Project-Based Learning Experience ITM 295R | Computer Sci & Eng | BYUI

# Project-Based Learning Experience (ITM 295R)

ITM 295R emphasizes hands-on project development and real-world application of course concepts through individual and collaborative work.

Note

The following information is ****only intended**** for students who are required to take ****ITM 295R**** (formerly known as ****CIT 295****). 
If you are majoring in ****Cybersecurity****, ****Cloud Computing****, or ****Web Design and Development****, this likely applies to you -- please continue reading. 
If ****not****, you may disregard the information below.

## Registration and Course Overview

### How to Register for ITM 295R - Portfolio Service Project

To enroll in ****ITM 295R**** (formerly ****CIT 295****), follow these steps:

1. ****Write a project proposal**** outlining your planned service experience.
2. ****Receive authorization**** from the course instructor to proceed.
3. Ensure your ****project beneficiary acknowledges**** ****compliance with applicable labor laws****, especially if your service mimics a paid role in the workforce.

### Course Overview

****ITM 295R - Portfolio Service Project**** is a ****1-credit****, ****repeatable**** course designed to help you apply your technical skills in a real-world, service-based setting. It supports the ****BYU-Idaho mission**** by encouraging students to serve others while developing professional experience.

Key course highlights:

- Engage in ****volunteer service**** that benefits others (not BYU-Idaho or positions that replace paid work).
- Put into practice skills from your 100-200 level courses.
- Develop a ****service-oriented mindset****, grow professional relationships, and build real-world awareness of your industry.

**Repeatable for up to 2 credits**

Course Navigation

Project Proposal Requirements

Course Work Requirements

Grading

Project Idea Examples

Project Proposal Examples

Final Report Examples

Project Proposal Requirements

Course Work Requirements

Grading

Project Idea Examples

Project Proposal Examples

Final Report Examples

Project Proposal Requirements

Course Work Requirements

Grading

Project Idea Examples

Project Proposal Examples

Final Report Examples

### Service Hour Requirement

You are expected to complete a minimum of 39 hours of IT-related volunteer service during the semester in which you are registered for ITM 295R. This typically means 3 or more hours per week over the course of the semester. Your service should be consistent, meaningful, and actively maintained throughout the term.

### Find Your Own IT-Focused Service Opportunity

This course is designed to help you build the habit of seeking opportunities to apply what you're learning to bless others.

You are responsible for identifying a project. Your service must:

- Be with a real beneficiary (a person or organization in need)
- Draw on your knowledge, skills, and talents in a meaningful way
- Be inspired and intentional -- you are encouraged to pray for guidance
- Be with an external organization or individual -- not BYU-Idaho or its students

### Align With Your Degree Program

Your volunteer service must be directly related to one of the disciplines of your degree program (web design and development, cybersecurity, cloud computing, networking, database administration, programming, system administration, systems analysis and design, project management, etc).

The volunteer service may be with ****any**** public, government, for profit or non-profit organization, or individual with needs, ****with the exception**** of BYU-Idaho or BYU-Idaho students.

### No Compensation & Labor Compliance

Ask your project sponsor to confirm the volunteer nature of your service along with their compliance with applicable laws using the provided ITM 295R Attestation for No Compensation form or writing their own letter to that effect and send it to itm295@byui.edu.

If you choose to find a project sponsor in your home country or outside of the US, you may volunteer for any type of organization, including non-government and for-profit organizations as long as the nature of your service follows any legal guidelines or frameworks in that country.

### Project Proposal

Using the ITM 295R Project Proposal Template document, where is this template, submit your proposal to itm295@byui.edu prior to the beginning of the semester in which you plan to take the course. Upon approval, you will receive an authorization to register for the course.

Consider yourself an IT professional and imagine you will be billing the client for the work you will do. The first task you have is to meet with your client, understand their needs, and create a contract that outlines what you will do, how long it will take, and deliverables.

****Examples of projects that will NOT be approved****: 

- No specific beneficiary (e.g. upload video clips to YouTube for general consumption)
- Focuses on satisfying your own personal interest (e.g. build a testbed to fulfill your curiosity)
- Self-study for an industry certification
- You cannot be paid or receive any other form of tangible remuneration for your service
- The service you engage in must be separate from any other course work you do at BYU-Idaho (no double-counting)
- A reactive only approach (e.g. working as a security analyst only if security events are reported)
- Providing service for your current employer is a conflict of interest and is not permitted
- Working outside of your normal hours without pay does not constitute volunteer service

****Ready to Get Started?****

Begin by identifying a service opportunity that aligns with your degree program and can benefit others in your community.

Submit Your Proposal

### Keep a Weekly Journal

****Purpose:**** To track your service progress, reflect on your learning, and document your efforts throughout the semester.

Each week, using the journal section of your ****ITM 295R Project Proposal Template****, you are expected to:

- Record the number of hours you worked that week and your running total (cumulative hours).
- List the tasks or accomplishments you completed.
- Write a brief personal reflection describing your thoughts, feelings, challenges, learning experiences, and how the experience connected to what you have learned in your classes.

****Submission:**** Upload the entire ITM 295R Project Proposal Template each week to Canvas--not just the journal entry.

****Note:**** 
If you do not complete any hours during a given week (due to illness, travel, project completion, etc.), still complete your journal with a record of zero hours and an explanation. You will not be penalized as long as the entry is submitted.

### Update Your Weekly Plan and Schedule

At the end of each week, update the ****Weekly Schedule**** in your project proposal document:

- Add specific tasks you plan to complete in the upcoming week.
- Adjust the schedule to reflect any changes.

This planning helps you stay focused and manage your time effectively.

### Review a Peer's Weekly Journal

Starting in Week 2, you will be assigned a classmate's weekly journal to review.

When reviewing, you should:

- Read their journal and project description.
- Provide thoughtful, constructive feedback or ask meaningful questions.
- Avoid generic comments like "Good job" or "Keep it up."
- Acknowledge their accomplishments and offer suggestions or ideas if applicable.

****Important:**** 
If you do not submit your own journal entry on time, you will lose the opportunity to review your peer's work that week.

### Meeting with the Course Instructor

During the semester, you will have a one-on-one Zoom meeting with your course instructor.

In this meeting, you will:

- Report on your project progress.
- Discuss key highlights or challenges you have faced.
- Ask questions or share concerns about your experience.

Instructions for scheduling this meeting will be posted in Canvas.

### Hold a Project Closure Meeting

During the final weeks of the semester, schedule a closure meeting with your client, project sponsor, or supervisor to conclude the project.

****If your project included deliverables (such as a software application or website):****

- Demonstrate or deliver the final product.
- Teach the client how to use it.
- Request feedback on your work.

****If you served in a volunteer staff role (such as helpdesk or support):****

- Thank your supervisor.
- Review your accomplishments.
- Share observations or suggestions for future volunteers.

****If your service was direct to individuals (such as tutoring or tech repair):****

- Ask for feedback on your performance.
- Seek advice about career-relevant skills or certifications.

### Share Your Accomplishments with Peers

In the final weeks of the semester, you will be assigned to a small peer group (3-4 students) for a live Zoom "Show and Tell" session.

****Presentation Requirements:****

- All group members must attend the live session.
- Prepare and present a visual aid (such as slides, screenshots, photos, a demonstration, or a video).
- Share: 
 - A summary of your project
 - Your accomplishments
 - Challenges you faced and how you overcame them
 - What you learned during the experience

Detailed instructions and scheduling will be available in the Canvas course.

| Assignment | Weight | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Project Proposal | 20% | Initial project plan and research |
| Progress Reports (2) | 20% | Mid-semester project updates |
| Final Project Report | 30% | Complete project documentation |
| Final Presentation | 15% | Oral presentation of results |
| Class Participation | 10% | Engagement and peer feedback |
| Reflection Essays | 5% | Learning outcome connections |

### Grading Scale

A Range

A: 93-100% 
A-: 90-92%

B Range

B+: 87-89% 
B: 83-86% 
B-: 80-82%

C Range

C+: 77-79% 
C: 73-76% 
C-: 70-72%

D/F Range

D: 60-69% 
F: Below 60%

### Sample Project Themes

This section provides a list of example project ideas to inspire your own project. Feel free to adapt these or come up with something entirely new!

Educational Tool Development

Create an interactive web application or software tool to help students learn a specific concept (e.g., a math problem solver, a language learning game, a physics simulator).

Data Analysis & Visualization

Analyze a publicly available dataset (e.g., climate data, social media trends, economic indicators) and present your findings using compelling visualizations and a written report.

Community Service Application

Develop a mobile or web application that addresses a specific need in your local community (e.g., a volunteer matching platform, a local event calendar, a resource directory).

Sustainability Initiative

Propose and design a project focused on environmental sustainability, such as a smart energy monitoring system, a waste reduction initiative, or a community garden planning tool.

Health & Wellness Technology

Design a system or application to improve health and wellness, like a fitness tracker app, a medication reminder system, or a mental health support platform.

Robotics & Automation

Explore a project involving robotics, automation, or IoT (Internet of Things), such as a simple home automation system, a robotic arm for a specific task, or a smart sensor network.

### Brainstorming Tips

****Identify a problem:**** What real-world problem interests you? How can technology or research help solve it? 
****Leverage your interests:**** What are you passionate about? Can you connect a project to a hobby, a social cause, or another academic discipline? 
****Explore current events:**** Are there any recent advancements, challenges, or discussions that spark an idea? 
****Think about existing tools:**** Can you improve upon an existing tool or service, or combine multiple ideas in a novel way? 
****Consider your skills:**** What are you good at? What do you want to learn? Choose a project that challenges you but is also achievable within the semester. 
****Start small, then scale:**** Don't try to solve the world's biggest problem on day one. Start with a core idea and consider how it could evolve.

### Proposal Examples

The ****ITM 295 Portfolio Service Project**** engages students in meaningful service-learning opportunities where they apply the knowledge and skills gained through their program of study to bless the lives of others.

**This project is designed to support the mission of BYU-Idaho to "develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities" (University Mission Statement). It encourages students to seek inspired ways to serve while developing real-world experience in their field of study.**

Project Plan for Ambitions of Idaho

Obtain Example

Project Plan for Caring Heart Child Care Center

Obtain Example

Project Plan for Mojave River Academy

Obtain Example

Project Plan for Aspen Grove Family Camp and Conference Center

Obtain Example

### Final Report Examples

The ****ITM 295 Portfolio Service Project**** provided students with service-learning opportunities to bless others by applying the knowledge and skills gained through their ****degree program****.

**Through this experience, students contributed to their communities while fulfilling the mission of BYU-Idaho to "develop disciples of Jesus Christ who are leaders in their homes, the Church, and their communities" (University Mission Statement). This final report summarizes the project's outcomes, challenges, lessons learned, and personal growth achieved.**

Final Report for Ambitions of Idaho

Obtain Example

Final Report for Caring Heart Child Care Center

Obtain Example

Final Report for Mojave River Academy

Obtain Example

Final Report for Aspen Grove Family Camp and Conference Center

Obtain Example

## Commonly Asked Questions about ITM 295

Do you like to do nice things for people? Do like technology? Can you learn by helping others? If you answer yes to these questions, this is where you can gain college credit for it as well as practice using service opportunities to build your professional network and a portfolio of work that you can use to "show and tell" to hiring managers in job interview situations.

How about trying a way where the opportunities can find you? Several students have discovered the power of social networking and professional networking by creating and sharing a post and then engaging in conversation until the right opportunity opens up. Please note that non-profit and public service organizations (like schools and government organizations) make this whole process much simpler for everyone.

The short version is that you will need to submit two documents to the Course Instructor at godfreyko@byui.edu: 

1. Write a proposal and receive an authorization from the course instructor. (see Proposal Template)
2. Have your project beneficiary (the organization and/or person benefitting from the service) acknowledge compliance with applicable labor laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA (in the United States, beneficiaries can submit the Attestation for No Compensation).