Capstone Portal — Student Guide

From signing in to sitting on a team

Every step you'll take this term, in order — and the three moments where the system waits on somebody other than you.

You do this Your team or the staff do this A rule that will stop you

Where a project stands

Idea Pending
Somebody suggested it. Staff haven't looked yet.
Idea Approved
It's a real option. People can start joining.
Team Pending
Every seat is filled. Waiting on staff.
Team Approved
Settled. This is what you'll build.

Your route through it

1
You

Sign in with your university email

There's no password. Type your email, we send a one-time code, you type the code. Do that again whenever you're signed out.

2
You

Introduce yourself on your profile

Tell us about yourself: what you're into, what you've built, what you want out of capstone. Add a photo and your resume if you like.

Do this before anything else

Until your profile has something in it, you can't ask to join a project. Teams read it when deciding who to vote in — it's the only thing they know about you.

3
You

Suggest a project

Pitch an idea: what it is, who it's for, roughly what it'd take. Suggesting one is part of your participation grade — and you don't have to join the one you suggest.

4
You

Read what everyone else proposed, and comment

Ask the questions you'd want answered before committing eight months to something. Commenting is graded too — you need to comment on several.

Star anything you like the look of. Stars are private, ungraded, and just a shortlist for you.

5
Staff

Staff approve the ideas worth building

A project has to reach Idea Approved before anyone can join it. Some proposals get merged, reshaped, or set aside.

6
You

Ask to join the projects you want

Put your hand up on as many approved projects as you like. This isn't a commitment — it tells those teams you're available and points them at your profile.

7
You

Or take the first seat outright

If a project has nobody on it yet, you can claim the first seat with one click. There's no one to vote, because there's no one there. After that, admission is by vote.

8
The team

A member puts you forward, and the team votes

Someone already on the team nominates you. Every current member has to approve — one no, and the nomination stops. This is why your profile matters.

9
You

Accept the seat you're offered

A unanimous vote turns into an offer, and it's yours to take or turn down. You'll see it at the top of every page in the portal until you answer.

Accepting ends everything else

You can only be on one team. The moment you accept a seat, every other request you've made is withdrawn and the other teams stop considering you. Turning an offer down keeps you in play everywhere else.

10
You

Help fill the rest of the seats

Now you're the one nominating and voting. Read the profiles of everyone who asked to join, put forward the people you want, and answer the nominations waiting on you — a team stalls when its own members don't vote.

11
Staff

Staff approve the finished team

Once every seat is filled the project sits at Team Pending until staff sign it off. After that it's settled — this is the project you'll build, with the people you'll build it with.

Suggest one project
Your own idea, written up in the portal.
Comment on several
Read the projects and ask real questions.
End up on a team
Everyone gets a seat. Being early and being findable makes it your choice rather than ours.