This introductory module welcomes students to the capstone project of the Object Oriented Java Programming specialization. Students begin working with social network data, representing it as graphs, and implementing basic graph algorithms such as extracting egonets and identifying strongly connected components. The module provides a warm-up assignment to help students get comfortable with the data and programming challenges before defining their own project scope.

In this module, students plan the bulk of their capstone project by identifying specific questions they want to answer about social network data. They research and evaluate appropriate data structures and algorithms for implementing solutions to these questions. Students use asymptotic analysis to guide and refine their design choices, anticipating potential bottlenecks and challenges. The module includes example project ideas such as information flow analysis, broadcasting in Twitter networks, and community detection.

This module focuses on implementing a solution to the easier of the two problems identified in the previous module. Working independently, students create small test datasets, research existing solutions to related problems, implement their own solution, test it, and analyze its algorithmic runtime. Students have the option to write a report on their mini-project and receive peer feedback to guide improvements before tackling the larger project.

In this module, students begin work on the larger problem they've chosen to solve. They focus on creating test datasets, researching existing solutions, analyzing the runtime of potential approaches, and finding interesting real-world datasets that would be appropriate for their specific problem. This checkpoint allows students to receive feedback on their progress before completing the full project implementation.

This module represents the culmination of the project work, where students finalize their solution to the larger social network analysis problem. They submit a comprehensive report for peer review that details their implementation, analysis, and findings. The module also encourages reflection on the development process, identifying what worked well and what could be improved, as well as how their technical skills have advanced throughout the specialization.

In this final module, students present their completed project to the learning community through an oral report. This module integrates all the skills developed throughout the specialization: algorithm analysis, object-oriented programming, data structure design and implementation, and professional presentation skills. Students review each other's presentations and provide feedback, creating a collaborative learning environment for the conclusion of the specialization.