Foundation Degree IT Project Module Introduction

Objectives Describe the overall aim of the project Identify module learning outcomes Describe the project process Define the project stages and briefly describe them Milestones 1 - 4 *** Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

What is the project about? It unifies everything you have covered throughout the modules on the foundation degree programme Think of it as a portfolio of evidence to show to an employer This evidence is encapsulated by the activities of the project and it’s documentation It’s essence is the development of an information system It is student led Tutors provide Administrative/academic guidance Specialist support Assessment Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Learning objectives 1) Demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge obtained through independent research Enquiry Knowledge & Understanding 2) Select, justify and use an appropriate analysis and design method to provide a solution to a practical: problem Analysis & Learning 3) Develop the techniques of producing a program of work, structured written reports and oral presentation of ideas. Communication 4) Provide a solution to a practical problem by producing an artefact using appropriate technology and apply a variety of testing methods. Application & Problem Solving 5) Demonstrate the ability to analyse and evaluate the work undertaken Reflection Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Assessment Four milestones Milestone 1 Project Proposal Report worth 10%, 1000 words Milestone 2 Research, Analysis and Design Report worth 40%, 4000 words Milestone 3 Implementation and Testing Report worth 20%, 2000 words Milestone 4 Presentation/Demonstration System worth 30%, completed within 2 weeks of MS3 hand-in Normal university module assessment rules apply Each milestone is assessed independently of each other Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Supervision Your allocated project supervisor is responsible for Guiding you through the project process Keeping in regular contact with you, either through face-to-face meetings, email or other forms of communication Marking your work and providing feedback Class time will be used for face-to-face tutorials on a one-to-one basis The supervisor and students are expected to keep in regular contact via electronic means outside of class All tutors on the teaching team will be available to assist students with topic specific questions Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

What kind of project you can do Your project must be professionally conducted and be at a higher level of computing/IT The project must be workplace based You cannot base it on a personal, or family environment It is your responsibility to find a project You must be capable of completing the project Your proposal must be approved by your supervisor It must be an individuals own project, or it must identify the individuals part in a larger project It must be an ‘original’ work i.e. a project cannot be based upon a project run in the previous year by another student Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Non-triviality The project requires aims and objectives Students need to identify what the aims and objectives are and they should be measurable e.g. mean time between failures may be critical and can be tested/measured Allowing a client to say ‘user friendly’ - what does this mean? You need to clarify how aims and objectives are to be measured Students should be able to measure the success of the project by these Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Project procedure Milestone 1 – Proposal (1000 words) Students identify a project topic Students identify the aim and objectives Milestone 2 - Research and Analysis (4000 words) Students research information system methodologies, and development technologies Students collect data and analyse it based on chosen methodology Students develop a set of requirements for the project to fulfil Students design a system that will fulfil the requirements Milestone 3 - Implementation and Testing (2000 words) Students implement the system they have designed and test it Milestone 4 - Demonstration/Presentation Students present their project and demonstrate the system Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Report style Reports written in formal style, in third person form Grammar and spelling are vital Sources of information should be referenced using Harvard/APA Times New Roman/Calibiri font style, size 12 1.5 or double line spaced Appendices should contain information that would disrupt the flow of the report Be aware of the consequences of plagiarism! *** Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Project ideas VBA applications Networking Staff training resources To automate processes Networking Deploying or re-designing a network Staff training resources Developing electronic resources for staff development Database applications Automated spreadsheets using VBA Any project idea will be considered, but this does not mean it will be accepted Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Project woes Sometimes students struggle to come up with a project idea If this happens think about basing your project around a module you have studied on your course Alternatively, if your supervisor/team don’t give you any good ideas for a project then you could develop a project independently and present it as a “proof of concept” This still has to be work related! It is not advisable to base a project around a technology that has not been covered in one of the modules on your award It is not unheard of for a project to be cancelled by your supervisor/employer half way through Think about disaster recovery and contingency plans Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Tips Choose a project that you know you can complete with the skills and technology you currently have Use specialist support Your supervisor will not be an expert in all fields! Check your project is Work related Non-trivial i.e. no pre-defined solution READ the project handbook, especially the marking schemes for each milestone! Know where the marks are Keep in contact at all times Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Summary The project brings together a lot of what you have studied on your FD program It must be work related and non-trivial It is assessed with four milestones throughout the academic year Your project supervisor is your first port of call for help and advice Communication between yourself and your supervisor is essential to get a good grade *** Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

Your first task... Submit to your supervisor an idea for your project This should be a single side of A4, word processed, and consist of several paragraphs identifying The project background The problem (if there is one) The genre the project falls into i.e. Networking, VBA, application development etc. This should be sent to rhanc1sc@stokecoll.ac.uk Complete this BEFORE your first project session in September Richard Hancock 14/11/2018

End! Richard Hancock 14/11/2018