Koya University's Software Engineering department engages its final year students (4th stage) in a unique process to allocate final year research projects. This allocation is integral to their Bachelor's degree, as the chosen project becomes the centerpiece of their final year research.
At the beginning of each academic year, the university provides a list of project titles, each with a corresponding number. The students then form groups, which can comprise 2 or 3 students, or more, depending on the total number of projects and students for that year.
Once the groups are formed, each group fills out a form, listing their project preferences. The project they desire most is listed at the top, and the list descends in order of preference. The least desired project ends up at the bottom of their list.
A unique aspect of project allocation at Koya University is the incorporation of the students' academic performance from the previous year. The final grades of the 3rd stage for each student in a group are collected and averaged. This average grade then plays a crucial role in the allocation of projects.
The allocation of projects follows a rank-order process:
- The group with the highest average grade from their 3rd stage gets their top preferred project from the list they filled out.
- Once a project is allocated to a group, it is removed from the pool of available projects.
- The allocation process continues with the group having the next highest average grade, and they receive their top choice from the remaining projects.
- This process repeats until all projects are allocated, with each group receiving their highest-preferred project still available at the time of their turn.
This allocation strategy ensures a fair distribution of projects based on academic performance, while also considering the project preferences of each group. It adds a level of incentive for groups to strive for better grades in the 3rd stage, knowing that their performance will directly affect their final year project allocation.