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Projects & Assignments Policy

Guidelines covering mandatory submissions, evaluation standards, plagiarism rules, capstone projects, and portfolio requirements for all enrolled students.

4.1 Mandatory Submission Policy

Students must complete and submit all assigned projects, assignments, and case studies within the deadlines provided. These tasks are designed to achieve:

  • Practical implementation skills
  • Industry readiness
  • Portfolio quality
  • Problem-solving ability

Important: Failure to submit mandatory assignments or projects may result in the student being declared ineligible for certification or placement support, regardless of performance in other areas.

4.2 Project Evaluation Criteria

All projects and assignments will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Originality — independent thinking and effort
  • Technical implementation — accuracy of methods, tools, and code used
  • Accuracy — correctness of results, calculations, or outputs
  • Presentation quality — clarity and structure of findings
  • Documentation — completeness and professionalism of supporting notes or README files
  • Timely submission — adherence to the published deadline as a standalone criterion
  • Ethical compliance — projects must not involve unauthorized use of third-party data or simulation of illegal activity

4.3 Late Submission Policy

Submissions received after the published deadline may attract:

  • Reduced evaluation scores — a deduction in marks as determined by the mentor or academic team
  • Delayed feedback — late submissions will be reviewed after on-time submissions
  • Disqualification from the project review round for that module

Important: Repeated instances of late submission will be recorded in the student's academic profile and will negatively affect the placement readiness evaluation.

4.4 Plagiarism Policy

The following types of submissions are strictly prohibited:

  • Copying content from another student's submission
  • Reproducing code, analysis, or content from public sources without proper attribution
  • Submitting AI-generated content as one's own work without demonstrating genuine understanding
  • Commissioning or purchasing completed assignments from any third-party

If plagiarism is detected, the following consequences may apply:

  • The student may be required to re-submit the work independently
  • Marks may be reduced, withheld, or zeroed
  • The project may be rejected outright
  • In cases of repeated plagiarism, placement eligibility may be revoked

Legal Reference: Plagiarism involving the reproduction of copyrighted material without attribution may constitute infringement under the Copyright Act, 1957.

4.5 Capstone Project Policy

  • Successful completion and formal submission of the capstone project is required for both program certification and placement eligibility
  • Students may be required to present their capstone project before an assigned mentor, trainer, or expert panel
  • The capstone project must be the student's own original work
  • Any data used must be sourced ethically and legally. Use of personally identifiable information (PII) of real individuals without proper consent is strictly prohibited

Legal Reference: Students must ensure that data, datasets, or third-party tools used in capstone projects are utilized in compliance with the Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011.

4.6 Portfolio & GitHub Policy

Students are strongly encouraged to build and maintain a professional digital presence through the following:

  • Updated resume — reflecting the most current skills and projects
  • GitHub repositories — containing well-documented code projects developed during the program
  • Project portfolios — curated collections of work samples
  • LinkedIn profiles — maintained in alignment with LinkedIn optimization guidance

Important: Public repositories must not include proprietary code, confidential datasets, internal tools, or any content belonging to Meritshot or its clients. Students are solely responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable intellectual property and data privacy laws in their public online presence.