<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/1e80684f-d0b5-45f3-ac15-84c90e008780/square.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/1e80684f-d0b5-45f3-ac15-84c90e008780/square.png" width="40px" /> Bits of Good has its own VIP! With a few additional requirements, you can receive VIP credit for being a member of Bits of Good.
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The Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program is a transformative approach to enhancing higher education by engaging undergraduate and graduate students in ambitious, long-term, large-scale, multidisciplinary project teams that are led by faculty. More information about the VIPs at a high level can be found at https://www.vip.gatech.edu/.
The Bits of Good VIP program is lead by our faculty advisor, Dr. Ellen Zegura. Dr. Zegura is the Fleming Professor in the School of Computer Science at Georgia Tech, and her focus is in the areas computer networking and computing for social good. Fun fact: she loves working with Bits of Good ❤️
Anyone who is a member of Bits of Good, excluding bootcampers, can join the VIP. There are no pre-reqs, major restrictions, or BoG-role restrictions.
<aside> ❗ You can only apply the VIP towards your CS/CM junior design requirement if you are a Product Manager, Engineering Manager, Developer, Product Designer, Bootcamp Instructor, or Executive Board Member. Must be your 3rd semester in the VIP for an Executive Board Member
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You are expected to treat Bits of Good in the way you would treat a 1-2 credit hour class. This means that you are expected to put 3-6 hours of work towards Bits of Good each week. Also, in addition to your standard responsibilities for Bits of Good, you would have a few small, but nonetheless important tasks for the VIP.
Your grade would be given primarily based on:
A performance evaluation will be done bi-weekly (once every 2 weeks) and sent to Dr. Ellen Zegura for review. The main focus of the evaluation is (a) the timeliness in which you finished your required tasks and (b) how well you communicated with your team. While we understand that Bits of Good is a student organization, receiving academic credit for it means you need to treat it like any other academic commitment (i.e. class).
You are expected to keep journals of the work you do. Journals are not meant to be long or too time consuming (1 page every 2 weeks should suffice), but are instead meant to help you understand and reflect on the work you do for Bits of Good. It also helps Dr. Zegura know the effort you contribute based on your perspective and improves transparency for grading.
You, and any other members of your team that are in the VIP, are expected to give a presentation of your project once per semester to Dr. Zegura and should highlight your individual contributions. You are also expected to attend to the presentation of one other team as well.
Attend irregularly on Tuesdays at 6PM ET and report on your weekly progress. There sometimes may be additional small activities too to enrich the VIP experience. This should be around 3-5 times per semester.
In total, the VIP doesn’t require more than 60 minutes a week over what you would regularly do in Bits of Good. You only have 2-3 VIP meetings in the semester and short journal entries every other week.
Note: Expectations to complete your tasks on time are high, given you are getting academic credit for this.
Note: The final decision on how these are weighted for your final grade is decided by Dr. Zegura.
It is best to have been in BoG for at least a semester to make sure you know the org is right for you! Recruiting normally happens at the start of the semester for developers and bootcampers and at the end of the semester for leadership team members. Here is our webpage with more information about recruiting.
