Final Project

For your final project, you will create a short (12-15 minute) video explaining a topic or concept in computer security in detail. This is an opportunity for you to explore any topic of interest to you in more detail. The topic could be a technical topic (e.g., web security) or a current event of your choice. Please feel free to ask the course staff if you have question about the appropriateness of your topic for this course.

For sample projects from a previous quarter, see here (shared with permission, CSE NetID required).


Deadlines

Late policy exception: The normal late policy applies for project checkpoints. However, for the final due date (Dec 13th), the late policy does not apply. Late final projects will not be accepted after 11:59pm on Dec 13.

Preliminary due date #1: Nov 12th.
This component is worth 5% of your overall Final Project grade.
Upload to the Canvas a PDF file that contains (1) your group members’ names and UWNetIDs and (2) a brief description of the topic of your presentation.

Preliminary due date #2: Nov 26th.
This component is worth 10% of your overall Final Project grade.
Upload to the Canvas a PDF file that contains (1) your group members’ names and UWNetIDs and (2) an outline of your presentation and (3) a list of references that you have already used when researching your topic. The outline does not need to be super-detailed -- a single page or half page would be sufficient, as long as you can convey to us that you have a plan for your presentation.

Final due date: Dec 13th. (This is the of the day scheduled for the course's final exam, if it had a final exam.)
This component is worth 85% of your overall Final Project grade.
Upload your presentation video to Canvas. Submit a 12- to 15-minute video file. Your video presentation should legitimately be between 12 and 15 minutes long; in previous years we have seen presentations that used video editing techniques to slow down or speed up speech, which is not acceptable.
Also upload your presentation slides in PowerPoint or PDF format. Your group members’ names and UWNetIDs should be on the first slide.


Details

Video Format: You do not need to stand in front of a projector and record yourself and the slides with a video camera. You can just record what your computer displays (the animated slides) and what you say (the oral presentation). If you do use a video camera to record your presentation, then make sure that the slides are within the view of the video camera. You may choose to use any recording software you wish, e.g., Open Broadcasting Studio (OBS), CamStudio (Windows only), QuickTime, or Powerpoint’s built-in slide-show recording tools. If you are working with a group, one good option may be to record yourself presenting together in a Zoom call.

References: Your presentation needs to also include references to the main resources that you used to inform your presentation (websites, books, standards documents, source code, etc).

Legal / ethical issues: You must include in your slide deck and your oral presentation at least one slide on the legal or ethical (or both) issues associated with your topic in question.

Collaborative or not: You may work in groups of up to three people, and we strongly encourage you to work in groups, to the point of nearly requiring it. However, if there is something that makes it challenging for you to work in a group (e.g., time zone), please reach out to the course staff. All group members must introduce themselves at the start of the presentation, and all group members must speak during the presentation. Please do not meet your group members in person unless normal university and state-wide operations have resumed! Instead, please use Zoom or another remote collaboration tool.

Forming groups: We suggest forming groups with people interested in the same topic as you. You can use the forum to find such people. It is also OK if multiple groups present the same topic.


Grading Rubrics

Rubrics are available on Canvas.