Presentation and Rubric

capstone
Present the project story and evaluate it with visible criteria.
  • Level: Project practice
  • Estimated time: 35–50 minutes
  • You will learn: Present the project story and evaluate it with visible criteria.
  • Practice in: VS Code, Jupyter, and GitHub

Questions

  • What problem does Presentation and Rubric help us solve in a small Python program?
  • What should we predict before running the example?
  • What value, output, or error should we inspect after changing one line?

Objectives

  • Run a complete example for capstone presentation and rubric in Colab.
  • Explain the example line by line using plain language.
  • Change one part of the code and predict the result before running it.
  • Recognize one common mistake and use the error message as evidence.

Hands-on episode: Presentation and Rubric

A strong capstone presentation includes context, demo, code highlight, testing evidence, limitations, and next steps. The rubric describes feedback categories, not punishment.

We will learn this by running code, not by memorizing a definition first. Open the Colab notebook from the button above, find this section, and run each cell in order. Keep a small note beside the notebook with three columns: prediction, actual result, and what changed.

Example 1.1

Use this outline as a three-minute demo script.

outline = [
"Problem and user",
"Small working demo",
"One important code decision",
"Tests or validation",
"Limitation and next step",
]
for section in outline:
print(section)

Run the cell once without editing it. If the result is different from your prediction, leave the prediction visible and write one sentence about the difference. That sentence is more useful than a perfect first guess.

Explain Example 1.1

  • The problem tells the audience why the project exists.
  • The demo proves there is a working path through the tool.
  • The code decision shows learning, not every line.
  • The limitation demonstrates honesty and judgment.

Now explain the example out loud or in a Markdown cell. Use short sentences: “this line creates…”, “this name stores…”, “this output appears because…”. If you cannot explain a line yet, run only the lines above it and inspect the values that exist at that moment.

Challenge 1.1

NoteChallenge

Prepare a backup screenshot or recorded output in case the live demo fails. This is professional preparation, not a lack of confidence.

Show a safe way to approach the challenge
  1. Copy Example 1.1 into a new Colab cell.
  2. Change exactly one value, name, condition, or line.
  3. Write the expected output before running the cell.
  4. Run the cell and compare the actual result with your prediction.
  5. If the result surprises you, undo the change and try a smaller one.

Suggested first move: Prepare a backup screenshot or recorded output in case the live demo fails.

Debugging checkpoint 1.1

WarningDebugging checkpoint

Do not spend the entire presentation reading code. Choose one meaningful slice and explain why it matters. If something fails live, state the expected behavior, show evidence from tests or prior output, and continue calmly.

Do not debug by rewriting the whole example. Read the error type or surprising output, inspect the closest value with print(...) or type(...), then change one thing. This is the same routine you will use in larger projects.

Apply it

Record a three-minute practice demo. After watching it, write one improvement for clarity, one for pacing, and one for evidence.

Finish by adding a Markdown cell that answers: What did this example teach me that I can reuse in a project?

Key points

  • Learn the concept by running a complete, small example first.
  • Predict before execution so your thinking becomes visible.
  • Change one thing at a time so cause and effect stay clear.
  • Treat errors as clues about the exact line or value Python could not handle.

Why this matters

Present the project story and evaluate it with visible criteria.

This lesson combines related subtopics that belong together in one learning conversation. You will still pause for a quiz after each section, but you do not need to jump between separate pages while building one clear explanation.

NoteGuiding questions

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to answer:

  • How do the sections in Presentation and Rubric fit together?
  • Which small example demonstrates each section?
  • Which debugging clue should I check first for each section?
NoteLearning objectives

You will practice how to:

  • explain the shared concept for this lesson;
  • use each section as one step in a larger workflow;
  • complete 2 short section quizzes before moving on;
  • connect examples, mistakes, and debugging routines.

Lesson map

  • 1. Presenting Your Work — Tell a clear story about the problem, method, result, and limitation.
  • 2. Capstone Rubric — Evaluate a capstone with criteria for correctness, clarity, testing, reproducibility, and communication.

1. Presenting Your Work

Tell a clear story about the problem, method, result, and limitation.

TipAnalogy

Presenting is being a tour guide: choose a route, point out landmarks, and explain why they matter.

What this means

A presentation translates technical work into a sequence an audience can follow.

Example 1

Predict what will happen before you run the code.

story = ["problem", "approach", "demo", "result", "limitation", "next step"]
print(" -> ".join(story))

Step-by-step explanation

  1. story = ["problem", "approach", "demo", "result", "limitation", "next s... — pause here and say what this line reads, creates, changes, or displays.
  2. print(" -> ".join(story)) — pause here and say what this line reads, creates, changes, or displays.

After running the example, compare the actual output with your prediction. If they differ, do not erase your prediction. The difference is the part that can teach you the most.

Challenge

NotePractice

Change one input value, predict the new output, run the code, and explain the difference in one sentence.

Show one possible solution path
  1. Copy Example 1 into Colab, Jupyter, or a .py file.
  2. Mark the line you plan to change.
  3. Write a one-sentence prediction.
  4. Run the changed code.
  5. If the result surprises you, restore the original and change a smaller part.

The goal is not to find the only correct answer. The goal is to create a small experiment where you can explain cause and effect.

Common mistakes

WarningCommon mistake

Do not show every line of code. Show the code that supports the story and the decisions you made.

When you get stuck, use this debugging routine:

  1. Read the last line of the error message or inspect the unexpected output.
  2. Find the smallest line of code that could be responsible.
  3. Print or inspect the value and type at that point.
  4. Change one thing.
  5. Run again and record what changed.

Check your understanding

This quiz checks the ideas in this section before you move on.

2. Capstone Rubric

Evaluate a capstone with criteria for correctness, clarity, testing, reproducibility, and communication.

TipAnalogy

A rubric is a score sheet for a performance: it helps everyone know what quality means.

What this means

A rubric makes expectations visible before and after project work.

Example 2

Predict what will happen before you run the code.

rubric = {"works": 4, "tests": 3, "readme": 4, "presentation": 3}
print(sum(rubric.values()))

Step-by-step explanation

  1. rubric = {"works": 4, "tests": 3, "readme": 4, "presentation": 3} — pause here and say what this line reads, creates, changes, or displays.
  2. print(sum(rubric.values())) — pause here and say what this line reads, creates, changes, or displays.

After running the example, compare the actual output with your prediction. If they differ, do not erase your prediction. The difference is the part that can teach you the most.

Challenge

NotePractice

Change one input value, predict the new output, run the code, and explain the difference in one sentence.

Show one possible solution path
  1. Copy Example 1 into Colab, Jupyter, or a .py file.
  2. Mark the line you plan to change.
  3. Write a one-sentence prediction.
  4. Run the changed code.
  5. If the result surprises you, restore the original and change a smaller part.

The goal is not to find the only correct answer. The goal is to create a small experiment where you can explain cause and effect.

Common mistakes

WarningCommon mistake

A rubric should guide improvement, not only assign a grade after work is over.

When you get stuck, use this debugging routine:

  1. Read the last line of the error message or inspect the unexpected output.
  2. Find the smallest line of code that could be responsible.
  3. Print or inspect the value and type at that point.
  4. Change one thing.
  5. Run again and record what changed.

Check your understanding

This quiz checks the ideas in this section before you move on.

Notebook and Colab practice

Open a blank notebook at https://colab.new. Use one section at a time: copy the Example 1, predict the result, run it, answer the section quiz, and then move to the next section. This is better than copying the entire page at once.

Instructor note

Teaching notes
  • Treat each section as a short teaching episode.
  • Pause for the section quiz before introducing the next section.
  • Ask learners to compare sections: what stayed the same, and what changed?
  • If time is short, teach the first two sections live and assign the rest as practice.

Key points

TipKey points
  • Presenting Your Work: A presentation translates technical work into a sequence an audience can follow.
  • Capstone Rubric: A rubric makes expectations visible before and after project work.
  • Use the section quizzes as gates: review before moving on if a quiz feels uncertain.

References

  • Python packaging user guide: https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/
  • The Turing Way reproducible research: https://book.the-turing-way.org/reproducible-research/reproducible-research
  • Python Tutorial: https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/
  • Quarto OJS documentation: https://quarto.org/docs/interactive/ojs/
  • ipywidgets documentation: https://ipywidgets.readthedocs.io/en/stable/
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