Week 2

 Part 1: Review and Reflect Learning Strategy

Top 3 Areas I Am Good At

1. Creating and Following a Study Schedule: I am extremely disciplined about managing my time. I time block my study time with the same time block for work, family commitments, and classes. I always build in time for the unexpected to revise my schedule, in line with Dr. Kizlik's suggestion to have a schedule that is flexible yet reliable.
   
   

2. Note-Taking and Reviewing: I take notes in one notebook separated by subject. I also read my lecture notes as soon after class as I can to clarify confusing points, cementing understanding when the material is as fresh as possible. I often summarize topics, an approach that the SQ3R method emphasizes and suggests.
   
   

3. Maintaining a Productive Study Environment: I also always try to have everything set up before I start to help reduce interruptions. I always choose quiet, distraction free locations like libraries or dedicated home spaces. This is inline with the tip about having an organized study space with everything nearby.

Top 3 Areas Where I Feel I Am Weak

1. Using the SQ3R Method Fully and Consistently: Although I use several techniques such as summarizing and questioning, I do not always do step by step, Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. Often, I skip out on actually reciting aloud or thoroughly reviewing unless a test is approaching. My goal is to use this as a habit, not just a technique I do sometimes.
   
   

2. Outlining Textbooks and Avoiding Passive Reading: I still sometimes over-highlight or underline rather than actively outlining chapters or pulling out main ideas and key details. I recognize outlining allows me to connect ideas more naturally and improves long-term retention, so I need to stop reading passively.
   
   

3. Short, Focused Study Sessions with Breaks: When I feel behind, I often try to cram in long segments of study time without breaks. I learned from the guide that studying over a longer time (30–40 minutes) with breaks improves retention, and decreases burnout. I need to begin to incorporate study breaks into my practice, so I can study smarter, not harder!

Part 2: Preview Time Management Skills

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 3: Project Management Basics

The three short videos are an excellent introduction to project management because they present concepts that are easy for anyone to understand and relate to. They highlight what makes a project unique, with a clear goal, timeline, and budget - which is much different than the ongoing or day-to-day work we are used to. I really enjoyed the identification of a project manager being a Chief Executive Officer of the project, in that it helps us realize how critical the project manager's role is, to keep everyone and everything on track. The Work Breakdown Structure and Gantt Chart were two tools I found particularly useful, in terms of breaking the work down into manageable pieces and being able to visualize the schedule. All in all, the videos provided a valuable understanding that with good planning, defined roles and tools, the success of any project can be more easily guaranteed.

Part 4: Check Out Previous Capstones

1. Otter Parsing (OtterSoft Team)

Type of project: NLP-powered Resume Parser

Reflection: This was a real-world HR and recruiting project that was both technical and hands-on. The team built a resume parser in Python using SpaCy and Prodigy to get structured data from unstructured PDF resumes. They implemented a thorough process and demonstrated knowledge of model training, annotation, and data processing. The demo was well done and clear, and it demonstrated the ability to identify relevant sections of a resume and output those sections in JSON format so that they could be easily filtered.

Was it well done? Yes. The team dealt with complex challenges like PDF parsing inconsistencies and training data limitations effectively.

Improvement suggestions: They could improve the user interface further and integrate scalability testing, as they acknowledged performance concerns when parsing large batches.

2. Security Scan Summary (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory)

Type of project: Cybersecurity Report Simplification Tool

Reflection: The project goal was to convert complicated static code analysis (SARIF files) into easy to comprehend, visual graphical summaries in PDFs. The social and organizational value was useful to me—facilitating an understanding of security vulnerabilities for non-technical stakeholders is a significant problem. The tool was developed in Python, and had a tidy presentation flow. In the final reports the graphics represented well and were closely connected with the mission of improving communication across teams.

Was it well done? Yes, especially in terms of team collaboration and client-oriented problem solving.

Improvement suggestions: Future iterations could include interactivity in the reports (e.g., clickable summaries or expandable sections) and support for additional file formats like JSON.

3. A Bird Song (Game Dev Team)

Type of project: 2D Educational Video Game

Reflection: This was a narrative-driven project that dealt with the extinction of the Kauai O’o bird through the lens of environmental destruction. It was developed in Unity with original art and level design, and was emotionally motivating and artistically made. I thought that the ways that the game used environmental storytelling with the game mechanics was great inspiration. It was a nice change from the other, more technical projects and demonstrated the different paths that computer science can take.

Was it well done? Absolutely. The art, sound, and gameplay were cohesive, and the story was meaningful.

Improvement suggestions: Adding difficulty progression, achievements, or alternate endings could improve replayability and engagement.

Part 5: Summarize Your Week on Your Learning Journal

This week’s reflection allowed me to recognize my personal learning strengths and learning challenges. I am confident in my ability to manage my time with a structured schedule, organize my learning space, and take appropriate notes. Following these habits has kept me on track even given my work and family responsibilities. I did recognize that I still struggle with using SQ3R consistently, avoiding passive reading, and my ability to remember to take short breaks when studying for long periods of time. This is an area that I desire to improve and become more efficient when studying and avoiding burnout.

I also enjoyed looking through past capstone projects, specifically Otter Parsing, the Security Scan Summary, and A Bird Song. Each one presented a different side of computer science. I was amazed by the capabilities of NLP in making hiring more efficient, taking cybersecurity data and providing the user with information concisely, and even through DRM adult video game design, allowed for telling a meaningful environmental story. I guess I had forgotten how varied and amazing this discipline can be and how not only the technical skill but also the creative way systems can be manipulated by technical skills.