Concept of Project
The second half of this course features “learning by doing” through a substantial project. The idea is to apply the methods and concepts of the first half of the semester (self-contained as course IDS.333) to a realistic practical example.
Application to practice, learning by doing, is essential to understanding and appreciating theory and method. To really learn a language, for example, you have to use it in life – doing well on grammar exams is not sufficient!
Participants define and choose their own projects. You may have the best experience when your project concerns a system of personal and professional interest. You’re encouraged to have your project complement or be part of some other activity, such as work in another course, a research project, an eventual thesis, a proposed start-up, …
Role mode, aspirational, examples of completed projects are posted to guide you on project expectations. Look at one or two.
To make sure the project provides a good learning experience, it’s necessary to set it up in advance of project phase.
If you decide that you’re not going to be ready to do a project this semester, you should drop the full-semester course. You can substitute the half-semester course of first half (Risk and Decision Analysis, IDS.333). You can also choose to engage in the project-based complementary Spring half-semester course IDS.330 (Real Options for Product and System Design).
Additional resource:
Homework Excel spreadsheet
