¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

Aims:

The module aims to give students experience of undertaking and completing a large research project, applying techniques learned throughout the programme, including the technical skills of analysis, design and implementation.

Intended learning outcomes:

On successful completion of the module, a student will be able to:

1. Work individually developing a major project, plan and coordinate development activities, make realistic work commitments, present the work done effectively to a deadline.

Indicative content:

Overview:

There is no set syllabus: students identify their chosen project area and are allocated a supervisor who is a member of academic staff. The supervisor provides support and guidance. The project runs from immediately after the pre-Easter examination period (March) with the students responsible for organising themselves and their work, with advice from their supervisor. Student are expected to meet with their supervisor on a regular basis, as agreed with the supervisor. A typical project will comprise approximately 4 weeks of background reading, analysis and design, followed by 12 weeks of implementation and finally 4 weeks to write an in-depth dissertation.

Exceptionally a student may undertake a project that does not require programming skills. However, a student undertaking such a project would be required to demonstrate an exceptionally high level of skill in the areas of analysis, synthesis, critical assessment, and design. It is not a soft option and students are advised that such a project is typically much harder than a 'programming' project.ÌýSome projects are done in conjunction with other departments in ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. Others are done in conjunction with external organisations although supervision is always provided within the department.

Project presentation:

An assessed presentation is made approximately two weeks before the project hand-in.

Project report:

The main report documents the results of the project. The deadline for submission is normally in earlyÌýSeptember. The final report is normally recommended to be not more than 80 pages long although appendices are permitted. The total length of report and appendices must not exceed 120 A4 pages;

Requisites:

To be eligible to select this module, a student must be registered on a programme and year of study for which it is a formally available.