[Class Report] Introduction to System Development, Week 31 — Semester Wrap-Up & Year-2 Track Introduction

In Week 31, we reviewed our learning so far while organizing our portfolios, and we ran an introduction to next term’s System Design (Year-2 track). It was a day to wrap up the first-year semester and build a bridge to the next step.

■ Instructor’s Opening: “Reflection Creates the Next Learning”

Mr. Tanaka: “Today is about compiling your results in a ‘showable form’ and getting mentally ready for the world of design. Don’t just keep the code—value your thought process and your change logs as well.”

The instructor briefly revisited what we learned across projects (design → implementation → testing → improvement → operation) and shared key points for building a portfolio.

■ Lab ①: Portfolio Organization (Compiling Deliverables)

Each student summarized their app/project from the following angles and created a submission-ready portfolio.

Suggested Portfolio Items

• Project title & overview (purpose and target users)
• Implemented feature list (notable algorithms & creative touches)
• Role allocation (for team projects) and what you personally handled
• Tech stack (languages, libraries, external APIs, etc.)
• Test results (simple KPIs, improvements confirmed via log analysis)
• Issues & fixes (bugs → patches; user feedback → improvements)
• Learning reflection (what you achieved & what you want to grow)
• Run instructions (how to execute), demo screenshots, and source layout guide

Student A: “It’s surprisingly hard to put into words not just what I built, but what I learned.”
Student B: “Including test results in the portfolio seems to add credibility.”

■ Lab ②: Demo Prep & Peer Review

Using the portfolio, students prepared a short demo (2 minutes) for classmates. In pairs, they rehearsed and gave each other feedback using the points below.

• Is the purpose clear? (Who is the app for?)
• Is the operation flow easy to follow? (Demo order)
• Are the technical innovations conveyed concisely?
• Are improvements and future challenges indicated?

Student C: “If you state ‘why you built it’ first in the demo, people pay more attention.”
Student D: “Including ‘unexpected input examples’ in the handout made explanations smoother.”

■ Lab ③: Introduction to Year-2 Learning (System Design)

In the second half, Mr. Tanaka outlined System Design, the next term’s theme. The overview assumed coverage of items like the following:

Main Topics in Year 2 (Intro)

• Requirements definition (requirements analysis): differences between user requirements and functional requirements; thinking about non-functional requirements.
• UML & design diagrams: roles of class diagrams, sequence diagrams, and use-case diagrams.
• Database design (ER diagrams): table design and basics of normalization.
• Lightweight architecture design: front/back separation and API design perspectives.
• Design reviews & documentation: how to write design docs and run reviews.
• Basics of team development: role allocation, version control, and CI concepts (survey level).

Mr. Tanaka: “Design is the ‘conversation before building.’ Before you write code, you need the ability to discuss who’s building what and how.”

■ Discussion: What Matters Most in Design?

Students split into small groups to discuss:

• “What is good design?”
• “What problems commonly arise in team development?”
• “What do you want to value most when designing?”

Teams highlighted ideas like clarity, extensibility, and being reproducible by anyone who reads it.

■ Instructor’s Closing Remark

“The ‘ability to build’ and the ‘ability to fix’ you learned in Year 1 are the foundation. In Year 2, the theme is ‘how to build (design).’ The portfolio you compiled today will also serve as a base document when you learn design, so take good care of it.”

■ Homework (Semester Wrap & Preparation)

1. Submit your portfolio (PDF or Markdown) meeting all required items.
2. List three topics you want to learn next term and explain why in 20–60 characters each.
3. Choose the role you want to try in team development (design, implementation, testing, operations, etc.).

■ Next Week’s Preview: Semester Wrap (Submission Check & Career Advising)

Next week we will finalize submission checks and hold career advising / portfolio critique time for those interested. Advice is welcome on university/IT career paths and on how to pursue club or self-directed learning.

With portfolios polished and anticipation for design growing, Week 31 saw first-year students steadily cultivate both the ability to communicate what they build and a forward-looking design mindset, setting them up well for next term’s learning.