edinburgh napier university imed romdhani november 2012 module soc11101 msc dissertation project...

Edinburgh Napier University

Imed Romdhani • November 2012•• Module SOC11101 •

MSc Dissertation ProjectSOC11101

Lecture 1: The Supervision Process

Dr Imed ROMDHANI

2Edinburgh Napier University


Outline

Problem Space of Supervision

Project Lifecycle

Supervision Actors

Expectations

Required Skills

Issues



Project Lifecyle

Development of Project Proposal

Development of the Problem Description

Following the Objectives

Presenting and Analysing the Data

Drawing Conclusions and Indentifying Future Work

Presenting and Defending the Work Oraly

Development of the Final Version of the Report

QC of Project Proposal

QC of Problem Description

QC Before Presenting Project

Examination

Activity Performed By the Student Quality Control (QC) Performed By Supervisor and/or Examiner



Project Lifecycle

Student

Supervisory Team

Examiners

AdministratorsStandards

RegulationsBest Practice

Co-ordination

Support and

Monitoring

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e

Co-

ordi

natio

n

Ass

essm

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tConformity and Validation



Student ExpectationsStudents expect from their supervisors in the following things:

To read work well in advance;

To be available when needed;

To be friendly, open and supportive;

To be constructively critical;

To have a good knowledge of the research area;

To structure meetings so that it is relatively easy to exchange ideas;

To have sufficient interest in their research to guide the student towards more information;

To act as a model;

To help their academic role development.



Supervisor Expectations

Supervisors expect from their students the following things:

The students should be independent;

The students should produce good quality written work;

The students should have regular meetings with them;

The students should be honest when reporting on their progress;

The students should follow the advice given to them when they request it;

The students should be enthusiastic about their work.



Examiner Expectations

Examiner expects:

A good level of creativity in the process;

Student’s ability to analyse and reason in different situations;

Clarity in written presentation (i.e. dissertation report);

Good student’s oral presentation skills and ability to defend the work;

Good relevance and originality of the problem and the topic;

Student’s ability to separate his work from the work of others;

Good project management with respect to time and project plan;

Conformity to academic regulations and standards;

Success of the process and the student.



Student Skills

Mechanical Skills• Specific skills (Referencing, literature searching, etc.)• General IT skills (Accessing electronic databases/journals, library catalogues)

Personal Skills• Lecture and seminar skills(Note taking, participation)• Personal skills(identifying strengths/weaknesses,Working with others, management, etc.)

Academic Skills• Academic Writing

(assignment planning/writing)

• Academic Reading(Effective reading and critiquing)

• Reasoning skills(Analytical thinking, arguments, etc.)

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Proposal Writing

Developing Project Proposal

Literature Search

Proposal Writing

Proposal Checklist



Project Lifecyle

Development of Project Proposal

Development of the Problem Description

Following the Objectives

Presenting and Analysing the Data

Drawing Conclusions and Indentifying Future Work

Presenting and Defending the Work Oraly

Development of the Final Version of the Report

QC of Project Proposal

QC of Problem Description

QC Before Presenting Project

Examination

Activity Performed By the Student Quality Control (QC) Performed By Supervisor and/or Examiner



Information searching

Referencing: Check the IEEE standard : http://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf

Other useful materials for the whole process are available on Moodle



Choosing a Subject Area

You should strive to choose the subject area that you are most interested in.

Choose the subject area where you have the necessary skills.

Your initial ideas can be further refined by asking yourself: what type of project would I really like to do?

A descriptive project

A theory oriented project

An applied project

A comparison of theory and practice



Descriptive project

Present the state of the art of a given subject

It is NOT just a summary of the literature, you need to highlight your analysis of the literature. Objectives may include

Categorising previous work

Selecting comparison criteria

Comparing previous work with respect to the comparison criteria



Theory Oriented project

Deal with extending or comparing existing theoretical models without testing them in practice

Objectives may include

Identifying the details of the extension

Introducing the extension to the original theoretical model

Comparing the original theoretical model with the extended version



Applied project

Deal with conducting experiments and building proof-of-principle implementations and gathering evidences from them.

The aim may be gaining experience from implementing a new algorithm or protocol

Objectives may include:

Setting up a simulator

Implementing the new algorithm or protocol

Testing and analysing the results obtained

Suggesting improvements to the algorithm or the protocol



Project Structure

Project Title

Introduction

To the subject area;

To the problem within the subject area

Reasons why it is important to investigate the chosen problem

Aim of the project

A short description of what you intend to do.

Objectives

How (by what steps) do you intend to achieve the aim of the project.



Project Checklist

Paper language: it is clear and concise?

Mandatory Information: does it contain the required information?

Quality Assurance: Have you discussed the project proposal with a competent person or a potential supervisor?

Skills and Resources: Do you have the necessary background and resources to do the project?

Time: Have you estimated the time it takes to complete the project?



Developing the Aim

Activities that you need to perform when developing the aim of your project

Refine the Initial AimDevelop the Arguments

behind the Aim

Write the Introduction



Refine the Aim

The aim is a short statement in the form of a clear, unambiguous sentence describing the overall goal of the project

Use the write wording and terminology

It is important that you check and evaluate every word of the aim:

Are all words clear, or can some words be interpreted to mean different things?

Does your aim promise too much?

Are there any restrictions on the aim (time, space, etc.)?

Have you explained all the concepts that are used in the aim clearly?



Argument Behind the Aim

The project aim needs to be supported by proper arguments which explain why it is important to investigate the topic

The arguments should relate to relevant theory and should have clear links to the aim

Using the literature to support the aim is an efficient way of strengthening your arguments

First, find important concepts or factors in the aim or in the arguments. Then find the appropriate literature for these concepts and factors

As you develop the motivations behind the aim, you may need to adjust the wording of the aim



Write the Introduction

Write a high level introduction to introduce the work and present the overall picture

Subject Area

Sub-Area

Problem

Aspect of the problem

Aim

Introductory chapters are sometimes written so that they resemble a funnel

Use standard template forms: check Moodle



The first sections of the form identify you, and allow you to provide information that confirms your eligibility to take the module.

The first sections of the form identify you, and allow you to provide information that confirms your eligibility to take the module.



Titles need to mean something.Take care with title length.Titles should be precise.Questions as titles should be avoided.

Titles need to mean something.Take care with title length.Titles should be precise.Questions as titles should be avoided.

Students who work with staff when putting together their proposals usually submit higher quality work and are registered on the module more quickly than those who do not.

Students who work with staff when putting together their proposals usually submit higher quality work and are registered on the module more quickly than those who do not.

In the brief description of the research area you demonstrate that there is a context into which your proposed work will fit.

In the brief description of the research area you demonstrate that there is a context into which your proposed work will fit.



In the proposal outline you are selling your project idea. Where it is appropriate your proposed project, use the emboldened text to put your detail together.

In the proposal outline you are selling your project idea. Where it is appropriate your proposed project, use the emboldened text to put your detail together.

Fill in this section as though you'd expect someone else to carry out the work. If you are so clear about what your study is going to involve doing that you could give instructions to somebody else, and have that person carry out your research (instead of you) you will have a good proposal. Your ideas should be clear and straightforward, easily articulated on paper (and not something in your head!)

Fill in this section as though you'd expect someone else to carry out the work. If you are so clear about what your study is going to involve doing that you could give instructions to somebody else, and have that person carry out your research (instead of you) you will have a good proposal. Your ideas should be clear and straightforward, easily articulated on paper (and not something in your head!)



Details of specialist hardware and software are important for technical projects: we need to be sure that we have access to the resources to support you.

Details of specialist hardware and software are important for technical projects: we need to be sure that we have access to the resources to support you.

Your research questions should provide an indication of the contribution your work will make to the subject area (as outlined in section 6 above). Use a straightforward question format. Avoid “crystal ball” speculation-type questions that cannot be addressed in this type of work.

Your research questions should provide an indication of the contribution your work will make to the subject area (as outlined in section 6 above). Use a straightforward question format. Avoid “crystal ball” speculation-type questions that cannot be addressed in this type of work.

Take special care with aims. Aim for three or four and use terms such as “critically evaluate”, “analyse”, “investigate”, “determine”, “elicit” when composing them.

Take special care with aims. Aim for three or four and use terms such as “critically evaluate”, “analyse”, “investigate”, “determine”, “elicit” when composing them.

Possible output/deliverables may include development of software, a feasibility study, a comparative evaluation, an extensive survey, a design, a set of recommendations.

Possible output/deliverables may include development of software, a feasibility study, a comparative evaluation, an extensive survey, a design, a set of recommendations.



Your references provide evidence that you have read around your topic. The references should include high quality material (not Wikipedia, not text book chapters, not articles from trade magazines). Use a recognised referencing format.

Your references provide evidence that you have read around your topic. The references should include high quality material (not Wikipedia, not text book chapters, not articles from trade magazines). Use a recognised referencing format.

It is in your best interests to have the agreement of a supervisor before submitting the form – but do not name anyone without permission.

It is in your best interests to have the agreement of a supervisor before submitting the form – but do not name anyone without permission.

Completed proposals (but not drafts) should be submitted to the module leader in time for the deadline.

Completed proposals (but not drafts) should be submitted to the module leader in time for the deadline.



• Completing the proposal form

• Fill in the sections– The order of filling it in is unlikely to be linear– Make sure that it all makes sense as a “whole” document

Attention to writing style– Academic tone– Logical ordering of elements– Attention to detail, e.g. Harvard for in-text citations, APA for listed

references



• What to avoid when writing a proposal:

• Failure to do the preparatory reading, for example– No evidence of familiarity with the literature of the research domain– Methods proposed do not make sense

Inappropriate “research” proposed, for example– Research questions too broad, too trivial, impossible to answer– Aims not linked to research questions– Proposal is focused on development, rather than Masters level

research

Poor presentation, for example– Written style (use of “I”, contractions, journalistic tone), formatting



Make a final check of the work that you produce for the proposal against the content of the feedback form.

Make a final check of the work that you produce for the proposal against the content of the feedback form.



• Convince us

• Why it is worth undertaking this project• What you propose to do• How you intend to go about it• What it will deliver• The potential impact/importance of this proposed work



• Reasons why a proposal would be rejected

• If the proposal is incomplete• If the proposal sections 6-8 contain less text than

asked for• If the proposal is very similar to another student's

proposal (current or past)• If the proposal contains large amount of text that has

been copied from the web or other plagiarised material



Thanks !!

Questions?

edinburgh napier university imed romdhani november 2012 module soc11101 msc dissertation project...

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