KV6002 - Team Project and Professionalism

With the guidance of an academic supervisor, your team will be responsible for managing, scoping, designing, implementing and documenting an appropriate software solution, building on skills learned in other modules. You will apply project management skills and techniques to ensure your team can complete the work on schedule and you will consider relevant professional, legal, social and ethical issues in the development of the product. Additionally you will enhance your communication, leadership and negotiation skills through the completion of this project.

Following a demonstration of your product you will critically evaluate the product, project, and wider Legal, Ethical, Social and Professional implications related to the potential commercial exploitation of the product. This will provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate constructive criticality.

This module will combine a range of methods to support your learning. There will be lectures to guide you through the key module requirements. You will meet your tutors on a regular basis, giving advice and feedback throughout. Additional technical support sessions are available in some weeks to assist you in the development of your application if required. Your group will be encouraged to take control over your project and to work independently of the tutors much of the time to achieve the project you have designed – this helps you to learn from each other, as well, as your tutors, as you help and support each other to complete the project.

As well as during the scheduled lectures, tutors will be available during the timetabled classes to offer help and advice as well as to provide feedback on work completed on a weekly basis.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Plan appropriate requirements, design and implementation strategies and methods for the development of a significant computing product related to your programme of study (including consideration of commercial, economic, legal, ethical, social and professional factors)
2. Critically apply a well-integrated requirements, design and development methodology to a computing problem

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Develop a significant computing product using industrial standard development tools and techniques (including those related to information security) including the application of the required project management and team working skills
4. Apply appropriate quality assurance techniques and work to appropriate professional standards for documentation, quality control and product integrity

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

5. Critically evaluate project work in terms of the technical decision making, group work, processes and responsibilities, the final project deliverables as well as the professionalism, ethical and legal considerations and potential social impacts (including information security).

The summative assessment will consist of three assessments. For the first your team will write a Terms of Reference, which will consist of a definition and plan for the computing project you intend to build. This will be worth 10% of the marks available and will assess MLO 1. The plan will include identification and potential mitigation of related commercial, economic, legal, ethical, social and professional factors. You will be provided with written feedback on this by your tutors which you will be expected to apply to the development of the product.

The second assessment will require you to demonstrate the product that your team has implemented. This will be worth 50% of the marks available and will assess MLOs 1,2,3,4. You will receive verbal and written feedback on your work.

For the third assessment you will write an evaluation where you will consider the project you have completed, identifying areas of strengths, weaknesses and learning. You will reflect on the product you have constructed and the process of the completion of the project from its inception to completion, considering relevant legal, social, ethical and professional issues. Your will explore these both in terms of the project and in terms of the potential wider commercial adoption of the product. This will be worth 40% of the marks available and will assess MLO 5. You will receive written feedback on your work.

Formative assessment and feedback - you will work on the system in timetabled sessions and will be provided with feedback on your work.

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This module gives you the opportunity to work in a team to build a computing product which develops and demonstrates your skills in leadership, team work, project management, planning, communication (both written and oral) as well as technical skills in the technology you choose to implement in. This module aims to give you a ‘real-world’ experience of team working which is an invaluable asset and highly prized by employers. The project and its potential future commercial exploitation provide a context for you to critically evaluate your and your team’s performance, the fitness for purpose of the product you have developed and the legal, ethical, professional and social content of your chosen specialism. These are attributes that will help you in a career in computing.