introduction to MSc projects general information

what is an MSc project? a sustained piece of work of up to 400 hours (almost 4 months work) carried out individually a ‘scholarly’ piece of work.

why is your project is important Counts for 60 credits out of a total of 120 To gain am MSc distinction you must achieve distinction level work in your project Will be used when writing references for you for future employers and courses you may take Your only opportunity to carry out a significant, individual piece of work

introduction to projects assessment of your project

assessment of project  Formal project proposal Initial report Interim report The software (if applicable) and documentation/dissertation to be stored on your own area on the project drive (P). The project website uses a blog (diary system) so that you can keep notes about your progress; meetings with your supervisor are kept here as well as their feedback on your deliverables. Project report followed by a Viva (demonstration of software/presentation of findings). Development Mark (30% of total)

project report  worth 70% of the marks marked by two academics your supervisor a second marker a formal summary of all that you have done and your findings

Deliverables (Sept 2005 start) Activity Date due Project Proposal 9/6/2006 Initial Report 7/7/2006 Interim Report 5/9/2006 Completed Project (Report + Implementation) 1/10/2006

introduction to projects planning your project

a project plan for you to follow Have a good idea Reflect and conclude Collect data produce something

deciding on a project topic Have a good idea Produce a project checklist Generate ideas for project topic Investigate and short-list ideas Make final selection document project topic

types of projects Have a good idea constructive : involving the design and implementation of a system. evaluative : an evaluation of a particular system in terms of its function, performance or human-computer interaction. analytic : an analysis of particular policies or strategies with respect to the implementation of computing techniques or methods in organisations. investigative : practical experiments or investigations into particular systems or comparisons of alternatives

what should an IS project be about? Have a good idea an IS project could be concerned with: understanding specific aspects of information systems understanding and modelling quasi-realistic problems reflecting and appraising how to build information systems

what should a Computing project be about? a Computing project could be concerned with: Understanding important aspects of software systems Understanding and modelling quasi-realistic problems Reflecting and appraising how to build software systems

what should a MM project be about? Have a good idea your project could be concerned with: understanding specific aspects of multimedia systems understanding and modelling problems reflecting and appraising how to build multimedia systems

what should a project involve? Evaluate idea Requirements Analysis user / client / peer / supervisor / employer Research – theory / concepts Evaluate – existing products Test – based on req. analysis Evaluate – product and process Plan, Design, Develop, Build

course aims for the project To develop your capacity to organise and carry out an extended, independent study. To adopt a scientific approach to your work. To apply, where appropriate, good engineering practice.

a scientific approach understand and can use theoretical concepts have a knowledge of relevant work by others in the field can argue logically and consistently.

good engineering practice planned and organised your work in a structured way selected and applied methods in a rigorous fashion kept detailed records of your work.

personal skills you will need be able to work independently. investigate and understand advanced concepts. be able to follow a task to the end be able to communicate ideas.

technical skills you will need to critically evaluate the work of others and your own. to select and apply methods and techniques rigorously. to reason clearly and logically. to write-up a project as a coherent thesis.

project proposals The project proposal demonstrates that: Have a good idea The project proposal demonstrates that: you have thought the proposed project through it is achievable in the time available it is of an appropriate academic level it is appropriate to your MSc programme.

how will this project proposal help me? Have a good idea for a project to have a high probability of a success, it is essential to have: defined an appropriate set of objectives identified how these objectives will be met made an assessment of the resources required to complete the project prepared the way for a relevant literature study.

Proposal Format Topic area Title Introduction Key phrases Objectives This is the general subject area e.g. design and implementation of relational database applications Title A good project title should attract a reader’s interest and capture the essence of the project. Introduction Describe in half a page the area of study and the scope of the project Contains the AIM. Key phrases Give five to eight key words or key phrases that you could use to search a library subject catalogue. Objectives Define up to 6 objectives that are specific to your topic area and product Expand these objectives in terms of: the understanding you need to achieve; the activities you need to undertake; the deliverables required.

and …. Relevance of other courses Required resources What parts of the syllabuses of the other courses that you are studying are relevant? Required resources Are you assured of access to the required information? List the people or organisations that you expect to gain information or help from. List any required computing resources. Do you have adequate access to them? Initial references Include key references to books or journal articles that you see as providing a theoretical context to your work as well as practical and technical information. These should include works other than just standard course textbooks. Critical success factors What are the critical activities, people or resources that can make or break your project ? Where is the risk ? What can you do about it?

“Aim” vs “Objectives” The two terms are often used interchangeably. What is the difference? An aim is broader than an objective which is more specific. Aim: A purpose. A plan. “This is what I want to do …” Objective: A goal or target or task.  “One objective is to read that ASP.Net book”.  “Investigate use of ASP in “topic area” websites” The time-scale for achieving an aim may not be defined - an objective must be achievable within a specified period of time - “by next week!” An objective also carries with it a course of action or set of activities that will be carried out in order to achieve the objective. “allocate some time; code up exercises …”

“Aim” = sum of Objectives Stating the Aim for a project will help you and your supervisor know what your project is intended to achieve The Aim must be expanded into a set of high-level project Objectives which are set out in the Project Proposal. The high-level Objectives can, for the purposes of planning and carrying out the project, be expanded into sets of lower-level objectives. When you have completed all the objectives you should have achieved your AIM!

Keep referring back Whenever you are uncertain as to how to proceed or whether something should be included in the project, refer back to the project aim. Ask yourself whether a proposed activity supports the project’s aim. If it doesn’t then think carefully about what it does contribute to the project.

This week …. Have a good idea You will work together in small groups to develop a group project proposal Project surgeries will run on Tue/Wed afternoon in QM358/357/269 Your group will present their project proposal on Friday and gain part of their individual development marks

next week … You will work on your individual project proposals Sept 2005 start students will need to submit these proposals by June 9th using the project upload system