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introduction to MSc projects

general information

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what is an MSc project?

a sustained piece of work of up to 400 hours (almost 4 months work)

carried out individually a ‘scholarly’ piece of work.

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why is your project is important

Counts for 60 credits out of a total of 120 To gain am MSc distinction you must

achieve distinction level work in your project

Will be used when writing references for you for future employers and courses you may take

Your only opportunity to carry out a significant, individual piece of work

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introduction to projects

assessment of your project

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assessment of project Formal project proposal Initial report Interim report The software (if applicable) and

documentation/dissertation to be stored on your own area on the project drive (P).

The project website uses a blog (diary system) so that you can keep notes about your progress; meetings with your supervisor are kept here as well as their feedback on your deliverables.

Project report followed by a Viva (demonstration of software/presentation of findings).

Development Mark (30% of total)

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project report

worth 70% of the marks marked by two academics

your supervisor a second marker

a formal summary of all that you have done and your findings

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Deliverables (Sept 2005 start)

Activity Date due

Project Proposal 9/6/2006

Initial Report 7/7/2006

Interim Report 5/9/2006

Completed Project(Report + Implementation)

1/10/2006

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introduction to projects

planning your project

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a project plan for you to follow

Collect data

Reflect and conclude

produce something

Have a good idea

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deciding on a projecttopic

Have a good idea

Produce a project checklist Generate

ideas for project topic

Investigate and short-list ideas

Make final selection

document project topic

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types of projects constructive : involving the design and implementation of a

system.

evaluative : an evaluation of a particular system in terms of its function, performance or human-computer interaction.

analytic : an analysis of particular policies or strategies with respect to the implementation of computing techniques or methods in organisations.

investigative : practical experiments or investigations into particular systems or comparisons of alternatives

Have a good idea

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what should an IS project be about?

an IS project could be concerned with:

understanding specific aspects of information systems

understanding and modelling quasi-realistic problems

reflecting and appraising how to build information systems

Have a good idea

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what should a Computing project be about?

a Computing project could be concerned with:

Understanding important aspects of software systems

Understanding and modelling quasi-realistic problems

Reflecting and appraising how to build software systems

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what should a MM project be about?

your project could be concerned with:

understanding specific aspects of multimedia systems

understanding and modelling problems reflecting and appraising how to build

multimedia systems

Have a good idea

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what should a project involve?

Requirements Analysis user / client / peer / supervisor / employer

Research – theory / concepts Evaluate – existing products

Evaluate idea

Plan, Design, Develop, Build

Test – based on req. analysis

Evaluate – product and process

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course aims for the project

To develop your capacity to organise and carry out an extended, independent study.

To adopt a scientific approach to your work.

To apply, where appropriate, good engineering practice.

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a scientific approach

understand and can use theoretical concepts

have a knowledge of relevant work by others in the field

can argue logically and consistently.

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good engineering practice

planned and organised your work in a structured way

selected and applied methods in a rigorous fashion

kept detailed records of your work.

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personal skills you will need

be able to work independently. investigate and understand advanced

concepts. be able to follow a task to the end be able to communicate ideas.

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technical skillsyou will need

to critically evaluate the work of others and your own.

to select and apply methods and techniques rigorously.

to reason clearly and logically. to write-up a project as a coherent thesis.

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project proposals

The project proposal demonstrates that: you have thought the proposed project

through it is achievable in the time available it is of an appropriate academic level it is appropriate to your MSc programme.

Have a good idea

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how will this project proposal help me?

for a project to have a high probability of a success, it is essential to have: defined an appropriate set of objectives identified how these objectives will be met made an assessment of the resources

required to complete the project prepared the way for a relevant literature

study.

Have a good idea

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Proposal Format Topic area

This is the general subject area e.g. design and implementation of relational database applications

TitleA good project title should attract a reader’s interest and capture the essence of the project.

IntroductionDescribe in half a page the area of study and the scope of the projectContains the AIM.

Key phrasesGive five to eight key words or key phrases that you could use to search a library subject catalogue.

ObjectivesDefine up to 6 objectives that are specific to your topic area and productExpand these objectives in terms of: the understanding you need to achieve; the activities you need to undertake; the deliverables required.

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and …. Relevance of other courses

What parts of the syllabuses of the other courses that you are studying are relevant?

Required resourcesAre you assured of access to the required information? List the people or organisations that you expect to gain information or help from. List any required computing resources. Do you have adequate access to them?

Initial referencesInclude key references to books or journal articles that you see as providing a theoretical context to your work as well as practical and technical information. These should include works other than just standard course textbooks.

Critical success factorsWhat are the critical activities, people or resources that can make or break your project ? Where is the risk ? What can you do about it?

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“Aim” vs “Objectives”

The two terms are often used interchangeably. What is the difference?

An aim is broader than an objective which is more specific. Aim: A purpose. A plan. “This is what I want to do …” Objective: A goal or target or task.

“One objective is to read that ASP.Net book”. “Investigate use of ASP in “topic area” websites”

The time-scale for achieving an aim may not be defined - an objective must be achievable within a specified period of time - “by next week!”

An objective also carries with it a course of action or set of activities that will be carried out in order to achieve the objective. “allocate some time; code up exercises …”

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“Aim” = sum of Objectives Stating the Aim for a project will help you and

your supervisor know what your project is intended to achieve

The Aim must be expanded into a set of high-level project Objectives which are set out in the Project Proposal.

The high-level Objectives can, for the purposes of planning and carrying out the project, be expanded into sets of lower-level objectives.

When you have completed all the objectives you should have achieved your AIM!

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Keep referring back

Whenever you are uncertain as to how to proceed or whether something should be included in the project, refer back to the project aim.

Ask yourself whether a proposed activity supports the project’s aim. If it doesn’t then think carefully about what it does contribute to the project.

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This week ….

You will work together in small groups to develop a group project proposal

Project surgeries will run on Tue/Wed afternoon in QM358/357/269

Your group will present their project proposal on Friday and gain part of their individual development marks

Have a good idea

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next week …

You will work on your individual project proposals

Sept 2005 start students will need to submit these proposals by June 9th using the project upload system