Wednesday, April 24, 2019, was the 2018-2019 Computer Science (CS) Software Engineering (SE) Group Project Open Day. This annual event marks the end of a year-long module that puts teams of 5-6 Part I students together to apply SE methods to solve a real-world problem. This year was the biggest year ever, with 82 students in 15 teams working on projects as diverse as a short movie distribution and rewards platform development and an unmanned aerial vehicle patrolling system implementation. 

The student teams work under the guidance of an academic advisor from CS School, but are usually given a wide degree of autonomy in how they approach and engage with the projects. Many projects come from industrial partners, and a part of the intended learning experience involves teams dealing with the various stakeholders and their expectations. 

In spite of the fears and worries expressed by many students at the start of the projects, it turns out to be one of the most popular and talked-about aspects of our degrees. As in previous years, the students did an excellent job of the Open Day, and feedback from colleagues and other stakeholders was tremendously positive.