Syllabus
About Capstone
About this Capstone Course
Accessibility is quickly emerging as a leading consideration for product design and engineering. Disability is part of the human condition – almost everyone will be temporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life. In this class, you will learn through project-based design. Working with design mentors and clients, we will use human centered methods to explore how computing can enable new solutions to accessibility.
This course specifically emphasizes intersectionality. In the words of Kimberle Crenshaw, who first coined the term:
Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LBGTQ problem here. Many times that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things.
What are the Prerequisites and Expectations?
- We are expecting there to be a significant implementation component. Students who have built a significant full stack system will be best suited to this aspect of this class – i.e. a website that goes beyond simple static information; a mobile app, or something similar. The CSE course that best meets this requirement is CSE 340.
- We are expecting there to be good programming skills. Something like 331 (software concepts and tools) would be the ideal prerequisite for this
- Familiarity with human centered design is helpful but not required. The two classes that best meet this prerequisite are 440 or 493e (the accessibility course). We will be going over methods for user engagement in the class and revisiting material around accessibility audits and disability design principles.
In addition to these expectations, please note that the class will have a strong emphasis on inclusive design – we will be covering intersectionality, and all of the projects will engage in some way with multilingualism, multiculturalism, or other identities in addition to disability.
ABET Accreditation
Because this is an ABET-accredited Capstone course, we are expected to teach you how to meet standards topical to the course. In this course, we are using a mix of technology standards (drawn from the IEEE standards database) and other standards. The standards we will use in this course are selected for feasibility and relevance to the materials and include:
- Design Justice list of principles
- Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, specifically VPAT 2.5
- IEEE Standard for Information Technology–Systems Design–Software Design Descriptions
Course Structure
This course is organized around a quarter-long capstone project working with real clients who have disabilities. You will:
- Form teams of 3-4 students
- Work with a design mentor throughout the quarter
- Engage with clients to understand their needs
- Design, prototype, and implement an accessible solution
- Present your work at a final poster session
The course emphasizes iterative design, inclusive research methods, and justice-centered approaches to accessibility.
Course arc
Course Logistics
Course Communication
We’re using Ed Discussion for class Q&A. This is the best place to ask questions about the course, whether curricular or administrative. You will get faster answers here from staff and peers. If you must send an email, please use the course staff email list (which reaches all instructors and TAs).
In Person, Remote and Recorded
This is an in person class. As much as possible, we ask that you attend in person. That said, we know that many individual concerns may make this a barrier. We will do our best to support remote participation when there is a need for this due to a family obligation, disability, or other concern.
Occasional Remote Participation
Occasional remote participation is permitted if there is a safety concern (e.g. you might get others in the class sick) or access concern (e.g. you have fatigue). When you are remote, unless you are unwell, you will still participate synchronously. To participate synchronously, you need to do the following:
- Make sure one of your project group members is available to be your “zoom buddy” (they should log into zoom and be in class in person)
- Attend via zoom and participate in discussions with the help of your zoom buddy
- Report your reason for being remote and who your zoom buddy was, and how you participated, in your weekly survey
Missing Class
We understand that sometimes you will miss a class. Examples of reasons include religious holidays that overlap class times, or major illness. In these cases, please reach out to the instructors. To help:
- Course content will be posted as a set of readings/videos that can be watched asynchronously. Recordings of the live class will be posted online
- Office Hours: We will host remote office hours on request. Please contact the course staff if none of the times/locations work for you.
Course Structure
Monday & Wednesday
Lectures covering design methods, accessibility concepts, and relevant standards
Thursday Section
Work time with your team and peer critique sessions
Friday Studio
Dedicated time to work with your design mentor on your project
Materials
All course materials including slides, readings, and assignment descriptions will be posted on the course website. There is no required textbook.
Learning and Grading
Competency Based Grading
This course uses competency based grading in alignment with the disability justice focus in this course. Competency based grading is designed to reward growth and final understanding, rather than penalizing you if you initially have trouble with a skill or topic.
There will not be quizzes, or a midterm or final exam. Instead, your knowledge will be assessed through demonstrated competencies aligned with ABET requirements.
What is Competency Based Grading?
Competency based grading separates out how you learn a skill from whether you know it. Many of these competencies are assessed repeatedly. We don’t care if you get them wrong at first, as long as you eventually learn them. If you learn them all, and participate fully in the class, you will get an A.
Competencies
This course has the following competencies, each aligned with specific ABET requirements:
- Accessible Implementation - Apply WCAG 2.1 AA standards in your prototypes
- Inclusive Person Centered Design - Base design decisions on first person perspectives
- Accessible Communication - Create accessible documents, presentations, and posters
- Design/Disability Justice - Enact positive disability principles in your design
- Inclusive Experiments - Consider accessibility, ethics, and power dynamics in research
Two additional competencies are assessed through participation:
- Teamwork - Function effectively on a team, provide leadership, create collaborative environments
- Continuous Learning - Acquire and apply new knowledge using appropriate learning strategies
Grading Scale
Your final grade is calculated based on your competency levels:
- 4.0 (A): Excellent on all competencies; Full participation
- 3.7 (A-): Excellent on most competencies, competent on others; Full participation
- 3.3 (B+): Competent on all competencies; Full participation
- 3.0 (B): Competent on most competencies; Good participation
- 2.7 (B-): Competent on some competencies; Good participation
- Below 2.0: Not meeting minimum competency requirements
Assessment Levels
Each competency is assessed on three levels:
- Excellent: Demonstrates mastery and depth of understanding
- Competent: Demonstrates solid understanding and application
- Not Yet Competent: Does not yet demonstrate understanding; needs revision
You can revise work to improve your competency level throughout the quarter.
Participation, Effort and Teamwork (30% of grade)
This includes:
- Attending class and participating in discussions
- Being prepared for class (completing readings, etc.)
- Contributing to your team
- Completing weekly surveys
- Engaging respectfully with clients and peers
- Meeting deadlines
Individual vs. Group Assignments
Some assignments are individual (Project Prep, Accessibility Audit, AEIOU Reflection) and some are group assignments (all major project deliverables). For group assignments, you will submit a contribution statement describing each team member’s role and percentage contribution.
Attendance and Deadlines
Attendance
Regular attendance is essential for success in this course, particularly because of the team-based nature of the capstone project.
Expected Attendance
You are expected to attend:
- Monday/Wednesday lectures (may occasionally be remote with notice)
- Thursday section meetings
- Friday studio sessions with your mentor
- Client meetings (scheduled with your team)
Excused Absences
We understand that life happens. Excused absences include:
- Illness (please stay home if you’re sick!)
- Religious holidays
- University-approved absences (sports, conferences, etc.)
- Family emergencies
- Disability-related accommodations
Please notify the course staff and your team as soon as possible if you need to miss class.
Remote Participation
See the Course Logistics page for information about remote participation options.
Deadlines and Late Work
Assignment Deadlines
All assignments are due at 11:59 PM Pacific Time on the specified due date unless otherwise noted. Assignment dates are listed on the course schedule.
Late Policy
Because this is a team-based course with many interconnected deadlines:
- Individual assignments: You may request a 48-hour extension by emailing the course staff before the deadline. No questions asked for the first extension.
- Group assignments: Extensions must be requested by the entire team and require approval from your mentor
- Final deliverables: Cannot be submitted late as they are tied to the poster session and final presentations
If you are experiencing ongoing challenges that affect your ability to meet deadlines, please reach out to the course staff as soon as possible so we can work with you.
Revision Policy
Because we use competency-based grading, you can revise and resubmit work to improve your competency level. However:
- You must submit something by the original deadline
- Revisions must be submitted within one week of receiving feedback
- You can only revise work that demonstrates genuine effort
- Some assignments (e.g., in-class presentations) cannot be revised
Weekly Expectations
Plan to spend approximately 10-12 hours per week on this course, including:
- 3 hours in class (Monday/Wednesday)
- 1.5 hours in section (Thursday)
- 1.5 hours in studio (Friday)
- 4-6 hours on project work and assignments
Some weeks will require more time, especially around major deadlines.
Course Accessibility and Inclusion
- Course Accessibility and Inclusion
- Disability Accommodations
- Mental Health and Wellness
- COVID Safety
- Inclusion and Respect
Course Accessibility and Inclusion
We hope you will find the class accessible and inclusive! The class is a shared learning environment and it is important to us to make it a welcoming environment for everyone, from all backgrounds. We strive to treat everyone in the class with respect and understanding. We ask the same of you – please make every effort to ensure your assignments and communications are accessible to your teaching staff.
If you have any concerns, please feel free to give us feedback directly, or through the CSE anonymous feedback form, which allows you to provide constructive feedback and report problems anonymously. Anyone in a CSE course can provide feedback about a specific course.
Disability Accommodations
If you have a temporary health condition or permanent disability (either mental health, learning, or physical health related) that impacts your academic experience, please let us know how we can accommodate you. You are NOT obligated to disclose any of these issues with the instructor, only specify if there’s any accommodations required.
The course is designed to be flexible and accommodate various needs:
- Remote participation options
- Flexible deadlines with communication
- Multiple ways to demonstrate competency
- Accessible course materials
Please work with Disability Resources for Students (DRS) to establish accommodations. Once you have your accommodation letter, please share it with the course staff so we can ensure your needs are met.
Mental Health and Wellness
It is very important to us that you take care of your physical and mental health throughout the course. We have built flexibility into course assessments where possible, with the goal of reducing stress. However we know that sometimes that is not enough.
Everyone on the course staff is available to chat, and you can always attend office hours for a non-academic conversation if necessary. Beyond the course staff, the University of Washington provides the following resources for mental health concerns:
- UW Counseling Center - available to all UW students at no cost
- UW Health and Wellness programs
- SafeCampus at (206) 685-7233 if you’re concerned for yourself or a friend
- Resources about sexual assault on and off campus
COVID Safety
Please attend class remotely if you are sick or have potentially been exposed to COVID-19. We can accommodate remote participation - your health and the health of the class community are the priority.
If an instructor or TA gets sick, we will move in-person activities online or have someone else on the course staff fill in while we are potentially contagious.
Inclusion and Respect
What should I do if something happens that makes me feel excluded or unsafe?
If something about the course materials makes you feel excluded, please let us know. We also review them ourselves with inclusion in mind each time we prepare to teach.
We have tried to make the course inclusive of people who have work, childcare or appointments that have to be prioritized at specific times. However if we can do something to improve this further, or you have needs we haven’t thought of, please tell us.
If something has made you feel uncomfortable in any way, you have been harassed or assaulted, or you observe concerning behavior, SafeCampus is a helpful resource (206-685-7233).
Community Guidelines
- Use respectful, non-ableist language
- Listen actively and engage with diverse perspectives
- Support your teammates
- Engage constructively in critique
- Respect client time and perspectives
- Honor confidentiality when working with clients
- Give credit where credit is due
Academic Conduct
- Academic Conduct
- Collaboration Policy
- Use of AI and Generative Tools
- Client Interactions
- Attribution and Citations
- Questions?
Academic Conduct
Please familiarize yourself with the UW CSE Academic Misconduct Policy. Looking beyond policy, plagiarizing is a violation of disability justice and in direct conflict with the learning goals of this course.
We will grade on the assumption that you have read and understood it, and there will be penalties if you do not follow these policies. These will be determined on a case by case basis, but at a minimum:
- If you plagiarize you will receive a 0 on participation for that assignment
- If you plagiarize on any assignment, you will receive a non-competent on your Design/Disability Justice competency
Collaboration Policy
Individual Assignments
- Must be completed individually
- You may discuss concepts with classmates but must write your own responses
- You may seek help from course staff
- Cite any sources you use
Group Assignments
- Work should be completed collaboratively by your team
- All team members should contribute meaningfully
- Include a contribution statement with each group submission
- Work from other teams should not be shared or copied
Code and Implementation
- You may use open source libraries and frameworks (with attribution)
- You may reference documentation and tutorials (with citation)
- You may ask for help from course staff
- You may NOT copy code from other teams or previous quarters
- When using AI tools, follow the guidelines below
Use of AI and Generative Tools
We acknowledge that AI tools like ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and others are becoming part of professional practice. However, they must be used thoughtfully and ethically.
Allowed Uses
- Debugging code errors
- Getting syntax help for unfamiliar languages/frameworks
- Brainstorming ideas (not final solutions)
- Improving writing clarity (not generating content)
- Generating code scaffolding (that you understand and can explain)
Required Practices
- Always disclose AI use in your contribution statements
- Review and understand any AI-generated content
- Test and verify AI-generated code
- Ensure AI-generated content is accessible and appropriate
- Never use AI to generate client-facing materials without thorough review
Not Allowed
- Using AI to generate entire assignments or sections
- Submitting AI-generated content without understanding it
- Using AI to generate responses about client interactions or observations
- Relying on AI for accessibility audits or WCAG assessments
- Using AI-generated images without proper accessibility considerations
Remember: The goal is learning. If AI tools prevent you from learning the material, you’re using them incorrectly.
Client Interactions
When working with clients:
- Respect their time and expertise
- Honor their privacy and confidentiality
- Obtain informed consent before any research activities
- Share findings with clients when appropriate
- Give credit to client contributions
- Do not share client information outside your team without permission
Attribution and Citations
Always cite your sources:
- Use standard citation formats (APA, MLA, or IEEE)
- Include URLs for web resources
- Credit any code snippets, even small ones
- Acknowledge collaborators and helpers
- Be specific about what you used and how
Questions?
If you’re ever unsure whether something is allowed, ask! It’s always better to ask first than to deal with consequences later. The course staff is here to help you succeed while maintaining academic integrity.