CS 785: Course Project: Checkpoint 1
For this checkpoint, you should submit an updated version of your project proposal
document that details your work so far. Your goal at this stage is to start filling
out the structure of the document which will eventually become your final project report at the
end of the semester.
In this checkpoint, you should be sure to address the following things:
- Address any feedback you got on your proposal resubmission and your first presentation from the instructor.
- Have a mostly-complete related work section. You should have explored the relevant literature, and your project should be placed in context: what will you accomplish that prior work did not do?
- Have a mostly-complete technical design section. That is, you should have made all of the major technical decisions regarding your project. A major technical decision is one that dramatically
impacts the architecture, scope, or implementation strategy of your project. Examples of major technical decisions include
"What programming language will we analyze?",
"What analysis technique will we apply?",
"What inputs and outputs will our system have?",
"What major components will our system have?",
etc.
- Have a mostly-complete experimental plan. In particular, your report should clearly explain your criteria for success and the methods you will use to test that you have (or have not)
met those success criteria.
Your experimental plan should be detailed enough that you can (and should) create mock-up versions of your final tables and figures: e.g., you might include a table with empty cells,
or a plot using fake data that demonstrates the effect you are expecting to measure.
Be sure to re-read your entire document before submitting and make sure that you update all of your claims. It is very common for projects to evolve once you begin actually implementing them,
as you discover new information about the problem. Be sure that any changes are reflected in your document uniformly: do not claim to do one thing in the introduction and another in a later section!