Team Formation

The single largest contributor to your final grade in this course is the team project. You will need to work as part of a team (3 or 4 people) to design and develop a visual analytics prototype which you'll present to your classmates on our last day of class this semester.

The first step in forming your team is an individual assignment: A2, the Semester Project Proposal. A2 is an individual assignment, with each student submitting her/his own proposal. In addition, you must submit your proposal on time to receive any credit for A2. No late assignments are allowed. This is because timely submission is required for the team formation process which is described below.

Steps in Forming Teams

1. Step One: Reading.
   By 5pm on the day A2 is due, the instructor will distribute to the class a single PDF file containing a compendium of all project proposals turned in for A2. The proposals will be ungraded, but it will be clear who authored which proposal (because your name will be on the proposal that you turned in for A2). Each proposal will be assigned a unique ID number to be referenced in the next step. Your should read all of the proposals and identify the 3 proposals that you find most interesting.

2. Step Two: Voting.
   By 11am on the day after A2 is due, submit a list of 3 proposal ID numbers corresponding to the 3 proposals that you found most interesting in Step One. You should submit this list via the Sakai assignment titled "Proposal Preferences."

3. Step Three: Reviewing the Finalists.
   By 5pm on the day after A2 is due, the instructor will distribute a limited set of Project Proposal Finalists. These will be the topics from which we'll choose when forming teams. Finalists will be selected by the instructor based on both (1) popularity during voting, and (2) project appropriateness for a semester project.

4. Step Four: Making Teams.
   During the Team Formation class period, we'll spread out into small ad hoc groups to discuss the finalists and choose teams. The instructor will lead the class through a "speed dating" process during which you'll get to talk about at least 2 projects and meet with multiple students. By the end, we'll have formed our teams for the semester.

5. Step Five: Meet with Your New Team.
   To end the Team Formation class period, you'll have your first team meetings, exchange contact information, and make plans the project's next steps.