C01-1 Checkpoint Proposal: Design Brief Ready

Status: Proposal (pending Jeremy's approval) Created: 2026-04-12 Source: TKT-004 — C1-1 Assessment Package


Checkpoint A: Design Brief Ready

This checkpoint gates C1-1 (Design Brief Presentation). A student who completes all items is ready to join the presentation queue. A student who hasn't completed the checkpoint uses class time to finish --- naturally reducing their validation time and depth.

Student Self-Check Criteria

Students can check each item themselves before the lesson:

  1. Problem/need/opportunity stated --- Brief has a clear section naming a specific, concrete problem, need, or opportunity.
  2. Solution described --- Brief explains what the software does and how it addresses the problem. A reader unfamiliar with the project could understand the idea.
  3. Users identified and described --- Primary and secondary users are named with enough detail to picture them (not just "students" but specific types of users with context).
  4. Programming language stated with reasons --- Language or framework is named with an explanation of why it suits the project.
  5. Feasibility and originality addressed --- Brief includes a section on whether the project is achievable and what makes it different.
  6. Artefact ready --- Brief committed to GitHub, printed copy in hand, cue card prepared (quarter A4, key talking points only), practiced presenting at least once timed at ~5 minutes.

Teacher Quick Check (circulating, <60 seconds per student)

Check What to look for
Printed brief Physical copy on desk, covers all 5 content sections. They exist and say something specific.
Cue card Quarter A4 or smaller. Key words, not a script.
Quick verbal "In one sentence, what problem does your project solve?" Clear + specific = ready.

Feedback Prompts (done to strong)

Area Prompt
Problem too vague "Your problem is generic. Which specific people have this problem and when?"
Users generic "You say 'teachers and students.' What does a teacher actually do with your app first?"
Language thin "You chose Python. Why Python and not something else? What does it give you?"
Feasibility missing "I see what you're building but not why you can build it. What's your argument?"
Originality unclear "If I Googled this, what would I find? What's your twist?"
Ready for depth "Now think about weaknesses. What could go wrong, and what would you do?"

Proposed Checklist Integration

Where: C01-2026 checklist, before the C1-1 assessment tasks.

Suggestion: Group learning tasks under "Checkpoint A tasks" heading so students can track their readiness. The checkpoint items above become the self-assessment criteria at the end of the learning sequence, before the presentation.

Note: The full assessment package (teacher protocol, question bank, scoring guide) is in SD26-Teachers/sat/C01-2026/C01-1-Assessment-Package.typ. This wiki page covers only the checkpoint criteria suitable for the student-facing checklist.