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MSc Project Handbook

Computing and Information Systems

Department

Academic Year

2017 - 2018 Version 1.01

Contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................. 1

2. Aims of the Project ....................................................................... 2

3. Learning Outcomes ...................................................................... 4

4. Delivery of the Course ................................................................. 5

Key Texts .................................................................................................................................. 6

5. The Role of the Supervisor .......................................................... 7

5.1 What is the role of the supervisor? .................................................................................... 7

5.2 What you may expect but it is not within the supervisor’s role to: ................................... 7

5.3 What happens to the supervision role over the holiday period? ........................................ 7

6. The Role of the Student ............................................................... 8

6. Assessment Criteria ..................................................................... 9

6.1 Deliverables ...................................................................................................................... 9

6.2 Distribution of Marks for all projects ............................................................................... 9

6.3 Final Submission - Assessment Outline ......................................................................... 10

6.5 Standardisation of Assessment ....................................................................................... 10

6.6 Submission of Project Deliverables ................................................................................ 11

6.7 Applying for extenuating circumstances ................................................................ 11

7. Plagiarism ................................................................................... 12

7.1 Plagiarism includes - but is not limited to: ..................................................................... 12

7.2 Reuse of programming code ............................................................................................. 12

7.3 Copying information from the Web/books etc. ................................................................ 13

7.4 Use of Multimedia ............................................................................................................ 13

8. Regulations ................................................................................. 13

8.1 Passing the Course ............................................................................................................ 13

8.2 Reassessment Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Awards ........................................... 13

SECTION B: SUPPORTING MATERIAL ................................ 14

9. Getting started and choosing a Project .................................... 14

10. The Project Proposal ................................................................ 15

Header ..................................................................................................................... 16

Main body of the proposal ...................................................................................... 16

Timetable ................................................................................................................ 19

The Blog System .................................................................................................... 19

11. The Initial Report (1,000-1500 words) ................................... 19

Header Sheet (ie front page) ................................................................................... 19

Current situation ..................................................................................................... 20

Problem Areas ........................................................................................................ 20

Key work during the next period ............................................................................ 20

Submission of Initial Report ................................................................................... 20

12. The Interim Report (Minimum of 2500 words) .................... 21

Header ..................................................................................................................... 21

Part A – Progress Report (500 - 1,000 words) ....................................................... 21

Part B – Draft of Project Report to Date (minimum of 2000 words) ..................... 21

Submission of Interim Report ................................................................................ 21

13. The Final Report (10,000 – 15,000 words) ............................. 22

13.1 Report Structure .............................................................................................................. 22

Title Page ........................................................................................................................ 22

Abstract ........................................................................................................................... 22

Preface ............................................................................................................................ 23

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ 23

Table of Contents (including appendices) ...................................................................... 23

List of Tables .................................................................................................................. 23

List of Figures ................................................................................................................. 23

Body of Report ............................................................................................................... 23

Writing up the results of a literature review ........................................................................... 24

Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 25

13.2 Report Layout ................................................................................................................. 26

Size ................................................................................................................................. 26

Page Layout .................................................................................................................... 26

Font Size/Font Type ....................................................................................................... 26

Page Numbering ............................................................................................................. 26

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... 26

Writing Up .............................................................................................................................. 26

13.3 Submission of Final Report and Software ...................................................................... 26

14 Demonstrating the Product/Dissertation ................................. 27

Appendix A: Project Course Specification .................................. 28

Appendix B: MSc Project Assessment Criteria ........................... 36

Appendix C: Sample MSc Project Proposal ................................ 38

Appendix D: Sample Cover Sheet for Project ............................. 42

Appendix E: Intellectual Property Rights .................................... 43

MSc Project Handbook Academic Year 2017/18

1. Introduction

The individual project is final part of the Master’s programme. It is worth 60 credits (one third

of the programme credits) and accounts for 4 months of the one year full time MSc and 8

months of the 2 year part time MSc. Hence, it is a major undertaking that can require up to 600

hours of work to complete. The project report should be between 10,000 to 15,000 words and

examples of previous projects are available on Moodle (Comp1252, Comp1298). The project

must reflect the skills and knowledge gained from 30 core credits from your degree programme

and the title of your degree programme.

This project is designed to provide you with the opportunity to carry out an individual piece of

supervised work which reflects your programme area and is at, or informed by, the forefront of

your academic discipline. Business, industry and commercial enterprise, as prospective

employers also require that MSc graduates have a range of transferable skills. Such skills

include being able to work independently, solve complex problems and organize your learning

and work. These skills are evidenced by undertaking and successfully completing the project

running over several months. All of these activities should be performed by you in an

autonomous fashion, with some direction but minimal direct help from your supervisor, and

must be completed to a specified deadline.

Employers also expect MSc holders to be able to evaluate their own work in the context of

other related work, and draw and present their conclusions both orally and in the form of a

cogent, well-written and well-presented report. Additionally, a Masters programme should

equip students to pursue a research programme, such as M.Phil. or PhD which requires that an

applicant be able to select a research topic, read and evaluate relevant literature, select

appropriate research methods/tools, conduct the research and present your findings supported

by rigorous discussion in a thesis.

Usually, those who study for a Masters degree will have also studied a first degree that

contained a project element. For those to whom this does not apply the undergraduate website

will be very helpful and you may also attend the series of project lectures for undergraduates.

The project co-ordinator is Programme leader Tatiana Simmonds. If there are any queries or

concerns please use the general project enquiries available on the project website.

Part A of this handbook outlines the course philosophy, assessment methodology and

regulations with Part B providing information about the project process. In addition to this

handbook further guidance and support is provided via your project supervisor, project website,

and Moodle course page.


2. Aims of the Project

The project should reflect the aims of your Master’s programme and the National

Qualifications Framework for a Master’s qualification shown below.

“Much of your study at this level is at, or informed by, the forefront of your academic

discipline. Your project should reflect this and show originality in the application of

knowledge, and your understanding of how the boundaries of knowledge are advanced

through research.

The project will demonstrate your ability to deal with complex issues both

systematically and creatively, and your originality in tackling and solving problems

that arise. It will also reflect the qualities needed for employment in circumstances

requiring sound judgement, personal responsibility and initiative, in complex and

unpredictable professional environments.” Adapted from the National Qualifications Framework

The aims of this course are to:

A. provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate a good understanding and a critical

awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by,

the forefront of the specialist programme area;

B. enable you to develop a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to your

own research or advanced scholarship;

C. create an environment where you can develop originality in the application of knowledge,

together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and

enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline;

D. let you demonstrate that you can deal with complex issues both systematically and

creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate your

conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences’;

E. give the opportunity for you to demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and

solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a

professional or equivalent level;

F. develop your ability to appraise critically, by producing an academic report of your project

(explaining the problem, aims and objectives, methods/approach and techniques used, your

literature review and critical evaluation of it, a body of your project work and your

findings, conclusions together with references and citations);

G. provide an opportunity for you to build on your knowledge from one or more of your

taught courses, of which it must include either one 30 credit core course or two 15 credit

core courses, as well as extend such knowledge into new areas with your independent yet

planned learning;

H. apply competently and professionally some key elements of your domain knowledge and

skills acquired in the programme of study to a realistic problem of real industrial or

research relevance.


The MSc Project should reflect in some way the advanced nature of the professional knowledge

and skills that you have learned, and/or reflect the fact that you are expected to be near the

limits of knowledge in your discipline. Hence, a satisfactory project might be of one of the

following example forms:

(i) The creation of an artifact that maps to the system lifecycle and displays wide-ranging

professional good practice in several of the component areas of the discipline. Such a

project would integrate the usage of skills and techniques from the several domains of

expertise. It is very likely that such a project would be in a particular application area, and

the integrated product development would have to match closely the requirements of the

application. The application of particular domains of expertise need not necessarily be very

deep since the novelty of the project is in its integrative features.

(ii) The creation of an artifact that maps to the system lifecycle and focuses primarily on one

area of professional expertise covered in the course, making complementary use of other

areas of technique and skills as required. Knowledge of the primary professional area of

expertise would be expected to be very deep, i.e. state-of-the-art, and the literature review

to reflect this. The techniques involved would be expected to be applied in “full-strength”

to an application case study. Because of the advanced nature of the techniques used on the

application area it may well be the case that now knowledge or understanding would result

from the project.

(iii) The project might be primarily concerned with the development of a technique or

methodology, most likely in a particular application area, with lesser emphasis on the

development of a product, beyond what has so far been currently achieved in the

discipline, and in that application area. The Literature Review would therefore be

expected to be very deep and up to the moment, and the explanation of the current state of

the art quite full, and how the proposed new developments extend the area. The new

developments to be attempted need to be clearly listed, and deliberately limited so that they

are achievable in the limited time available. Delivery of completely or partially new tools

and techniques would be expected and a clearly demonstration of good research

methodology within the development process would be required.

Essentially the project must produce some new information and not simply apply existing

information. For instance, developing web pages that simply draw data from a database would

be insufficient and would be applying existing knowledge. To design and produce a fully

developed information system utilising a web-enabled database as part of its resource would be

acceptable. It could include a new approach or technology (eg one discussed in a recent

academic paper or devised by you) and then discussed in the dissertation. This does not mean

that there has to be an entirely new contribution; that is at Doctorate (Phd) level. It is sufficient

to solve a problem in a slightly different way or to use a new technique that has not been fully

explored or apply the application to a new environment.


3. Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course you should be able to:

Generic learning outcomes

A. manage a substantial individual project relevant to your programme of study, including

the planning, documentation and control of a systematic understanding of knowledge, and

a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or

informed by, the forefront of the specialist academic discipline;

B. apply competently and effectively key subject specific knowledge and technical skills

involving tools, techniques and methodologies to a real or realistic industrial or research

problem in the programme specialist area;

C. specify and scope a project at the forefront of their specialist knowledge appropriately;

D. carry out an in-depth investigation of context, literature and related work (or products) in

the field focused on the research questions and or project aims and requirements;

E. analyse, interpret, integrate and synthesise the findings of the investigation;

F. evaluate the relevance of current legislation, examine the role of the professional and

professional bodies, and reflect upon the social and ethical implications from the client,

employer and personal perspective;

G. write a project report to a given standard which should include a critical appraisal of the

project;

H. provide a clear and critical description of the stages of the life cycle undertaken and

evaluate its effectiveness including a description of how testing was applied at these

stages;

I. provide a clear and critical appraisal of software/hardware architectural choices,

modelling techniques and technologies used;

J. describe and evaluate the use of tools and methodologies to support the development

process;

K. produce a quality product and be able to explain and demonstrate how it works;

L. critically evaluate or contrast the quality of the final product(s) relating this to key project

choices made.

Indicative Content

Students will select a topic from either a published list suggested by lecturers or suggest one

(possibly relating to their work or employer). If the student suggests the topic, it must be agreed

as suitable by the supervisor.

The project proposal must be uploaded and the layout should conform to the model outlined in

lectures and published on the web page for this course. An appropriate member of the

academic staff will be assigned as a supervisor for the student.


The student will examine different codes of practice and codes of ethics applicable to the

computer professional; explore teleological, deontological and rights based reasoning plus

conflicts of value and investigate the role of the law and how it applies to their project.

Students will also gain an appreciation of what entrepreneurship is; consider how everyone has

the potential to be entrepreneurial, and to explore the constituents of the entrepreneurial

process.

Opportunities will also be provided to assist students in being able to recognise and articulate

the employability skills developed both within their programme area and in other activities.

4. Delivery of the Course The course is essentially student centred with support provided by the project coordinators, a

supervisor, conference materials, handbook, Moodle page and a project website. PG students

are encouraged to start work on their project as soon as they join the programme. Students will

attend a series of lectures, seminars, talks and practical sessions during the Project Conference.

These aim to inform you about the project process, course delivery and assessment

methodology, plus the project lifecycle, the nature of a project, how to write and submit project

related documentation, information on research skills, legal, social, ethical & professional

issues, critical thinking, plagiarism, referencing, business related & commercial issues, how

your project will be assessed and what is expected of you etc. Specific lectures by programme

leaders or guest speakers will take place to further focus your project topic areas.

You will be assigned a supervisor – a member of the academic or research staff and as part of

this process you will apply for a supervisor online and then complete details of your proposed

project. This will help us to allocate a supervisor to meet your needs. They will advise and

guide you throughout the course of the project however remember that one of the criteria for an

MSc project is the ability to “deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, and

your originality in tackling and solving problems that arise.” All this is available in the project

website.

Project related support is provided by the project coordinators until a student has been allocated

to a supervisor. Students apply for a supervisor on-line stating their first, second and third

choice of supervisor and providing a short outline of a possible project. This information is

used to select an appropriate supervisor for the topic. Some suggestions are made by staff but

students are free to choose their own project if they wish.

Students will meet regularly with their supervisor throughout the year to discuss their project

and are required to provide an initial and interim report to formally record their progress at

various stages of the project. Supervision support is provided also via the eSupervisor system

where student and supervisor can discuss anything regarding the project when is not possible to

meet up in person (e.g. during a weekend).


Key Texts

The following will guide students through the research and project development stages.

ISBN Number Author Date Title Publisher

0-273-721313 Dawson, C.W. 2009 Projects on Computing and

Information Systems: A

Student's Guide 2nd Edition

Prentice

Hall

0-273-678094 Philip Weaver 2004 Success in your Project Prentice

Hall

1-412924057 Potter, S 2006 Doing Postgraduate Research Sage

0-4720-88564 John M. Swales,

Christine A. Beer

Feak

2004 Academic Writing for Graduate

Students

University

of Michigan

Press

0-566-084902 Sharp, J.A. Peters

J. & Howard K.

2003 The Management of a Student

Research Project (3/e)

Gower


5. The Role of the Supervisor

5.1 What is the role of the supervisor?

It is to advise, guide, criticise and encourage you through the project process, but it is not to

direct the work unless the work contributes to a larger research project. The tasks the role

encompasses are to:

1. Approve the project proposal when it meets the associated programme’s criteria and

identify any ethical issues that may arise and deal with these appropriately.

2. Contact the relevant project co-ordinator if your student does not make contact with you

or achieve an agreed project proposal.

3. Agree on the supervision structure and the associated time allocation.

4. Discuss a general project strategy and approve the outline project plan.

5. Discuss possible avenues for literature search.

6. Discuss possible research methods, if applicable.

7. Discuss/advise on hardware and software and liaise with support staff, if applicable.

8. Offer advice re progress and warn of major problems (the initial and interim reports will

feed into this process),

9. Agree with the student and second marker a convenient time for the presentation.

10. Be the first marker and complete the development and final project assessment forms.

5.2 What you may expect but it is not within the supervisor’s role to:

1. Rewrite/finalise the project proposal.

2. Tell them what to do.

3. Edit/rewrite drafts, write the software or configure the hardware.

4. Provide detailed feedback when it is submitted late without an agreed extension.

5. Give detailed feedback on the summary, conclusions and evaluation.

6. Negotiate on their behalf for an extension.

5.3 What happens to the supervision role over the holiday period?

The criteria for a Master’s project does state that you must be able to take personal

responsibility, deal with complex issues and show originality and initiative in tackling and

solving problems. Therefore, minimal supervision is required. However, the Department of

Computing and Information Systems will provide staff throughout the summer period to


provide ‘immediate support’. Details of this will be published on the project website. Further

support is provided via the project website and the project conferences. You may ask

questions, discuss issues and find support both from each other and from your supervisor. You

must agree with your supervisor when and how they may be contacted over the holiday period.

6. The Role of the Student

To apply for a project supervisor

Generate a project proposal giving due consideration to the legal, social, ethical and

professional issues surrounding the proposed project.

To upload by the due date the

o Project Proposal which informs your meeting with your supervisor (requested by

you). Make amendments (if necessary) as advised by the project supervisor.

o Initial Report which informs your meeting with your supervisor (requested by

you). Implement/discuss the issues raised by the supervisor.

o Interim Report which informs your meeting with your supervisor (requested by

you). Implement/discuss the issues raised by the supervisor.

Advise the supervisor of major issues as they occur.

Maintain the project blog and notes of all meetings with your supervisor.

Use the e-communication system to communicate with your supervisor.

Arrange a demonstration within two weeks before your submission date. You should

suggest a demonstration time from your supervisor and second marker and agree the

final demonstration date with them. The demonstration is mandatory.

Demonstrate/discuss your work with your supervisor and second marker.

Upload your final report in PDF format to Moodle and remember to use the advised

layout and structure. Upload all other work/software as a zip file.


6. Assessment Criteria

The final project is worth 100% of the final marks and you are required to arrange and give a

demonstration, within two weeks before the submission date, to evidence your work and to

enable your project markers to ask questions and to clarify key issues. The assessment criteria

is attached as Appendix C.

6.1 Deliverables

1. Formal project proposal (Section 10)

2. Initial report (Section 11)

3. Interim report (Section 12)

4. 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

5. A demonstration of your project to your supervisor and second marker.

6. Final project report and software.

o Your final software and project report (Section 14) are to be uploaded via the Moodle

system. Note it is your responsibility to ensure that the software is functional on the

University server, unless previously agreed with their supervisor.

6.2 Distribution of Marks for all projects

Final Project: 100% (Report, product and demonstration).

The project report must demonstrate an appropriate command of the rules of report

layout, spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax and due regard to the use of figures,

diagrams and references. Where this does not take place the mark awarded will reflect

this.


6.3 Final Submission - Assessment Outline

(see Appendix C for full details and demonstration marking criteria). The main areas are

understanding of Problem Domain;

level of Product Development;

finished Product;

personal Critical Review;

has the report met Presentation criteria?

The classifications allocated are subject to students not excessively exceeding the word count of

15,000 words. They must also demonstrate an appropriate command of the rules of report

layout, spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax and due regard to the use of figures, diagrams

and references. Where a student fails to satisfy assessors with respect to these rules the

classification awarded will reflect this. Note: All technical documentation should be provided

as Appendices. The Appendix does not count in the report word count.

6.5 Standardisation of Assessment

Supervisors will assess and award marks for all aspects of the work carried out by you. A

second member of the academic staff will also, independently, assess and award marks for the

end product and project report. The marks awarded by both examiners will be weighted to

calculate an overall mark for the project.

If there is a significant difference between the two marks then it will be adjudicated by a

project moderation panel. The panel will also adjudicate projects, deemed to be at distinction

level, those that are borderline merit or distinction and those deemed to have failed.

Additionally, the panel will moderate a representative sample of projects that do not fall into

any of the above categories. The panel comprises of the Director of Quality, Heads of

Departments, Programme Leaders, Project Coordinator and subject specialists.


6.6 Submission of Project Deliverables

Copies of the project proposal, initial report and interim report should be uploaded through the

Project Website. For the final project submission you use the Moodle upload system. You

will upload two files. The first is the project report which must have a header sheet and be a

.pdf (Acrobat) file format. The second is a zip file which must contain your software files (if

applicable) and any other supporting documentation.

You must also demonstrate your project to your supervisors and second markers and need to

contact them via email to arrange a demonstration within 2 weeks before your project

deadline.

Please visit the Portal for current academic year dates

It is your responsibility to ensure that any software runs on the University’s network. If this

will be impossible then it must be mentioned as early as possible in the project process,

preferably as part of the project registration process.

6.7 Applying for extenuating circumstances

The procedures are as per the Department policy and all requests must be accompanied with

full supporting evidence. Each application will be reviewed by the Department Panel shortly

after receipt of the request and you will be informed of the outcome. You may obtain a copy of

the form from the Portal page. You need to complete it and upload the form together with

supporting evidence via the link for Extenuating Circumstances.

Given below are examples of problems that are valid reasons for extenuating circumstances:

Part-time students only – UNEXPECTED work commitments such as being sent out of

the country at short notice – requires letter from employer. Please note that we reserve

the right to contact the employer to verify the letter contents.

Serious personal problems – we will take advice from Student Services if you do not

wish to provide evidence to a member of the academic staff.

Illness over a long period of time

Serious personal problems over a long period of time

However the following are not acceptable as valid reasons for an extension

Your printer breaks down

Media disk becomes corrupted (be sensible and keep a recent backup)

University of Greenwich computer lab is unavailable for a few hours.

Minor illness such as a cold


7. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting somebody else's work as your own work. It includes: copying

information directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; working with one

or more other people on an individual coursework and submitting the joint coursework as your

own individual effort; copying another student's coursework; paying someone else to do the

work; stealing coursework from another student and submitting it as your own work. The

person you copy from could be another student, a lecturer or someone outside the university.

The University takes plagiarism very seriously and you have received a copy of the “Little

Book of Plagiarism” to inform you how to avoid plagiarism. This is also available on Moodle

project page. Note: all work is submitted to Turnitin.

7.1 Plagiarism includes - but is not limited to:

i using published work without referencing (the most common)

ii copying coursework essays

iii collaborating with any other person when the work is supposed to be individual

iv taking another person's computer file/program

v submitting another person's work as their own

vi the use of unacknowledged material published on the web

vii purchase of model assignments from whatever source

viii copying another student's results

ix falsifying results

All work suspected of being plagiarised is sent to the Department’s Assessment Officer who

investigates each case. The Student Intranet gives advice on how to avoid being accused of

unintentional plagiarism. Full details of the University guidelines can be found on the

University’s website.

7.2 Reuse of programming code

In industry reuse of code is to be encouraged and both Web sites and books will provide

numerous examples of code BUT students should realise that part of the purpose of doing a

programming coursework is to develop your skills. If most of the code comes from other

sources then they will not be awarded a very high mark and you will have learnt very little.

If however you choose to make use of other people's code then in order to avoid an accusation

of plagiarism, you must annotate their listing identifying the lines of code which are not your

own. You must clearly state their source e.g. name of author, page in the book that they have

taken the code from, Web page address. Failing to reference work taken from other sources is

a plagiarism offence and will be dealt with as such.

Note you will be awarded more marks for the code you write yourself, than code used from


others. Obviously if you copy the entire program from someone else (and reference the work)

you will be awarded zero as you have not made a contribution to your project solution.

7.3 Copying information from the Web/books etc.

Any text that is basically taken word for word from another source must be put in quotation

marks. You must give full details of the reference in a list of references at the end of the report.

In addition, you must cite the reference where the quote occurs in the body of the report (see

References, Section 11)

You may use ideas from various sources to and these should be appropriately referenced as

stated above. Copying large amounts of text from other sources would not be an appropriate

answer for a project, paraphrasing the text is acceptable provided that references are given.

7.4 Use of Multimedia

It is your responsibility to credit all such material appropriately. You should be aware that

copyright material must not be published (for example on a website) unless one has the

permission from the owner of the copyright.

If in doubt about whether something could be deemed to be plagiarism check it out with your

supervisor.

8. Regulations

8.1 Passing the Course

To pass the course you must achieve an assessment mark of 50% or above.

If you do not hand in your project on time or fail to meet the pass criteria for your submission

deadline you will be referred until the next submission date and the project mark will be capped

at 50%. If you still do not meet the pass criteria you will fail the project module and therefore

the MSc programme, however you will be eligible for the award of the Post Graduate Diploma.

8.2 Reassessment Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Awards

If you fail the project module then you will be failed in the programme. If you do fail the

programme will have one opportunity to retake, re-attend and repay for the failed project

course the following academic session. Alternatively you may apply for the award of the Post

graduate Diploma.


SECTION B: SUPPORTING MATERIAL

9. Getting started and choosing a Project

A project will contain (at different proportions – topic dependant) a constructive part, an

evaluative part, an analytical part and an empirical or investigative part:

Constructive part: involving the design and implementation of a system or subsystem

Evaluative: evaluating of a particular system in terms of its function, performance or

human-computer interaction with the purpose of generating a set of guidelines for future

developments in this field.

Analytical: analysing particular policies or strategies with respect to the implementation

of computing techniques or methods in organizations with the aim of producing a set of

guidelines for improving or developing future systems of this type.

Empirical or investigative: practical experiments or investigations into particular

systems or parts of a system or comparisons of alternatives with the aim of producing a

set of guidelines for developing future systems of this type.

An MSc project must produce an artifact that maps onto the system lifecyle and it must also

include an analysis of the problem area, a review and critical analysis of the pertinent academic

literature, and an evaluation of the results. An MSc project must contain a detailed section

covering project specific Risk and Project management and Legal, Social, Ethical, Professional

and (where applicable) Commercial issues. There are three key stages

Stage One: Identify areas of interest which seem to have potential and reflect the

Programme you are studying. Good places to start are:

Project conference materials

Any substantive questions that you would like to follow up during your course of studies.

Topics studied in the programme which were especially interesting personally (as opposed

to professionally). Check out some of the articles in professional journals, books, book

reviews and the internet to see if there is enough there to maintain the interest. If there is an

interesting journal article look in the section entitled “Suggestions for further study”. Is

there anything there of interest?

Discussions with those regarded as experts in the field of interests.

Discussions with lecturers about possible project topics.

Is there a project that could be carried out in the workplace?

Read past projects online on the project website.

The chosen topic should be a problem or issue that requires a solution (don’t expect to produce

the definitive solution) but try to avoid topics which are too general. At this stage, focus on

one central theme. Try to formulate a question in one sentence the answer to which will be the

body of the project. Start with an idea of what the subject area will be, even if that idea is


contained in a single term like ‘Object Databases’ or ‘e-commerce’ or ‘data processing in the

Health Service’. Then refine it to produce the project topic.

Stage Two: Make sure that it meets the National Qualifications Framework for a Master

project (Section 2) and the course aims and objectives (Appendix A).

Stage Three: Carry out some research to find out if it is feasible.

Remember the project must produce some new information and not simply apply existing

information. For instance, producing a web enabled database would be applying existing

knowledge. If one was to use a new approach or technology (this could have been discussed in

a recent academic paper or devised by the student) then one would be able to discuss something

new in the dissertation. This does not mean that there has to be an entirely new contribution;

that is at Doctorate (Phd) level. It is sufficient to solve a problem in a slightly different way or

use a new technique that has not been fully explored or apply the application to a new

environment.

Once a topic is decided upon the next stage is to apply for a supervisor on the project website.

Even if you cannot decide on a project you should apply for a project supervisor by the end of

April – please see the project website assessment details for further information,

10. The Project Proposal

This is the next stage of the project process following on from the project registration. Once

complete it should be uploaded via the project website upload system. Note: the proposal must

be signed off as accepted by your supervisor before you can upload any further project

documentation.

Do some preliminary reading. Because most fields of engineering and science, and especially

the field of computing, change rapidly, using textbooks alone is not enough; neither is

concentrating solely on manufacturers’ literature.

You could start with a trade journal, a scientifically or technically oriented general magazine

such as Science, Scientific American, IEEE Computer or Byte. Our Librarian, Karen, who you

met during the library induction (part of the main induction process) can also guide you to

suitable publications in the topic area. The Internet is obviously a good place to start. The

INSPEC database is held in the library on CD ROM and is a very good source of computing

journal abstracts. Alternatively, to get a good grounding in a new topic area, find a good

textbook. Decide first, what information to look for. The table of contents, preface and the

introduction are a good general guide to the value a book is likely to have.

The following also need to be considered:

If the project relies on 3rd parties (eg employers, clients, University personnel), can they

be relied on?

If a new skill needs to be acquired, how realistic is it that it can be mastered and what

will happen if it can’t?


Can the project scope be changed if it turns out to be too simplistic or complex?

How will the product be tested? If qualitative testing is used will there be sufficient

users for a statistically relevant sample?

The answers to these questions are not easy and guidance may be needed – this will involve the

support of your supervisor. The critical determinants of the success of a project are defining its

breadth, depth and the supporting resources.

The more effort that is done at this stage can often avoid problems later on. The Project

Proposal must contain the following elements and an electronic template is available via the

project website.

Header

This is also available on website

Identifying information (student’s name, id).

MSc Programme Title

Project Title(succinct title which encapsulates what one is hoping to do).

The date the proposal was submitted

The project hand in date

Keywords associated with the project

Courses taken

The Supervisor’s Name

Main body of the proposal

The proposal should contain the following sections:

Overview:

This consists of from one to three paragraphs briefly describing the project proposal in

general terms. For example, mention what the project is, whether it for an

employer/supervisor’s suggested project or one suggested by the student. It should also

state the intended result is. (A poor example is “I aim to prove that SSADM is a better

method than JSD for scientific software.” What if the investigations show the opposite?

Instead, it should read somewhat like “I aim to present a critical comparison of the

SSADM and Object Oriented methods of software engineering design which shows

whether one method is more effective than the other for developing scientific software.”).

The last paragraph should state how it reflects the 30 core credits from your MSc

programme and the QCF guidelines for Masters Projects.

Objectives:

An objective states what one wants to achieve and this section lists the project’s objectives.

An example of an objective is to evaluate several similar pieces of hardware and select the

most suitable one; another objective might be to design software for a particular

application using the selected hardware. Make sure that it is clear how the objectives relate

to the project title and to the overview given in the first section of the proposal. The list


does not have to be exhaustive, but should run to about half a page or more. Remember

that objectives should be measurable.

At this early stage of the project the objectives identified will probably be rather general.

They must state what it is intended to achieve, which means that they are best stated using

verbs like: to investigate, to study, to develop, to analyse and so on. Possible objectives for

a project on object databases might be:

To investigate the current state of Object Databases for use by small businesses.

That in itself is not enough to make a complete proposal, but it’s a very good start. One

might also want to include an objective about the design methodology for Object

Databases:

To learn more about Object Database design by reading about it and using it.

Another two objectives might be:

To research current Object Oriented products on the market

To search specialist journals for reviews by experts

Some more objective setting will still be necessary to complete a full proposal, and here is

where you will need to begin to consider what methods to use given what one wants to

know. For example one could decide to do some experimental work with Oracle Objects.

Remember that all objectives identify what needs to be achieved in terms of actions like

investigate, interview, experiment and so on.

Set measurable objectives. A clear objective is unambiguous – there is no mistaking what

you intend to do. There should also be some very clear way of deciding when an objective

has been met. The best – the only effective – objectives are those where it is possible to say

whether or they have been achieved. By doing this you gain a measuring stick against

which to judge everything that occurs during the project.

How the objectives will be achieved

For each objective, there should be an associated statement that outlines how it will be

achieved and how it will be measured once it is completed. For example, if one intended

to evaluate types of hardware and then choose one, state how many types it is intended to

evaluate it and how the criteria will set. The tasks one might note are:

undertaking a requirements analysis,

determining what hardware is available,


preparing and carrying out a features analysis of all available hardware,

deciding which hardware is the best for the application being developed.

Each of the tasks will result in a deliverable. The process for completing this process is

outlined below.

Once the main objectives are set, then the following needs to be answered:

what are the tasks that need doing in order to achieve these objectives

what are the ‘deliverables’ for these tasks? (Don’t think only in terms of the final

report, but in terms of smaller, discrete items – a write-up of the literature survey,

a questionnaire developed, data gathered, data analysed, the initial and interim

reports written, any hardware assembled, any software written and so on.)

what resources are needed to do these tasks? (Has one got or can acquire the

hardware, software, access to libraries, access to a lab if necessary, subjects for

any interviews or experiments? List these in some detail.)

how long will these tasks take?

This will produce a set of tasks and then it needs to be decided how manageable each of

these tasks is, given one’s circumstances and environment. Always be realistic – life has a

way of catching up .

Use the resulting lists to determine what needs to be done in what order and estimate how

long it will take e.g. visit a library, identify, obtain and read the relevant materials all need

to be completed before it is possible to write up the literature survey. Similarly assembling

the necessary software components must usually be completed before one can begin work

on the system.

Then use the information to construct a project schedule. Don’t forget to record all of

these events in the project blog.

Resources

This details all of the resources required to successfully complete the project eg hardware

software, access to data. It should also state whether or not there are any potential issues

that may arise, for example a company may be introducing new software next month but

what are the implications if this is deferred for three months.

Schedule – Project Planning

This should show the schedule of tasks, associated descriptions and duration in hours per

task. A Gantt chart should also be attached. Remember failure to plan, is planning to fail.

It is much harder without a detailed plan – as many students will testify to.


It is expected that the plan will contain a set of milestones. Milestones are major points in

your project work that you must pass in order to get to your goal. The University sets some

milestones such as the dates for the submission of the project proposal, initial report,

interim report, and the final report.

A deliverable should specify exactly what is to be delivered when some work has been

completed. Deliverables include not just identifiable ‘software’, but also less tangible

elements such as books and journals read, notes taken, tests performed, report drafts

written. These should be tied closely to the milestones and hence to the objectives.

Timetable

Once the objectives, tasks, milestones and deliverables have been written down, they

must be arranged in the form of a timetable. Estimate how many hours each task might

require and over what period of time it will be completed. Set a date by which each

milestone and deliverable will be achieved (remember some have been preset by the

University and are non-negotiable). Review this critically to determine whether they are

achievable given constraints of time and cost and then produce and maintain a Gantt

chart or any other suitable project planning mechanism.

The Blog System

The aim is to help you review the process that has been undergone during the creation

of the project and act as a memory jogger to highlight the difficulties faced and how

they were overcame, just like a diary. It will also contribute towards the development

mark.

The Blog should contain brief notes on: what has been done, thoughts one has had,

books/journals/websites visited, progressing the project, difficulties and how they were

overcome and the next tasks to tackle. Supervisors will also place details of their

meetings with you there.

11. The Initial Report (1,000-1500 words)

The aim of this report is to inform the supervisor of your current project status and to review

the feasibility of the project and objectives. It is important that this procedure concentrates on

the key issues and that it requires the minimum of effort on your part. The report should give a

summary of the overall project status. It should include a header page and three sections:

current situation, problem areas and key work during the next period.

Header Sheet (ie front page)


MSc Programme Title

Project title

The project hand in date




Current situation

In this section, describe the completed work. This should include an account of the literature

survey to date – what books and articles have been consulted and how the material fits in with

what one is planning to do.

Problem Areas

The problem areas should describe the critical factors that will affect the meeting of target

dates. Now is the time to bring to your supervisor’s attention any problems that have arisen so

far. This includes problems in obtaining equipment and software – and access to key people.

This acts as an early warning system and focuses attention on the matters requiring urgent

attention. If it is found that the project scope was too ambitious and some aspect of it needs to

be revised then there is still time to have a chance of completing on time.

Key work during the next period

In this section specify methods, tasks and activities plus the estimates of time to complete them.

Indicate the actual progress and identify any deviation from the original proposal and plan.

Submission of Initial Report

Note: This should be uploaded via the project website upload system.


12. The Interim Report (Minimum of 2500 words)

It is assumed that significant progress towards the project’s completion will have been made

when this is written. The interim report should be a more substantial document than the initial

report. There is

a header sheet plus two parts,

Part A which is the Progress Report and

Part B which should be a draft of the final report that produced to date.

Header

This is also available on the website.


MSc Programme Title

Project title


Project Submission Date


Part A – Progress Report (500 - 1,000 words)

This follows the same format at the initial report and has 3 sections:

Current Situation: This section should include scheduled objectives/sub-objectives and

whether they have been achieved. If not why, those in the process of being achieved,

preliminary results, work completed, etc.

Problem areas: This should cover current problems and plans for their resolution.

Key work during the next period: Specify methods, tasks and activities and the estimates of

time to complete them. Indicate the actual progress made and identify any deviation from the

original proposal and plan.

Part B – Draft of Project Report to Date (minimum of 2000 words)

This must include:

draft table of contents for your final report, with annotations concerning your intentions

for the chapters

draft of at least two chapters – one of which must be the literature review.

Your supervisor will give you feedback on your progress at this stage and will make

recommendations for the final stage of the project.

Submission of Interim Report

Note: This should be uploaded via the project website upload system.


13. The Final Report (10,000 – 15,000 words)

The project report is the outcome of your research project. It is a scholarly document, which

must be able to fit in just one volume (including all appendices). It incorporates:

the results of your literature survey;

a report on the way in which you have carried out your analysis, and the reasons

for your choice of techniques;

a synthesis or design based on your analysis;

a critical re-evaluation of the project itself and its outcomes.

Major writing tasks during this stage tend to be a “middle-out” approach. Once the outline

structure has been decided, write the main body of the report first and add the supporting

sections afterwards. The document does not have to contain all the elements listed in 15.1, and

may be adapted to suit the needs of the project. The typical order of writing is “middle-out”

and follows the sequence outlined below:

Finalise outline structure

Write main body

Write conclusions, recommendations and summary

Compile appendices and bibliography

Write introduction

Write abstract, preface and acknowledgements

Prepare contents list

Write critical appraisal

13.1 Report Structure

The following is the standard structure for the report. More advice is available on the project

website.

Title Page

The Title Page contains the project title, your name, the date (month and year) of

submission, your project supervisor and the title of the MSc Programme.

Abstract

The Abstract, occupying less than half a page, is a short description of the intention of

the project.


Preface

The Preface includes any relevant observations that do not belong in the project itself.

It is here that the justification for the project meeting the MSc programme requirements

and the National Qualifications Framework.

Acknowledgements

It is customary to acknowledge any substantial help, with either the project work or the

report, from people and other informal sources.

Table of Contents (including appendices)

The report should be divided into chapters each of which may be divided into sections

which may again be divided into subsections and so on. Each chapter and numbered

section should have a title, and the contents page should list the most significant of

these.

List of Tables

Optional if no tables have been used in the report

List of Figures

Optional if no figures have been used in the report

Body of Report

In the body of the report, each chapter should start on a new page. Chapter headings

should appear more important than section headings. The following usually have one or

more chapters devoted to them.

Introduction

The first chapter of the report is commonly an introduction, which gives an account

of the work to be done and the context in which it is to be done, usually providing

background information about when, and in what circumstances, the project was

conceived. This should include a clear statement of aims and objectives and the

methods used in carrying out the work involved in each stage of the project.

Background Research (Literature Review)

The literature review has three primary purposes:

“.1 It justifies your project and shows that your project is not merely repeating the

work of others, but has a contribution to make, perhaps by identifying a current

gap in the literature of your field of study which you intent to fill:

.2 It sets your project within context by discussing and critically evaluating past

and current research in your area. Through this contextualization you will

identify how your project fits within, and contributes to, wider issues.

.3 It provides other researchers with a starting point from which they can

understand how your project evolved and to identify what literature is relevant

to your project in order that they can continue where you left off.”

Dawson “The Essence of Computing Projects, 2009”


It will also help the student to learn more about the topic area; define previous work

in your proposed field and identify significant sources of information in the area

you are studying. When working in isolation it is unlikely one would be aware of

other potential solutions to the area under investigation. Therefore, it would not be

possible to make any judgments about whether the solution is as effective as other

solutions or not.

When completing a Background Research/Literature Review there are four iterative

steps:

Define the search

Perform the search

Evaluate the material

Write the literature review

and the outcome will, help to set the context to the problem area and allows the

student to take an informed and critical viewpoint about the work.. This process

also has the advantage of preventing the student from reinventing the wheel – use it

to see if someone else has already carried out the work which is being proposed

and, if so, is there some way it can be improved upon? They should also establish

what kind of literature they are looking for before they start. Below are listed

various source types:

Books: these tend to be the first resort of students anyway and a good book

will help the student refine their search and give them the necessary

background information.

Journal articles: these are especially important; they are recent and can give a

view of the current state of the art.

Conference literature: this can be quite good in providing a snapshot of a

topic and can give you an idea of current research areas.

The Internet: see Appendix I for useful URLs

A copy of all articles studied must kept in case they are needed later in the project

process and details of those read should be kept in the Blog with brief notes on

each.

Writing up the results of a literature review

The review should provide ‘a coherent argument that leads to the description of a

proposed study’ (Rudestam and Newton 1992) and should not just be a report that

lists all the papers and books one has read with brief annotations on each one. It

should convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have been established on a

topic, and what their strengths and weaknesses are. It will also demonstrate the

student’s ability of:


information seeking: identifying a set of useful articles and books and

scanning the literature efficiently

critical appraisal: applying the principles of analysis to identify unbiased and

valid studies

It should appear, at least in abbreviated form, as early as the initial report and most

certainly as part of the interim report. It may be fully integrated into the main text

of the final report or can appear as a separate chapter. There should be a full list of

books and articles that have been consulted in the project bibliography.

The “middle” chapters

They would usually include the description of work done and the presentation and

analysis of results.

Closing chapters

The closing chapters commonly include a summary and a conclusion together with

any recommendations. In summarising, highlight the important stages and

outcomes of the project. The conclusions would normally consider and comment

critically upon the results of the project; this includes both the process and the

product. This should include a consideration of the extent to which the aims of the

project have been achieved. Finally, recommend ways in which the work could be

applied or extended.

List of References

References should be ordered alphabetically by the name of the author (or, if there

is more than one, the name of the first author. The Harvard system is used (more

information is available on the project website).

If you fail to properly cite sources of information you will lay yourself open to

accusations of plagiarism.

Appendices

This should include detailed and technical documentation such as table of results,

diagrams, program source code, etc, which are essential parts of the project but not

directly a part of the main discussion in the report. All contents of appendices should be

exclusively, products of the student’s own work.

Other materials used during the project work (such as information from user manuals,

interview notes, etc), which it is necessary to include, should if possible be summarized

to only a few pages before entering into the appendix. Original copies of such material

should be kept by the student and may be required to be produced as supporting

evidence of their work. Examples of key coding may be provided in an Appendix but

generally it should be on the zip file which you upload with your project.


13.2 Report Layout

Size

The complete report should be capable of being bound in one volume. The normal size

of a project report is on average 10,000 words – it should not exceed 15,000. The exact

length of the report will depend on the type of project carried out.

Note: the number of words is counted from the beginning of the first chapter up to and

including the end of the last chapter.

Page Layout

The report should be:

o on A4 size white paper of standard thickness,

o single sided

o one and a half line spacing.

o margins should be 2.5 cms/1” all round.

Font Size/Font Type

It is recommended to use Times New Roman font type and font size 11.

Page Numbering

Numbering from the Title Page through to but not including the first chapter should use

small Roman numerals. The number on the Title Page (i) is not normally shown. The

body of the report consisting of the first through to the last chapter, and all remaining

report elements through to the very last page of the report, should be numbered using

Arabic numerals (starting at 1).

Table of Contents

Chapters should be numbered (1,2,…) and each section sub-numbered (2.1, 2.2, 2.3 …).

Further decomposition into subsections should be numbered (2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3 and so

on). Each chapter and numbered section or subsection should have a title, and the

contents page should list the most significant of these.

Writing Up

Written communication is extremely important in project work. Computer software is an

intangible product, which can be difficult to assess as it progresses. For a long period of the

development the reports may be all the student can show their supervisor. There are three

reports to write for this course: an initial report (see section 13), an interim report (see section

14) and a final report (see section 14).

13.3 Submission of Final Report and Software

Note: This should be uploaded via the project website upload system. An electronic copy


should also be stored on the University project drive (P). The software must also be stored on

the project drive and be able to work on the University servers unless previously agreed with

your supervisor.

14 Demonstrating the Product/Dissertation You must demonstrate software and other multimedia products to your supervisor and second

marker. The purpose of the demonstration is to allow them to see the product running, to check

that you are its author, and to help them to visualize the product when they read through your

description of it in the project report.

If you have done a dissertation and not built a product you will still be required to formally

present your findings to the supervisor and second marker.

You are responsible for:

Arranging the time and place with the supervisor and second marker for the Viva

before your submission deadline;

Ensuring that the product can be demonstrated properly on site at the Maritime

Greenwich Campus.


Appendix A: Project Course Specification

This is common to all programmes, however, the project must reflect two or

more of the programmes courses and should reflect the title of the award. Course: PG Project (SST)

Course Code: COMP1298

Course Coordinator for 2016/17: Dr. Tatiana Simmonds

Level: Masters

Credits: 60

Introduction and Rationale:

This course is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to carry out an individual

piece of supervised work which reflects their programme area and is at, or informed by, the

forefront of their academic discipline.

Business, industry and commercial enterprise, as prospective employers also require that MSc

graduates have a range of transferable skills. Such skills include being able to work

independently, solve complex problems, organise their learning and work, and undertake and

successfully complete projects running over several months. All of these activities should be

performed by a student in an autonomous fashion, with some direction but minimal direct

help from her/his supervisor(s), and must be completed to a specified deadline. Employers

also expect MSc holders to be able to evaluate their own work in the context of other related

work, and draw and present their conclusions both orally and in the form of a cogent, well-

written and well-presented report.

Additionally, a Masters course should equip students to pursue a research programme, such as

M.Phil. Or PhD which requires that an applicant be able to select a research topic, read and

evaluate relevant literature, select appropriate research methods/tools, conduct the research

and present their findings supported by rigorous discussion in a thesis.

The project may include the design and development of a software or hardware product (or

artefact) or involve an in depth investigation of a relevant technical issue in the right subject

area with clearly defined questions, metrics and solution criteria using appropriate tools and

techniques.

Pre-requisites:

Completion of Taught Programme

Aims:

The aims of the course are to

A. Provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate a good understanding and a critical

awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the

forefront of the specialist programme area.

B. Enable the student to develop a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to

their own research or advanced scholarship.

C. Create an environment where the student can develop originality in the application of

knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research

and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline.

D. Let the student demonstrate that they can deal with complex issues both systematically and

creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their

conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

E. Give the opportunity for the student to demonstrate self-direction and originality in


tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a

professional or equivalent level.

F. Develop the student's ability to appraise critically, by producing an academic report of their

project (explaining the problem, aims and objectives, methods/approach andtechniques used,

their literature review and critical evaluation of it, a body of their project work and their

findings, conclusions together with references and citations).

G. Provide an opportunity for the student to build on their knowledge from one or more of

their taught courses, of which it must include either one 30 credit core course or two 15 credit

core courses, as well as extend such knowledge into new areas with her/his own independent

yet planned learning.

H. Apply competently and professionally some key elements of their domain knowledge and

skills acquired in the programme of study to a realistic problem of real industrial or research

relevance.

Learning Outcomes:




The project should include the design and development of an artefact. Typically that may be

software based or hardware based. Emulation, simulation or in depth case study based

artefacts are also allowed providing that the problem domain and complexity is of an MSc

level. Thorough investigation of all relevant technical issues in the right subject area with

clearly defined questions, metrics and solution criteria using appropriate tools and techniques

should be present for types of artefacts.














Indicative Content:


(possibly relating to their work or employer). If the student suggests the topic, it must be

agreed as suitable by the supervisor.

The project proposal must be uploaded and the layout should conform to the model outlined

in lectures and published on the web page for this course. An appropriate member of the




conflicts of value and investigate the role of the law and how it applies to their project.


Students will also gain an appreciation of what entrepreneurship is; consider how everyone

has the potential to be entrepreneurial, and to explore the constituents of the entrepreneurial

process.



Learning and Teaching Activities:

Students undertaking this course will be supported by:

A series of lectures which will outline the project process, support mechanisms and explore

cover critical thinking, problem solving, research methods, entrepreneurship and

employability skills.

A supervisor who will give advice and guidance. Students are expected to meet regularly with

their supervisor throughout the year. Supervisors are not expected nor required to provide

specific technical support for a project. Staff supervising projects will normally be assigned to

projects that fall within their area of teaching, research or general interest, and will therefore

be in a position to ensure that a student's project conforms to the project requirements.

An interactive project web site.

Online conferences covering both technical and academic issues.

It is expected that the project work will require approximately more than 600 hours of work.

This is equivalent to four 15 credit courses.

Learning Time (600 hours)

Scheduled contact hours:

Note: include in scheduled time: project supervision, demonstrations, practical classes and

workshops, supervised time in studio or workshop, scheduled lab work , fieldwork, external

visits, work-based learning where integrated into a structured academic programme.

lectures 26;

seminars 2;

supervised practical sessions n/a;

tutorials n/a;

formative assessment n/a;

other scheduled time 2.

Guided independent study:

Note: include in guided independent study preparation for scheduled sessions, follow up

work, wider reading or practice, revision.

Independent coursework n/a;

Independent laboratory work 15;

other non-scheduled time 555;


Placements (including work placement and year abroad) n/a;

Total hours (Should be equal to credit x 10) 600.

Assessment Details:

Project - 100% weighting. Pass mark 50%. 15000 words.

Text Books

The following is a list of books that may be used in this course. This list is subject to change.

Please wait for advice from the lecturer when the course begins before spending money on

books.

Author Title Publisher Date Of

Publication

ISBN Comment

Bailey, S. Academic Writing: A

Handbook for

International Students

(Study Guide)

Routledge 2001 0-415-

384206

Dawson, C.W. Projects on Computing and

Information Systems: A

Student's Guide

Prentice Hall 2005 0-321-

263553

Gash, S. Effective Literature

Searching for Students

Gower 2000 0-566-

082772

Sharp, J.A.,

Peters, J., and

Howard K.

The Management of a

Student Research Project

Gower 2003 0-566-

084902

University of

Michigan Press

Academic Writing for

Graduate Students

Swales, J.M.,

Christine A.,

Beer Feak

2004 0-4720-

88564

Weaver, Philip Success in your Project


Course: PG Project (CIS)

Course Code: COMP1252

Course Coordinator for 2016/17: Dr.Tatiana Simmonds

Credits: 60

Introduction and Rationale:

















The project may include the design and development of a software or hardware product (or

artefact) or involve an in depth investigation of a relevant technical issue in the right subject

area with clearly defined questions, metrics and solution criteria using appropriate tools and

techniques.

Pre-requisites:

Complete Taught Programme.

Aims:

The aims of the course are to

A. provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate a good understanding and a critical

awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the

forefront of the specialist programme area

B. enable the student to develop a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to

their own research or advanced scholarship

C. create an environment where the student can develop originality in the application of

knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research

and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline

D. let the student demonstrate that they can deal with complex issues both systematically and

creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their

conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences

E. give the opportunity for the student to demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling

and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a


professional or equivalent level

F. develop the student's ability to appraise critically, by producing an academic report of their

project (explaining the problem, aims and objectives, methods/approach and techniques used,

their literature review and critical evaluation of it, a body of their project work and their

findings, conclusions together with references and citations).

G. provide an opportunity for the student to build on their knowledge from one or more of

their taught courses, of which it must include either one 30 credit core course or two 15 credit

core courses, as well as extend such knowledge into new areas with her/his own independent

yet planned learning

H. apply competently and professionally some key elements of their domain knowledge and

skills acquired in the programme of study to a realistic problem of real industrial or research

relevance.

Learning Outcomes:


piece of supervised work which reflects the ir programme area and is at, or informed by, the

forefront of their academic discipline. The project should include the design and development

of an artefacts. Typically that be software based or hardware based. Emulation, simulation or

in depth case study based artefacts are allowed providing that the problem domain and

complexity is of an MSc level. Thorough investigation of all relevant technical issues in the

right subject area with clearly defined questions, metrics and solution criteria using

appropriate tools and techniques should be present for types of artefacts. Business, industry

and commercial enterprise, as prospective employers also require that MSc graduates have a

range of transferable skills. Such skills include being able to work independently, solve

complex problems, organise their learning and work, and undertake and successfully complete

projects running over several months. All of these activities should be performed by a student

in an autonomous fashion, with some direction, but minimal direct help from his/her

supervisor(s), and must be completed to a specific deadline. Employers also expect MSc

holders to be able to evaluate their own work in the context of other related work, and draw

and present their conclusions both orally and in the form of a cogent, well-written and well-

presented report. Additionally, a Masters course should equip students to pursue a research

programme, such as M.Phil. Or PhD which requires that an applicant be able to select a

research topic, read and evaluate relevant literature, select appropriate research methods/tools,

conduct the research and present their findings supported by rigorous discussion in a thesis.

Indicative Content:


(possibly relating to their work or employer). If the student suggests the topic, it must be

agreed as suitable by the supervisor.

The project proposal must be uploaded and the layout should conform to the model outlined

in lectures and published on the web age for this course. An appropriate member of the




conflicts of value and investigate the role of the law and how it applies to ther project.


Students will also gain an appreciation of what entrepreneurship is, consider how everyone

has the potential to be entrepreneurial, and to explore the constituents of the entrepreneurial

process.



Learning and Teaching Activities:

Students undertaking this course will be supported by:

A series of lectures which will outline the project process, support mechanisms and explore

cover critical thinking, problem solving, research methods, entrepreneurship and

employability skills.

A supervisor who will give advice and guidance. Students are expected to meet regularly with

their supervisor throughout the year. Supervisors are not expected nor required to provide

specific technical support for a project. Staff supervising projects will normally be assigned to

projects that fall within their area of teaching, research or general interest, and will therefore

be in a position to ensure that a student's project conforms to the project requirements.

An interactive project web site.

Online conferences covering both technical and academic issues.

It is expected that the project work will require approximately more than 600 hours of work.

This is equivalent to four 15 credit courses.

Learning Time (600 hours)

Scheduled contact hours:

Note: include in scheduled time: project supervision, demonstrations, practical classes and

workshops, supervised time in studio or workshop, scheduled lab work , fieldwork, external

visits, work-based learning where integrated into a structured academic programme.

lectures 26;

seminars 2;

supervised practical sessions n/a;

tutorials n/a;

formative assessment n/a;

other scheduled time 2;

Guided independent study:

Note: include in guided independent study preparation for scheduled sessions, follow up

work, wider reading or practice, revision.


Independent coursework n/a;

Independent laboratory work 15;

other non-scheduled time 555;

Placements (including work placement and year abroad) n/a;

Total hours (Should be equal to credit x 10) 600.

Assessment Details:

Project - 100% Pass mark 50%. 15000 words.

Text Books

The following is a list of books that may be used in this course. This list is subject to change.

Please wait for advice from the lecturer when the course begins before spending money on

books.

Author Title Publisher Date Of

Publication

ISBN Comment

Bailey, S Academic Writing: A

Handbook for

International Students

(Study Guide)

Routledge 2001 0-415-

384206

Dawson,

C.W.

Projects on Computing

and Information

Systems: A Student's

Guide

Prentice

Hall

2005 0-321-

263553

Dr Jonathan

Lazar

Universal Usability John Wiley

& Sons

2007 978-

0470027271

Good for

interfaces

Dr Jonathan

Lazar et al

Understanding Web

Credibility

Publishers

Inc

2007 978-

1601980809

Background

reading for

Web projects

Gash, S Effective Literature

Searching for Students

Gower 2000 0-566-

082772

John M.

Swales,

Christine A.

Beer Feak

Academic Wirting for

Graduate Students

University of

Michigan

Press

2004 0-4720-

88564

Sharp, J.A.,

Peters J., and

Howard K.

The Management of a

Student Research

Project

Gower 2003 0-566-

084902

Weaver,

Philip

Success in Your

Project

Prentice

Hall

2004 0-273-67809-

4


Appendix B: MSc Project Assessment Criteria

Assessment of Postgraduate Project with a Product Student: Banner ID:

Supervisor/Second Marker:

Broadly the final project should exhibit the following characteristics for the final grade. Both the report and

the presentation form a holistic project view and contribute to the criteria stated in the Assessment Sheets

Marks

≥ 90% Meets all criteria. Shows a significant amount of critical analysis and exhibits an excellent

understanding of the relevant issues. Product meets requirements.

≥ 80%

Meets almost all of the criteria. Demonstrates clear awareness and exposition of the relevant

issues with a high standard of critical analysis. Product meets requirements.

70–79% Meets most of the criteria. The analysis and design uses the appropriate frameworks but may

include some minor errors. Product meets most of the requirements.

60-69% The essential criteria present but is mainly factual and descriptive. The analysis and design uses

the appropriate frameworks but may have several errors. Product meets most of the

requirements.

50-59% Some of the criteria present. It establishes a few relevant points but is superficial and there is a

confused exposition of issues. The analysis and design uses the appropriate frameworks but may

have several errors. Product meets the essential functional requirements.

< 49 Little or no evidence of given criteria and no grasp of analysis. Does not demonstrate self-

direction or originality in problem solving or a critical self-evaluation of the project process.

Product meets very few of the product requirements.

Overall assessment of the project report and demonstration:

Have you held a demonstration for this project? Yes/No

Does this project meet requirements for BCS? Yes/No

Final Mark (%)

The project should demonstrate the following qualities which are expected of a Master’s level project.

Much of your study at this level is at, or informed by, the forefront of your academic discipline. Your project should

reflect this and show originality in the application of knowledge, and your understanding of how the boundaries of

knowledge are advanced through research. The project will demonstrate your ability to deal with complex issues both

systematically and creatively, and your originality in tackling and solving problems that arise. It will also reflect the

qualities needed for employment in circumstances requiring sound judgement, personal responsibility and initiative, in

complex and unpredictable professional environments. Adapted from the National Qualifications Framework


Does the report meet presentation criteria? Yes/No

Word length 10,000-15,000. Structure of report appropriate. Harvard Referencing used. Proper use of spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax. Figures and diagrams properly labelled and referenced. If no, then this should be reflected in the final feedback and should be a contributory factor in your project assessment

Each of the following four sections nominally carries equal weight and the list of things to consider under each heading is indicative. These may vary depending upon the project’s aims and objectives..


Appendix C: Sample MSc Project Proposal

Name: John T Jones ID: DONXS234

MSc Programme: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Title: The investigation into the application of "intelligent processing networks" for a

profile control system on a films plant.

Proposal Submission Date: XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Final Project Submission Date: XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Project Justification

(How does it meet the requirements for a Master’s Project and your programme’s aims?)

Keywords: Neural nets

Fuzzy Logic

Controllability

Control System Analysis

Process Computer Control

Industrial Computer Control

Control Engineering Computing

Courses Taken: Software Engineering

Computer Architecture & Operating Systems

Knowledge Engineering

Project Management

Relational Databases

Software Design & Implementation using Turbo Pascal

Implementation of New Technologies


1. Overview

ICI's Films business manufactures film for various uses such as food packaging. An outline

of the process is: Polymer chips are heated then extruded and cast into a continuous tube. The

tube whilst being drawn is heated by various profile heaters. It is then formed into a bubble

by blowing air into the tube. Finally the bubble is cooled, slit and wound onto winders. The

whole process is continuous with the front end being markedly slower than the back end. A

measurement of the thickness of the film is taken just before the film is wound onto the

winders. This back end measurement is used to control the various front end profile control

heaters to try and ensure consistent thickness of the film.

Opportunities exist for improved plant performance through improved profile control. For

film that fails due to poor profile control there is a lost profit of £1000/hr. Under performance

results from the use of out of date technology which is being used to control a non-linear

process, available process information is not being used effectively and the thickness

measurement is taken periodically. Hence there is an opportunity to upgrade to a profile

control system which will overcome these problems and which will produce flat film

consistently and which will allow grade changes quickly.

It is proposed that the project should look at the increasingly viable area of intelligent

processing networks, decide on the most applicable technology and check its suitability for

this industrial application. The research conclusion will be a proposal for a control system

incorporating the suitable technology which is simulated with data available from the plant.

2. Objectives

a) Investigate the existing profile control system and available process measurements.

b) Literature search intelligent processing networks, understand their background and

capabilities and how the latest ideas within these technologies can be applied to the

profile control problem.

c) Design and test a profile control system using the findings from above.

d) Simulate the proposed profile control system using available plant data.

e) Correlate simulation results and draw conclusions.

f) Propose recommendations for implementation of new profile control system.

3. How I intend to accomplish the objectives

a) Obtain Engineering Line Diagram's (ELD's) for the process which documents all

measurements available and instrument datasheets which document the type of

instruments which are being used. Also obtain the User Requirements Specification

for the current profile control system and understand how this is currently being used

to control the thickness of the film and identify it's shortfalls.

b) Investigate various sources of information for the background and capabilities of

intelligent processing networks and how they might be applied to the profile control

problem. Sources which will be used are :-

i) COMP 1004 Mechatronics

ii) IEE library and ICI Library.


iii) Internet searches on related subjects.

iv) DTI best practice guidelines for neural computing applications.

v) NeuroControl Club at Newcastle University.

vi) Other similar process related companies.

viii) Process control books - Process control by Bela G. Liptak

The Control Handbook by IEEE press

c) Access required to specific software such as Matlab Neural Network Toolbox software

to design control system. Once designed the network will need to be trained with

existing plant data. This is currently available from plant data which is recorded via a

VAX computer.

d) Further access will be required to plant data to simulate plant running conditions and

check system functionality with regards to controlling the film profile thickness.

e) The results obtained from the new data sets will be analysed and compared to the

existing profile control system. This is to ensure that the system proposed functions as

per expected and that it gives an improved performance over the existing system.

f) The recommendations will take into account what additional measurements or

improvements to the process might support the proposed profile control system. Also

conclude how well or not the control system works and any modifications that should

take place before it is implemented. Also an outline of how the system should be

implemented within the existing system.

4. Reasons for selecting this project and how my prior skills/knowledge plus the

topics currently being studied will enable me to complete the project.

a) I find the areas of neural networks very interesting and wish to gain further experience

in this and other similar related areas.

b) The project results have a potential for a wider application to other processes, hence

producing more profits for the company.

c) To understand how these technologies can be applied to a range of problems that are

normally solved using specific algorithmic approaches which provide adequate

performance.

“The part about how your prior skills and knowledge plus current knowledge is new to

this proposal.”

5. Resources

I foresee that I will require the following resources:-

Software: Microsoft Windows/Office, neural network toolkit and Matlab

Hardware: Suitable PC with modem connection.

Data: Process ELD's, instrument datasheets, profile control User Requirement

Specification, plant personnel, process data.

Misc: Access to printing, copying and binding facilities.

I have access to most of the resources mentioned above.


6. Schedule

The following tasks have been identified with appropriate estimated duration:-

Task Description Duration (Hrs)

Obtain Process Info Obtain documentation with regards to the existing

profile control system and associated process.

10

Understand Current

System

Understand principle and failings of existing system. 40

Literature Search Investigate intelligent processing technologies,

understanding the main principles behind them, and

decide when and how they should be applied.

100

Write Literature

Review

Produce documentation 20

Design & Test

System

Design a profile control system using the findings

from the literature search and test the proposed system

using data available from the plant.

120

Simulate System Check proposed control system with new data. 100

Correlate results Compare new profile control system results against

historical plant results using existing system

30

Recommendations Recommend future work on system and how it may be

improved and implemented.

30

Initial Report Produce the initial report. Due early March 10

Interim Report Produce the interim report. Due mid-May 10

Dissertation Produce final dissertation. Due mid-September 90

Total 560

The attached plan shows these activities and the hours allocated to them. The schedule

provides 38 weeks for study, giving an average of about 12 hours study per week. The Work

Beakdown Structure and Gantt chart detailing my project plan is attached to this proposal.

From the plan the intention is that the initial report should contain the following information:-

Summary of existing control system.

All relevant search information found

Summary of concepts of the technologies and where they should be applied.

The interim report should show the following information:-

Final design system to be proposed.

Decisions made during design phase.

Data to which system is to be trained and tested.

Any limitations of system highlighted.


Appendix D: Sample Cover Sheet for Project

Name: XXXXXXXXX ID: DONXS234

MSc Programme: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Title: The investigation into the application of "intelligent processing networks" for a

profile control system on a films plant.

Submission Date: XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Supervisor: XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of

the requirements for the University of Greenwich Masters Degree in Computing and Information Systems

STUDENT PLAGIARISM DECLARATION I hereby declare that the work submitted for assessment is original and my own work,

except where acknowledged in the submission.

Signed: Date:


Appendix E: Intellectual Property Rights

The issue of Intellectual Property Rights with regard to student projects is currently being

debated at a national level. The University's position regarding the Intellectual Property

Rights is as follows:

When a student registers for a course at the University, they sign to the effect that all work

carried out as part of the course requirements, becomes the property of the University. This

therefore applies to projects undertaken for an MSc. Even though the actual work done on the

project might not involve the University's computing resources or even be carried out on one

of the University's sites, there is still the supervision by a member of staff to be considered.

In practice, the University would not wish to obstruct genuine attempts by its students to

produce and market commercially viable products. In fact there is a considerable opportunity

for students to receive valuable help in bringing the product up to a commercial standard, and

in the subsequent marketing of the product. This would be done through the Commercial

Development Unit. Any student who wishes to market a product which is based upon the

work carried out for their final year project, should contact the Commercial Development

Unit to discuss how it may be done. Correspondence should be addressed in the first instance

to Professor Parsonage, Director of the Commercial Development Unit.

A clear distinction can be drawn between projects which are carried out by full-time students

and those undertaken by part-time students who are employed by a company (or indeed a full-

time student who is contracted by an organisation to develop a product as part of their

project). In such cases, the completed work is the property of the company concerned, unless

there has been any significant contribution made to the development through the academic

supervision (e.g. innovative solutions etc) in which case there would need to be some

discussion between the parties concerned.

Please note that this may be modified by new guidelines and students should therefore check

for further information on the University's web site

http://www.gre.ac.uk/policy/ip/index.html.

http://www.gre.ac.uk/policy/ip/index.html

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