opportunity for growth and professional development.
Please carefully review the detailed information in Week 10 on the Mentor Evaluation.
Final Project
Completing a thorough final report is essential, accounting for 40% of your final grade. This report, which should be styled as a blog post, is your opportunity to reflect deeply on your 10-week journey, emphasizing not only the technical contributions you made to an open-source project but also your personal growth, challenges faced, and learnings. It’s crucial to begin working on this report early, as late submissions are not accepted.
Your report should include detailed technical descriptions of the project and issues you tackled, emphasizing the specific contributions and achievements you're most proud of. Reflect on the challenges encountered, discussing how they were overcome and what was learned in the process. Additionally, consider how the experience has expanded your technical skills and software knowledge, including any new programming concepts or tools you've engaged with.
The writing should be clear, concise, and focused on your personal journey. Remember, this report is an individual assignment meant to capture your thoughts and experience.
Please carefully review the detailed information in Week 10 on writing the Final Report.
Late Policy
In the Industry Experience Course, punctuality for daily standups and the final report submission is mandatory, reflecting professional reliability. Non-attendance to team meetings or an inability to adhere to your commitments will negatively impact the your grade. The technical mentor will evaluate students on their promptness in meetings and task completion, influencing the overall course assessment. Clear communication and commitment management are essential for success in this professional setting.