uwloo

SE 490Design Project 1

Units
0.50
Subject
Software Engineering

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Continuing from SE 390, students undertake a substantial customer-driven group project. Project groups establish and maintain project control processes, delivering a series of iterations on their initial SE 390 prototype. Adaptive methodologies are encouraged and supported.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 0017651104 / 120TTh 16:00–17:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

60% liked it74% easy63% useful

From 60 ratings and 8 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Paul Ward literally taught nothing this course. This was truly a paycheck-stealing course. Every lecture except for the first two was actually just group presentations. The only lectures Paul Ward actually delivered were about absolutely random stuff from his life, unrelated to anything.

    Dec 2025 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • The purpose of the course is just to show you're on track for 4B Symposium Day. The syllabus and handbook are long but most of the info isn't really relevant. Low workload other than actual work for the FYDP; just need to do one peer activity per month and two demos to showcase your progress.

    Jul 2019 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • A self-driven course where you do most of the development for your capstone project. Class is usually just office hours. There is a midterm demo where you present your progress to the class, a few activities where you exchange feedback with other groups, and a final demo to the prof.

    Aug 2018 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Most of your work for this course will happen outside of class. Most of the marks for this course come from midterm and final demos in which you're expected to give evidence of your productivity. There are a few easy in-class assignments that are basically free marks.

    Sep 2016 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Unlike SE463, this actually fit fairly well with our FYDP, and had us do some useful exercises to better plan our project.

    Aug 2016 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

2 posts and comments in 2 threads mention SE 490, August 2016 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2017

Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments

“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”

u/Jackhofmann: “… SDS 490R SDS 495R SDS 499A SDS 499B SE 101 SE 201 SE 212 SE 302 SE 380 SE 390 SE 463 SE 464 SE 490 SE 499 SEQ 1 SEQ 2 SEQ 3 SEQ 4 SEQ 5DD SEQ 6CA SI 101R SI 120R SI 121R SI 131R SI 201R SI 221R SI 231R SI 250R SI 301R SMF 101 SMF 204 SMF 208 SMF 213 SMF 220 SMF 301 SMF 306 SMF …”

View on RedditRemove this

Spring 2016

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar