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Business Computing BSc (Hons)


Module CM0645 - Individual Project

(40.00 Credits)



SYNOPSIS This module is designed to provide an opportunity for the expression of individual energy and ability in completing a significant item of work related to the aims and objectives of the course. Topics for projects may be suggested by students themselves and perhaps may derive from industrial placement experience or their employment (for part-time students). However, academic staff will also suggest suitable topics for selection by students. The student will be provided with a supervisor for their project. This person will provide guidance during the project period on the progress of the work, the direction of the study and the quality of work carried out. During the project the student will submit several pieces of work which contribute to the module. During the first half of the first semester students will produce a Terms of Reference document, with advice and support from their supervisor, and will discuss drafts of the Terms of Reference with the supervisor before submitting the final version. (For part-time students these timings may be adjusted if required by the student's study plan.) During the remainder of the semester the student should work on the problem analysis and on the specification of requirements for the product. During this period the supervisor will review the student's work and provide advice on how the work can be improved. Towards the end of the first semester an initial draft of the requirements specification and the analysis part of the project report will be submitted to the supervisor. This report will cover the background to the project, justify the product requirements and identify the approach and tools to be used to carry out the project work. It may include a literature review., This draft will be formatively assessed and used to give guidance to the student in preparation of the final report. The practical work for the project will be carried out during the second semester. During this period the student is expected to produce both the project product and a final report. The report and the product documentation, etc. will be submitted in week 11 of the second semester. On completion of the project, the student will submit a project report which incorporates the earlier analysis report (or a revision of it), describes the synthesis of a solution to a problem and gives a detailed critical evaluation of both the technical work and the process of the project. In addition all supporting technical documentation will also be made available for assessment. At an appropriate time during the remaining weeks of the semester, the student will meet with the supervisor and second marker for a demonstration/viva voce. This will typically be a 30 minute session. The student will demonstrate the work. In the remaining time the supervisor and second marker will ask questions about the report and the demonstration. Students have the opportunity to choose between two structures for their project, with slightly different marking schemes. This choice will be made at the Terms of Reference stage, when the topic is fully defined. The Software Engineering project is suitable for projects whose emphasis is the construction of a piece of software for actual use or to a similar standard, following sound and thorough software engineering processes; students will be required to justify the product requirements and the tools and techniques used in support of the development. The General project structure is suitable for projects where an element of investigation is an important feature, and will include a significant literature survey. The product may be a prototype aimed at supporting the investigation. It is also suitable for research-based projects or others whose main product is a computing deliverable other than software, e.g. a well-engineered design whose specification involves a significant element of supporting investigation of relevant literature.


INDICATIVE READING LIST AND OTHER LEARNING RESOURCES Students will be provided with a copy of the project handbook. (This is produced by the Project Tutor and will be reviewed on a yearly basis) Students are expected to develop their own reading list that is specific to their chosen project. Students will be required to demonstrate at an early stage that literature is available in the chosen area of the project, that they have assessed seminal articles/texts and that all necessary hardware and software will be available for the duration of the project. Support will also be provided via Blackboard. Typically this includes A list of supervisors, their subject areas, and project suggestions, including any proposals from third parties. Electronic copies of all project forms and documents. Other useful resources include: Dawson, C.W. (2005) Projects in Computing and Information Systems: A Student's Guide, Addison-Wesley. Previous project reports - available in the University Library.


OUTLINE SYLLABUS The module consists almost entirely of project work done under the guidance of a supervisor. Typical activities include literature searching and review, requirements specification, systems analysis and design, HCI design, software implementation and testing, evaluation of the work done, writing a project report, preparation of a demonstration. The work of on the project will be split into three main phases: initial planning of the work, analysis of the problem, and the actual practical work with production of a final project report done in parallel with this. Supporting lectures will be offered at intervals throughout the year and will cover aspects of the project process such as: • Overview of the project • Choosing a topic and a marking scheme • The Terms of Reference • Ethics in the project • The project report • Analysis and literature review • Referencing and use of Turnitin • Design • Testing • The demonstration and viva.


AIMS OF MODULE This module is designed to provide an opportunity for the expression of individual energy and ability in completing a significant item of work related to the aims and objectives of the course.


LEARNING OUTCOMES On completion of this module, the student should be able to: 1. Construct a problem statement working from unstructured ideas. 2. Plan, schedule, monitor and control the conduct of a small project. 3. Use libraries and other information resources to investigate relevant work. 4. Apply appropriate skills, methods and tools to the specification and production of a significant Computing product. 5. Critically evaluate their work 6. Communicate the findings of a small project by verbal presentation/demonstration and written report.


PREREQUISITES Completion of level 5, or equivalent study for direct entrants.


LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGY The Project Tutor will be responsible for the organisation and delivery of the module. In addition to arranging supervision, the Project Tutor will provide a series of supporting lectures. These will be delivered at appropriate points over the academic year, and may involve a range of academic staff speaking on aspects of the process in which they specialise. At the start of the module all students will be given a project handbook outlining the stages of the project and the marking schemes used and giving guidance on the preparation of the project documentation. Additionally they will receive a logbook which they are expected to maintain and submit at the end of the project. Prior to the start of the project - towards the end of the previous academic year for continuing students or during the bridging and induction course for direct entrants - students will be asked to begin to identify a project idea, and may make contact with available supervisors. Students on the sandwich course will be encouraged during their placement year to identify possible projects arising out of their placement. Students on the part-time course will be encouraged to seek projects based at their place of employment. At the start of the year, supervisors will publish their project ideas and areas of interest on Blackboard, and students will be encouraged to find a supervisor whose ideas interest them. The Project Tutor will publish any ideas proposed by external parties. During the first two weeks of the semester, students will be expected to make a definite arrangement for supervision. Any student who has not found a supervisor by the end of this period will have a supervisor appointed by the Project Tutor. In such cases students may be expected to undertake a project of the supervisor's choice. A project initiation document is submitted at the end of week 3. This will be a short document identifying the project topic that has been agreed between student and supervisor. During the period that the project runs students would normally be expected to see their supervisors every week. Supervisors and students will be expected to keep a brief log of progress of the project. The supervisor will hold regular weekly tutorials with the student and be accessible, within reason, at other times for giving advice; give guidance about the nature of the project, the work to be done and the standard expected, about the production of the Terms of Reference, about literature, about techniques and methods, and about any problems of plagiarism; encourage students to follow their schedule and produce work in good time; ensure that the student is aware of any inadequacy of progress or of standards of work below those expected; with the second marker, review the student's Terms of Reference and mark the project. A second marker will be appointed early in the project. This member of staff will have responsibility along with the supervisor for reviewing the Terms of Reference and marking the student's work. Students will be expected to spend 100 hours working on the project during the first semester and 300 hours during the second semester. In the first semester, a Terms of Reference document should be produced after 6 weeks and an initial draft analysis section of the report after 12 weeks. In the second semester, students will also write their project report, which will incorporate material from their initial draft report.


ASSESSMENT AND FEEDBACK STRATEGY a Summative assessment and rationale for tasks The summative assessment will be based on: The final report, submitted at the beginning of May, and an assessment of the project product , including its fitness for purpose and build quality (60%130% for General projects; 45%/45% for Software Engineering projects.) Assesses learning outcomes 1-6. The final presentation and viva. This will typically be a 30-40 minute session. In the first 20 minutes the student should demonstrate the work and/or explain the main results of the project. In the remaining time the supervisor and second marker will question the student on the report and the demonstration (10%) Assesses learning outcome 6. In marking the report, the supervisor and second marker will mark the report independently and then meet to discuss their marks and arrive at an agreed mark. If the supervisor and second marker cannot reach a consensus, an arbitrator will be appointed. This will be a senior academic with considerable experience of project work. The student will be provided with written feedback by the supervisor. This will include the agreed marks for the report, product and viva. b. Additional formative assessment — detail of process and rationale The Project Initiation Document provides an opportunity for the supervisor (and, by exception, the Projects Tutor) to give feedback on the initial project idea. The Terms of Reference Review is a comprehensive review of the project proposal represented in the TOR that takes place at a meeting between student, supervisor and second marker, with the intention of providing a firm foundation for the project work. The supervisor will give written or verbal comments on the initial draft analysis section of the report submitted at the end of semester 1, and appropriate guidance will be given to the student. Students will receive formative feedback at their regular weekly meetings



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