[three_fourth]Introduction
Third year Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems and Bachelor of Business Information Systems undergraduate IT students at Monash undertake a capstone project with industry partners, generally over two units (one per semester) The Industry Experience program has been running since the 1970s, and has been significantly refined over the years in response to changing industry needs as well as to enhance student learning experiences and outcomes. Projects are designed to prepare students for a smooth transition to the workforce as well as supporting the application and extension of skills and knowledge learned throughout their degree. All projects are team-based and students are expected to work in a professional manner. Many of the products are web-based, although they may also be software (app) focused. The projects are complex both in process and output. Web-based projects generally require administration and management functions to support the client business goals.

Delivery format
The program is run in a studio environment, with weekly three-hour studio mentoring sessions and one-hour seminars. Early seminars are designed to revise key ideas from past units and highlight new topics, while later seminars are given by industry speakers discussing current industry practice and career preparation. Projects are sourced and assessed prior to the start of semester. In the first week, staff collect information from students on their existing skills and knowledge, work style preferences and approaches, and demographic information (e.g. gender, cultural background, home location). Staff use this information to form teams with a clear mix of styles, skills and backgrounds, as well as to ensure that students can feasibly meet outside of class time.

The program is structured to encourage frequent interaction with clients, regular delivery of incremental versions of the systems, and engagement by students in all aspects of IT systems development where feasible. Individual team meetings are held during the studio sessions to review progress and manage issues, and students reflect on their practice every fortnight for feedback. In addition, the studio session give students the opportunity to share knowledge and support each other. A number of major events are held each year, the first being a ‘Meet & Greet’ where clients meet their teams for the first time, followed by a mini Expo mid-program for teams to share their systems with each other as part of the peer learning experience. This process also encourages improvements in performance as students assess the progress of other teams. At the end of the program, students take part in a final Expo, where all teams display their systems to clients, faculty students and staff, prospective clients and industry partners.

Feedback and assessment
For each deliverable, students are provided with a specification, guidelines, samples, marking guides and rubrics. Additional resources are provided as needed. Every three weeks, students are expected to deliver a version of their project for peer and teacher feedback. Summative assessment is structured as 75% for the range of project deliverables (products, work in progress versions, reports and presentations) and 25% for reflective diaries and peer assessment. The project deliverables also have a client assessment component. In order to recognize the contributions of individuals, the final project grade is moderated by an overall assessment of contribution – supported by evidence from detailed records of weekly meetings, individual interviews and timesheets.

Resourcing
The program is advertised on the university website and there are also some long-standing relationships with local councils and the not-for-profit sector which have provided projects for some years. Nonetheless, a significant amount of preparatory work is done to source and assess projects to ensure that they are consistent in scale and complexity, and clients understand the commitment. Staff run information sessions for industry clients to introduce the program and to ensure that they have a clear idea of the benefits and limitations of student-run projects within the academic calendar. Clients are also provided with a contract, which formalises the agreement and expectations between the university and external partners.

The program is delivered at several campuses. In each case, workload is allocated as it would be for a normal unit, although staff who mentor two studios are allocated 1.5 of the normal workload. Staff take on additional roles, such as industry liaison, or coordination of units and the program. Currently, the industry liaison role is covered as part of broader industry liaison activities by the Director, Industry and Community Engagement. Getting the right mix of staff is essential to the success of the IE program. All staff allocated to the IE program units need to be strongly committed to teaching and mentoring. Together, the team needs to have reasonable expertise across the range of skills that the students will need to develop their applications, so that help is at hand if required. The studio rooms are built to facilitate teamwork and mentoring. Each studio room can accommodate 5 teams and has 5 work hubs with 4-5 chairs, access to computers, a whiteboard and AV equipment. A large table in the centre of the room is used to bring all the students together to share ideas. Students are also provided with a social space dedicated to the Industry Experience program – important to ensure that they have a physical space for meeting and working both formally and informally.

Outcomes
Within the degrees courses offered by the Faculty of IT, the core units focus on developing a strong foundation in the early years, while the specialist units focus on developing skills and knowledge with currency in the workplace. These units often have practical components using case studies derived from real world applications, however, students struggle to see the big picture and where each piece of the puzzle fits. The IE capstone project facilitates not only an understanding of what IT skill/knowledge to apply in a given context, but helps students develop and enhance their professional skills. In the early months, students can feel overwhelmed by the programming environment, but over time students find that they develop a strong sense of self-confidence and pride in their work.

The majority of the client organisations use the projects developed by students after their involvement with Monash has ended. The systems developed are changing the way the client organisations operate, often leading to improved productivity and profitability. Students in the program are gaining experience, not just in developing a system in a team that works in a technical sense, but in making sure the systems they develop are useful, usable and have a positive impact on the client organisation. In addition, students have the opportunity to gain Monash graduate attributes of effective teamwork and communication, cross-cultural competence, demonstrating ethical values, creative, critical and innovative thinking, and the capacity to face challenges with self-confidence that will be significant professional competencies in their careers.

More information
http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/FIT3047.html
http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/future/courses/get-experience/industry-experience/

[/three_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]

Key characteristics
Final year undergraduate, team-based practical projects for industry clients, two units over two semesters (1/4 FTE), Team and individual assessment, peer and self-assessment, studio learning
Student numbers: 80-120, multiple campuses

Author/contact
Chris Gonsalvez, Director Industry and Community Engagement [email_link email=”chris.gonsalvez@monash.edu”]Email Chris[/email_link]

[/one_fourth_last]