Frequently asked questions
About the course
What is CACoM about?
CACoM (Clinical Applications of Computational Medicine) is a project-based course at TUM. In small teams, you design and carry out a research project that answers a clinical or biomedical question with computational methods. See the Overview.
Is attendance required?
We don't force everyone to come to every class, but at least one member of each group attends every class (joining online counts), gives a short update and asks us a question. Everyone attends the hybrid sessions in person unless they have a valid reason. Class participation has the details, including what a missed class costs your group.
How do we contact the course team?
Outside class, open a ticket by emailing support@cacom.dev. Proposals, questions, absence notices and requests for office hours all go there. The subject line format and the other contact rules are on the Staff & contact page.
Choosing a project
Do we have to pick a listed project?
No. Besides the listed projects, custom topics are welcome, though they need at least one mini-pitch in class before the proposal and face a higher bar of justification.
What if our idea isn't on the list?
Propose it as a custom topic. It has to clear a higher bar; Custom topics explains what we look for.
Are mini-pitches graded?
Not on their own, but a custom topic needs at least one mini-pitch (a short talk in class, followed by feedback) before the proposal, and a proposal without one risks delay or rejection. Listed projects need none. See the Proposal guide.
Can two groups work on the same project?
No, each listed project goes to one group. Many projects are broad enough to be split into subprojects, though, so ask us about that. Groups in overlapping areas are fine, and we encourage them to build on each other's results or data, but two groups never work on the same research question.
Can we focus on building an app, tool or game?
Only as a way to answer a research question. You can build tools, interfaces or simulations along the way, but if the tool itself is your main result, the project is off topic and you will fail the course. The exceptions are a few listed projects that center on a tool, such as the wireless PCB for the FullSoul insole; they run in full alignment with us and under closer supervision. See the Refinement guide.
What's the difference between a "vague idea" and a "refined question"?
A vague idea names a broad area ("analyze gait using IMUs"). A refined question is one you can test ("Can ZUPT-based odometry accurately estimate step length in daily-life IMU recordings?"). The Refinement guide shows how to get from one to the other.
Can we build on an earlier CACoM project?
Yes, as long as you state clearly which parts you reused and which are new, and cite the earlier project. See the plagiarism and citation policy.
Can we use a project from another course or a thesis?
You can continue work from a thesis, another module or an external project, but nothing is graded twice. Your proposal must state which part is new, done within CACoM and not submitted anywhere else, and only that part is graded. See the Proposal guide.
Data
Do we need medical data?
No. Simulated, synthetic or public data are fine, and so are systematic reviews and surveys, as long as the question is clinically relevant and the method rigorous. If you do use real patient data, the Data privacy rules apply.
Can we collect our own data, for example with IMUs, a stethoscope or a simulator?
Yes. Describe the setup, safety, data handling and permissions in your proposal. For data from participants or patients, follow the Data privacy rules and get any approvals you need.
Can we use public data, for example from Kaggle?
Yes, if you check the license and cite the dataset. If it contains real patient data, treat it as sensitive and never upload or share it publicly; see Data privacy.
Proposals and teams
How do we submit the proposal?
Email it to support@cacom.dev as a PDF based on the proposal template, by the topic approval deadline. There is no separate portal. The Proposal guide explains review and approval.
We missed the topic approval deadline. Can we still submit?
Only in exceptional cases and with a grade penalty, during the late approval window in the week after the deadline. Once that window closes, we approve no new topics. See the Schedule.
Can we change our topic later?
Yes, until the topic approval deadline. After approval your core topic and direction are fixed, though methods, metrics and analysis can change as you learn more. Discuss any major change of scope with us first.
How big should our group be?
Teams have 1 to 7 students. The Proposal guide explains how team size affects your topic.
Do I have to wait for a full group before I start?
No, but your topic has to be approved first. Once it is, your group lead (for a custom topic, usually the student who pitched it) can start right away, and we encourage you to welcome students who want to join. Teams organize themselves; open a ticket at support@cacom.dev if there's a major conflict or membership is unclear.
Working with collaborators
Can we contact clinicians or companies ourselves?
Yes, as long as you CC support@cacom.dev from the first email on. For established CACoM partners, Prof. Daumer makes the introduction. Contacting collaborators explains both routes.
Can we write to collaborators in German?
Yes, if they prefer German. Course communication stays in English, and you CC support@cacom.dev in either language.
Our collaborator stopped responding. What do we do?
Open a ticket at support@cacom.dev right away. We can help you reframe or redirect the project if needed. See Collaboration.
What if a collaborator gives us proprietary data or devices?
You can use them, but we grade only what we can see and reproduce, so document how the confidential parts fit into your work. See Project ownership and grading and Data privacy.
Deliverables
What exactly do we have to submit?
You submit a one-minute video and a poster one week before the end-of-semester symposium, and a reproducibility package one week after it. At the symposium, your whole team walks us through the poster in the poster session, and at least one of you stays with it during every break. The Presentation package page has the requirements, and the Schedule lists the dates.
Where do we upload our files?
Into your group's Google Drive folder, which we share after topic approval; then let us know with a ticket to support@cacom.dev. Never attach patient, pseudonymized or proprietary data to the ticket itself.
Can we publish our code on GitHub?
Yes, code and documentation are welcome there. Leave out real clinical or proprietary data: include synthetic examples instead, and keep the real data in your group's Google Drive folder. See Reproducibility and Data privacy.
Grading
What influences our grade the most?
Research question & motivation (priority 1) weighs most, followed by Results, analysis & reflection (priority 2). Polished visuals or fancy tools don't make up for weak reasoning. See Grading.
How do grading priorities work?
The six criteria are grouped into four priorities, and higher priorities weigh more. There are no percentages and no published point formula, and neglecting a lower priority can still pull your grade down. See Grading.
Is the poster session graded?
Yes, per team, under Poster, video & discussion. The symposium format explains the poster session and what counts during breaks.
Can poor presentation hurt an otherwise good project?
Yes. If you can't explain what you did and why, we can't count the project as a success, however strong it is technically. See Grading.
How do you evaluate effort and independence?
Under Independence, initiative & professionalism, we look at whether you make steady progress and how well you plan and solve problems on your own. Asking questions never counts against you; needing reminders, missing classes without notice or leaving problems for us to solve does. See Grading.
How is collaboration graded?
It counts under Independence, initiative & professionalism. Outstanding collaboration can earn a bonus, and unprofessional conduct, such as slow or unreliable communication, ignoring a partner's input or driving a partner away, can lead to a penalty. See Collaboration.
AI and plagiarism
Can we use AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot?
Yes, for writing help, brainstorming or code, as long as you understand and verify everything you submit. The AI tools policy covers good and bad use and how to disclose it.
What happens if we let AI write everything?
Fluent but shallow text is easy to spot. We grade it as minimal effort, and it lowers your score under Results, analysis & reflection and Independence, initiative & professionalism. See the AI tools policy.
What happens if we accidentally plagiarize?
Intent doesn't matter: a missing citation counts as plagiarism, and plagiarism means an automatic 5.0. Check your sources and citations before you submit. See the plagiarism and citation policy.
Other questions
What tools or programming languages can we use?
Any you like (Julia, Python, R, MATLAB, TensorFlow, PyTorch or a custom setup), as long as your methods are transparent and reproducible.
What if something unexpected happens, like lost data, a group conflict or illness?
Open a ticket at support@cacom.dev as soon as possible. We can help you adjust timelines or scope, but only if we know early.
If your question isn't here, open a ticket at support@cacom.dev or ask in class.