First Advisor

R. Bruce Irvin

Date of Award

Summer 8-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Computer Science and University Honors

Department

Computer Science

Language

English

Subjects

software testing, data quality, computer science curriculum, capstone project, continuous integration, Discourse

Abstract

This thesis looks at the CLUB Homeschool Capstone project to argue that Portland State University’s Computer Science curriculum should introduce testing and data quality discipline earlier and more intentionally than it does now. As team lead of a seven-person team, I coordinated sprint planning, communicated with the sponsor, and developed custom Discourse plugins that enhanced an existing forum platform instead of creating a separate application database, as requested by the sponsor. The project’s requirements document called for a formal testing plan, but our team lacked the practical experience to implement one. This gap became evident through my internships as a Data Engineer at The Standard and as an SDET at Trimble. Those internships exposed me to data governance and automated testing practices that the Capstone project and the coursework leading up to it did not cover. Using the project’s documentation, software engineering literature, and insights from both internships, this thesis argues that testing and data quality habits should be fostered earlier through existing project-based courses. This way, students do not face these challenges for the first time under sponsor deadlines.

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