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Self-Selected Course Project - Proposal

Proposal Due: Nov 1 (submitted via D2L)
Proposal Presentations and Feedback: In Lecture on T Nov 2 and R Nov 4 Points: 10

Project Proposal Requirements

The purpose of a proposal is to define a solution/plan for solving a problem, developing a new product, undertaking a project, etc. In the context of ECE 372, your proposal should define a project that will entail building a device. The following provides a detailed discussion of the proposal format and highlights specific elements related to the course that you must provide within your proposal. If you have questions as to the feasibility of the proposed project or concerns regarding whether or not the proposed project is achievable with the available time, please see the instructor.

Proposal Format

Abstract:

  1. Provides a short summary of the proposed work

Introduction/Problem Statement:

  1. Provides the context for the problem being addressed within the proposal and describe the proposed solutions.
  2. The proposed solution description should be fairly high-level and provide an overview of the solution. Technical details regarding how you plan to solve the problem will be addressed in a latter section.
  3. In the context of ECE 372, the problem statement can be related to developing a product or device and the problem statement should server to define how that device will be used and why it is useful.

Objectives and Goals (Proposed Solution):

  1. Provides a discussion of the goals and objective of the proposed solution.
  2. Defines specific goals that one plans to accomplish within the proposed work.
  3. In the context of ECE 372, the goals and objectives should define what you want your proposed device to do.

Previous Work:

  1. Provides a summary of existing work or related products in the context of the problem statement. This section serves to provide additional context in regards to the proposed solutions in terms of how the proposed solution is different from existing solutions. It answers the question: How is the proposed solution better?
  2. Previous work can section also includes preliminary results related to proposed work and helps to demonstrate the authors have done some initial work and understand the problem well. It also serves to help demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed solution.

Technical Details:

  1. Provides details as to how the authors plan to accomplished the propose solutions or develop the proposed project/product.
  2. This section serves the main purpose of providing enough detail to clearly demonstrate that the proposed solution if technically feasible. However, this does not mean that a complete solution should be provided, but rather provide a clear and convincing plan as to how the proposed solution can be achieved.
  3. In the context of ECE 372, the technical details section should:
    1. Describes how you intend to implement your project
    2. Provide a block diagram, flowchart, and/or description of the basic operation of your circuit
    3. Specific what additional components will be needed to implement your project

Budget:

  1. Defines the costs associated with performing the work outlines within the proposal, providing a complete breakdown of the required funding.
  2. Specifies what you need to perform the proposed work and generally helps to justify whether or not the proposed solution is cost effective.
  3. In the context of ECE 372, your budget should include a list of components needed to implement your project and estimated costs of those components.
    1. Your budget is limited to $25 per team member.
    2. Specific part numbers and vendors are required for your proposal

Work Plan (Timeline, Deliverables, and Responsibilities):

  1. The proposal work plan provides details regarding how and when you will accomplish the propped work and should demonstrate that your proposed work can be accomplished will the available time.
  2. Timeline:
    1. Provides a timeline of specific tasks/events/milestones that will be accomplished as the proposed work is carried out.
    2. In the context of ECE 372, you must provide a weekly timeline detailing how you plan to complete your project. This will help to ensure you are able to complete your project within the available time.
  3. Deliverables:
    1. Specifies what items will be available when the proposed work is completed. The deliverables of the proposed research varies depending on the problem being solved or product being developed. For examples, deliverables could be a product prototype, final product design, or an algorithm for solving a problem.
    2. In the context of ECE 372, you must define your deliverables for the three dates listed in the schedule. These three dates serve as checkpoints to ensure you are making the required progress to complete your design. You should also define a final deliverable which will be your final correctly functioning implementation.
  4. Responsibilities:
    1. When multiple parties are involved in accomplishing the proposed work, a proposal should define who will be responsible for completing the tasks outlined within the proposal.
    2. In the context of ECE 372, you must provide a breakdown of the responsibilities of your team members. As such, you need to provide an early distribution of work amongst your team members. While this may deviate as your team works on the project, it helps to ensure each member of the team is contributing equally.

Suggested Length:

There is no strict requirement on the number of pages required for your proposal. However, given the content that needs to be included, it is estimate that it will take 3-5 pages, including all tables, timelines, and figures. If you have any specific questions regarding the content, please see the instructor.

Project Proposal Presentation Requirements

Each group will be required to give a 5 minute presentation on their proposed project idea in lecture on either Tuesday, Nov 2 or Thursday, Nov 4. Specific guidelines are as follows:

  1. Each group must schedule in advance the day they would like to present their project. All scheduling request should be sent to the instructor.
  2. A PowerPoint (or PDF) presentation must be submitted to the instructor one day in advance of the scheduled presentation. This presentation should be no longer than 4 slides.
  3. On the day of the scheduled lecture, each group will have 5 minutes to present their proposed project, followed by a five minute period for questions and answers from fellow students.
  4. All students will also be assigned to provide feedback for one group on each day of the proposal presentations. This feedback will be part of your grade, but will be made anonymous before returning the feedback to the group members. Note: You must be in attendance to receive credit.