MSDM Culminating Experience Project – Responsibilities for All Parties
2025–2027
1 Parties Involved in the MSDM CEP
This document outlines the specific responsibilities and expected deliverables for every party involved in the MSDM Culminating Experience Project (CEP) — from students and course instructors to faculty project leads and the MSDM Committee. Use this page alongside the CEP Guidelines and the Capstone Project page to understand how roles interlock across all three semesters.
The following parties are involved in the MSDM CEP:
MSDM students
Students taking IBM 6200/IBM 6500, IBM 6800, and IBM 6950 in sequence to complete the culminating experience project and graduate from the program.
Students are expected to work in teams of 4–6 students under the supervision of a faculty project lead and course instructors.
Students are jointly evaluated by the course instructor and the faculty project lead.
Course instructor
- Appointed by the program director for IBM 6200 and IBM 6500 in the fall, IBM 6800/6400 in the spring, and IBM 6950 in the summer.
Faculty project lead
A faculty member whose proposal was accepted and who leads the project and supervises students in the project.
Appointed by the MSDM program.
MSDM Committee (MC)
A group of faculty who volunteered to serve, including faculty project leads (minimum of three faculty), program director, and course instructors.
The program director serves as the chair of the MC, and course instructors serve as ex-officio members of the MC.
The MC is responsible for evaluating project proposals, project progress, and final project deliverables.
1.1 MSDM Project Milestones and Timelines
Refer to the MSDM CEP Milestones and Timelines for detailed descriptions of the project milestones and timelines.
2 Fall Semester
Explore online consumer psychology and behavior theory and its impact on digital marketing strategy and tactics.
Host the Faculty Forum where faculty present their project proposal.
Facilitate team interaction and team formation.
Guide the project proposal development (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3) — understanding the company and marketing background, identifying company problems, translating project objectives intoanalytics objectives, and describing data and methods.
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 are expected to be ready for proposal defense.
Data must be secured by the end of the fall semester, and if data collection is needed from human subjects, Survey instrument must be developed and IRB approval must be obtained according to the timeline to allow for data collection by Week 14.
If secondary data (e.g., company reports, industry studies, GA4) were to be used, students should be trained to collect the data and have the data ready by Week 14.
Students should be trained to check the integrity of the data and perform preliminary data exploration by Week 14 to ensure the data is appropriate for the said analytics objectives.
Finalize project proposal and make proposal defense presentation.
Facilitate the project proposal presentation by students at the end of the fall.
2.1 Course Instructors: IBM 6500/6200 — 6 Units
Note: Instructors of IBM 6500 will have the primary responsibility to provide guidance and structure of the written report and prepare them for proposal defense presentations. They will work closely with the instructors of IBM 6200, who will provide training on literature review and secondary data collection. Both instructors will coordinate with the faculty project lead to ensure students are on track for the project proposal development and defense presentation.
Istructors of IBM 6500 will help students prepare for proposals (Ch1, Ch2, and Ch3) such as providing technical expertise in the construction of survey instruments, sample size determination, sampling, measurement, IRB application, and data collection. Structure of IBM 6500 fits very well with sequence of activities of the CEP.
Instructor of IBM 6200 shall train students for literature review and secondary data collection via Google Analytics.
2.1.1 Responsibilities of the Course Instructor
Deliver and evaluate the course content, including:
Teamwork and leadership among digital marketing and analytics teams (digital marketing execution specialists, marketing data scientists/analysts, and managers).
Consumer psychology/behavior theory and practice to foster domain knowledge in marketing in general (i.e., segmentation, targeting, positioning, product, pricing, channels of distribution, and integrated marketing communication) as well as digital marketing (web design, social media, SEO, paid ads, etc.).
Provide students with an overview of the entire culminating experience project (IBM 6200 and IBM 6500 in the fall, IBM 6800 and IBM 6400 in the spring, and IBM 6950 in the summer) regarding the milestones and deliverables, including:
The activities, expectations, and deliverables for the said courses in each semester.
Roles of the instructors and faculty lead for the project.
MSDM culminating project written report template.
Abstract and Summary of Individual Contribution Template.
Introduce students to library resources that assist in building a business/marketing story and/or learning about previous research on the project topic.
Incorporate team formation and project selection as part of the course requirement by facilitating the project forums and team formation (in coordination with the program directors and all other instructors of IBM 6200) — also considering the student captain within the team.
Coordinate with instructors of IBM 6500 and IBM 6250 and provide feedback to the faculty project lead on the proposed timeline of the project delivery.
Provide a general framework on business context formation and story building to students, serve as general project reader, and provide feedback on the project.
Provide the class with instructions on presentation skills for company background, research frameworks, analytics objectives, and research methods in general.
Coordinate the process of shaping the written report as per the MSDM Culminating Experience Content and Format Template.
Assess individual contributions to group projects for every milestone to motivate every group member to have a similar culminating experience.
Collect faculty leads’ feedback on the group’s CEP proposal and assign grades to student groups in collaboration with faculty leads.
Facilitate project team meetings and coordinate project presentations.
Work with the program assessment lead on pertinent SLO assessment.
2.1.2 Deliverables by the Course Instructor
Hold MSDM project forums during the semester (together with other 6200 sections).
MSDM project teams formed (faculty project lead + 4–6 students) according to the timeline.
By Week 9 of the fall semester, organize the Initial Proposal Presentation (W09), collect the writen report and slides, and deliver to MC.
By Week 15 of the fall semester, organize the Final Proposal Defense Presentation (W15), collect the writen report and slides, and deliver to MC.
Solicit evaluation feedback from faculty lead for each presentation and incorporate faculty project lead’s feedback into student evaluations, and deliver proposals to MC.
If student groups fail to secure appropriate data in the fall, give them “I” grade. If you believe a letter grade is proper, you could do so with the approval from MC.
Submit the program’s SLO assessment results to the program assessment lead by the end of the spring semester.
2.2 Faculty Project Lead
2.2.1 Responsibility of the Faculty Project Lead
Define MSDM projects (project scope, project objective, analytics objectives, data source, key methodologies, etc.).
Most projects will be initiated by the project lead. If initiated by the students, the project lead is responsible for refining the idea, clearly defining and articulating the scope, project objectives, analytical objectives, and data.
Articulate initial project deliverables and analytics objectives to the students.
Guide students in formalizing the project proposal.
Propose the project timeline in IBM 6200/IBM 6500, IBM 6800/IBM 6400, and IBM 6950 in consultation with the course instructors.
Participate in the MSDM project forums and present the initial project plans to students.
Provide input on team formation with course instructors and other faculty project leads.
Hold a project kick-off meeting by Week 4 with students and the client.
Hold a project meeting with the student group under supervision on a regular basis (recommended frequency: once a weeek). Please be familiar with the advice given to the students about expected collaboration. There, you will find the advice on how they should work with peers, facuty project lead, and client.
Help students prepare for two presentations in the fall.
Finalize the analytics objectives and articulate them to the students.
Ensure that data is secured prior to Week 15 when students make final proposal defense.
Evaluate students’ work per the evaluation form solicited by the instructor of IBM 6500.
2.2.2 Deliverables by the Faculty Project Lead
Project proposal, timeline, initial analytical objectives, and proposed deliverables to MC by Monday of Week 0 of the fall semester. See the MSDM CEP Call for Proposals for details.
Confirm with the MC that the project has a solid plan to secure data by he end of the fall.
If the project involves collecting human data, the project lead should ensure that students submit an IRB application during the fall and obtain approval within a reasonable timeframe to allow for timely data collection.
If the project involves secondary data, the project lead should ensure that students are trained to collect the data and have the data ready by Week 14.
By Week 10 and Week 16 of the fall semester within one week of each prresentations, provide a student team performance evaluation (team and individual student performances) to the course instructor.
2.3 MSDM Committee (MC)
2.3.1 Responsibilities of MC
By the end of Week 0 of the fall semester, provide feedback to the faculty project lead on the project proposal and make recommendations for improvement or clarification (if needed).
By Week 16 of the fall semester, provide the evaluation of the project proposal, team composition, proposed deliverables, and project timeline, then:
Approve — project moving forward,
Disapprove — project failed, or
Recommend improvements — project re-evaluated before the start of the spring semester.
For any failed project team, the MC should make arrangements and facilitate a new project and faculty lead for the students.
3 Spring Semester
Students understand the data thoroughly.
Students address analytics objectives properly.
Provide quality control on the key milestones and components of projects.
Perform data exploration, visualization, and analysis.
Generate insights from the data analysis and translate that into recommendations.
3.1 Course Instructors: IBM 6800/6400 — 2 Units / 1 Unit
Note: IBM 6800 (2 units) will take a leading role in all administrative tasks relevant for guiding students through the project during the spring, while IBM 6400 (1 unit) will supplement the efforts by providing necessary digital marketing plans based on the recommendations from the data analysis.
3.1.1 Responsibility of the IBM 6800
Provide the class with instructions on analytics project presentation skills in general, with a particular emphasis on how to explain data with data visualization and generate insights from data.
Evaluate student performance on business and marketing story building (with a certain % course grade).
Coordinate the process of shaping the written report as per the MSDM Culminating Experience Guidelines.
Assess individual contributions to group projects for every milestone to motivate every group member to have a similar culminating experience.
Facilitate project team meetings and coordinate project presentations.
Work with the program assessment lead on SLO 3a, SLO 5a, and SLO 5b assessment.
3.1.2 Responsibility of the IBM 6400
- Provide the class with instructions on presentation skills for digital marketing plans in general, with a particular emphasis on how to turn recommendations that are backed up by analytics findings into concrete digital marketing plans that the student teams can implement with the approval of the client.
3.1.3 Deliverables by Course Instructor
3.1.3.1 IBM 6800
By Week 6 of the spring semester, organize the Data Analysis and Results Presentation (W06), collect the writen report and slides, and deliver to MC.
By Week 13 of the spring semester, organize the Final Data Analysis and Recommendations Presentation (W13), collect written report and presentation slides (finalized methods, data analysis and results, recommendations, and timeline and anticipated deliverables), and deliver to MC.
Submit program assessment results (SLO 3a, SLO 5a, and SLO 5b) to the program assessment lead by the end of the spring semester.
3.1.3.2 IBM 6400
- On Week 16 of the spring semester, organize the Digital Marketing Plan Presentation and Start the Campaign Immediately (W16), collect the presentation slides and Digital Marketing Plans section of the Chapter 5, and deliver to MC.
3.2 Faculty Project Lead
3.2.1 Responsibility of the Faculty Project Lead
Ensure students understand the data thoroughly by leading students through data wrangling, data exploration, analysis and modeling (descriptive and predictive).
Ensure that each group member analyze data needed for their own analytics objective or sub-objective so that all group members experience the same rich experience.
Fine tune and finalize the key methodologies and provide guidance to students on enhancing the necessary skills.
Hold weekly meetings with students and closely manage the project progress (for the group and individual members).
Perform project quality checks before the first (Week 6) and second presentations (Week 13).
Provide timely feedback on team’s professionalism and project performance to the students.
Ensure that students create digital marketing plans based on the recommendations from the data analysis and make presentations to the client on Week 16 (if applicable).
3.2.2 Deliverables by Faculty Lead
By Week 7 and Week 13 of the spring semester, provide a student team performance evaluation (team and individual student performances) to the course instructor.
By the end of Week 16, provide the project progress report (timeline and status of each analytics objective deliverables) to the MC.
3.3 MSDM Committee (MC)
3.3.1 Responsibility of MC
By the end of the spring semester, evaluate the project progress report sent by the faculty project lead and the project presentation sent by the course instructor. MC should either:
Approve the project continuation, or
Provide feedback on project improvement (the faculty lead should report back to MC on the adjustment within two weeks after receiving the feedback from MC).
If rejected by MC, the project will fail.
4 Summer Semester
Implement the Digital Marketing Plans section.
Complete the implmentation by Week 5.
Final presentation to public audiences and clients by Week 9.
Submission of the final version of the MSDM Culminating Experience Written Report by the student groups.
Submission of the Abstract to the CPP library by the student groups.
Submission of a Report of Culminating Experience for each group member, initiated by the project lead.
4.1 Course Instructor: IBM 6950 — 2 Units
4.1.1 Responsibility of the Course Instructor
Facilitate the project team meetings and coordinate two project presentations.
Provide the class with instructions on presentation skills for data analytics projects in general, with a particular emphasis on how to make recommendations that are backed up by analytics findings and marketing knowledge, and how to implement the recommendations in the organization.
Serve as a general project reader and provide feedback on student reports.
Work with the program assessment lead on SLO1, SLO3b, and SLO4.
Coordinate the process of writing and refining written reports as per the MSDM Culminating Experience Guidelines adopted by the program.
Guide students through the abstract submission process.
Serve as the MSDM culminating experience committee member (reader) and provide an electronic signature on the official documents submitted to the university.
Assess and incorporate individual contributions to group projects for every milestone to ensure each group member has a similar culminating experience.
Collect MSDM CEP Final Written Report and Final deck of slides from students on behalf of the faculty lead and submit them to MC.
4.1.2 Deliverables by Course Instructor
By Week 5 of the summer semester, collect the project presentation and written report and send it to MC.
By Week 10 of the summer semester, collect the final project presentation and written report and send it MC.
Send program assessment results (SLO1, SLO3b, and SLO4) to the program assessment lead by the end of the summer semester.
At the end of the summer semester, report to MC on project abstract submission.
Send the final deliverables (i.e., Final Project Written Report, code scripts, PPT slides, and data) to the MSDM Program Office.
4.2 Faculty Project Lead
4.2.1 Responsibility of the Faculty Project Lead
Lead students to implement approved Digital Marketing Plan.
Hold weekly meetings with students and closely monitor the project and student team members’ progress.
Attend the project presentations and provide timely feedback on team and project performance to the students.
Review the project written report and abstract, and perform quality control.
Serve as the MSDM culminating experience committee chair and provide an electronic signature on the official documents submitted to the university initiated by students.
Submit a Report of Culminating Experience for each student upon his/her successful completion of the project on behalf of the MSDM Program.
4.2.2 Deliverables by the Faculty Lead
By Week 5 of the summer semester, provide the performance evaluation to the course instructor.
By Week 10 of the summer semester, provide a project performance evaluation to the course instructor.
Have students submit the Final Written Report and slides deck to the IBM 6950 instructor, who will compile all deliverables adn submit to MC.
4.3 MSDM Committee (MC)
4.3.1 Responsibility of MC
- Provide final project evaluation upon receiving the project written report and presentation from the faculty project lead and course instructor.