IMAT3451 Final Year Project

1. IMAT3451 Final Year Project 2013-2014 Options Day Briefing These slides are available at: http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/projects/ imat3451 Options Day

2. Agenda • What is the final year project? • How do I find a project? • What is a supervisor? • What should I do now? • What other information is available? • Questions. imat3451 Options Day 2

3. What is the final year project? • Probably the most challenging - • - but also the most enjoyable part of your final year. imat3451 Options Day 3

4. The Final Year Project - • Is a 30-credit module - • BUT it is different from any other final year 30-credit module • It is an INDIVIDUAL piece of work • You undertake it with the guidance of a supervisor – • But it is YOUR project, for which YOU are responsible! imat3451 Options Day 4

5. Manage Your Time • Every 30-credit module represents 300 hours of learning • That is an average of 10 hours per week • But unlike taught modules, you must manage all of that time yourself. imat3451 Options Day 5

6. ‘Most Enjoyable. . .’ • It is your project • You get to choose it [within certain limits], you have control over what you’re doing • An opportunity to explore an area that interests you • An opportunity to integrate topics you have been studying in earlier years imat3451 Options Day 6

7. Early Deliverables: Project Contract (Terms of Reference) This includes a project plan (usually in the form of a Gantt chart) Ethics review form Regular progress reports imat3451 Options Day

8. Deliverables: Christmas • A literature review • Note that you will continue to support your work with literature throughout • A project plan • for development projects: • a prototype, design documentation etc. • For research projects: • Design for your original research etc. imat3451 Options Day 8

9. Deliverables: Final • At the end of the year you will have completed: • A finished product, which you will present at a viva/demonstration/presentation • A report comprising a critical, reflective account of the project • A series of appendices to the report imat3451 Options Day 9

10. Example Projects - 1 • Well-understood problem domain - challenge is in the quality of software implementation: Multi-layer, turn-based board games (e.g. Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit) Android app A system for a charity or small business Lift Controller. imat3451 Options Day 10

11. Example Projects - 2 • SOME programmes allow ‘Research’ projects: RFIT: Commercial Benefits & Privacy Concerns Enterprise Resource Management Systems Cross-Cultural Transfer of Technology Managing Knowledge in the Knowledge Economy. imat3451 Options Day 11

12. Warning • ‘Research’ projects can NOT be undertaken by programmes that have British Computer Society (BCS) accreditation • ‘Research’ projects are NOT an easy option – they can be easier to fail that a software development project! imat3451 Options Day 12

13. Finding a Project- 1 • You can choose from the ‘pool’ of project proposals made by staff • You can propose your own project which is subject to modification* • Your placement organization might have a suitable project for you to undertake* * in these cases: you will need to find a suitable supervisor, and have the topic approved. imat3451 Options Day 13

14. Warning! • Students on some specialist programmes may NOT choose from the ‘pool’ of projects • These include: • Forensic Computing/Computer Security • Computer Games Programming • Your programme leader will arrange project selection with you. imat3451 Options Day 14

15. Finding A Project- 2 • There will be about 50 members of staff acting as project supervisors • Their proposals will be added to a spreadsheet available from: http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/projects/ imat3451 Options Day 15

16. Finding a Project- 3 • Browse the list of project proposals • Note that more project proposals will be added in the period up to August/September. imat3451 Options Day 16

17. Finding a Project- 4 • If a project title interests you, email the supervisor • If there isn’t a specific title that interests you, but you are interested in the general area in which a member of staff is proposing – email them • You might want a specific member of staff as your supervisor because you are interested in their area of expertise – email them. imat3451 Options Day 17

18. Finding a Project- 5 • In other words: it is your responsibility to find a project • Negotiate directly with the supervisor • They will confirm whether are willing to take you on. • There is a provisional list of supervisors available from http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/projects imat3451 Options Day 18

19. Your Own/Placement Proposal • From your own knowledge of staff, or from the list of proposals, find a supervisor with expertise in the proposed topic – contact them to discuss • Or discuss with your programme leader/ final year manager/personal tutor. imat3451 Options Day 19

20. Deadline For Project Choice • You must have a project by the start of induction week (Monday 30th September) at the latest • BUT the earlier the better – start thinking NOW and get set up with a project well before September • The earlier you approach supervisors – the more choice of project/ supervisor you will have. imat3451 Options Day 20

21. Deadline For Project Choice • If you have not agreed a project with a supervisor by the start of term you will be allocated to a supervisor. imat3451 Options Day 21

22. A Note About Supervision - 1 • Your supervisor will guide you • You will meet with them – approx. 5 hours of supervision throughout the year • That leaves 295 hours that you work on your project on your own • It is your project! imat3451 Options Day 22

23. A Note About Supervision - 2 • Supervision starts with the new academic year: in Induction Week or Week 1 of the Autumn Term • Your 10 hours per week work on the project officially starts then, too – but there are ways in which you can prepare: imat3451 Options Day 23

24. Preparation: • To help you in September: • Read a suitable text: suggestions are provided at the end of these slides • Revise/extend your knowledge of technologies you expect to use in your project and the project area in general • Your supervisor might have other, specific suggestions. imat3451 Options Day 24

25. Further Information • At the url mentioned earlier: http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/projects imat3451 Options Day 25

26. Further Information - Blackboard • A Blackboard site for IMAT3451 will be made available from about the beginning of May • Check your DMU email account regularly as the Blackboard site will be used to send emails to students registered on IMAT3451 • Once the Blackboard site is available, check regularly for announcements, additional information & supporting material. imat3451 Options Day 26

27. Workshops: • There will be further briefings about the project in Induction Week • There will be workshops on topics such as time management, literature searching, report writing, critical writing, giving presentations, designing questionnaires etc. • The library provides bookable individual tuition imat3451 Options Day 27

28. IMAT3451 Final Year Project Questions? imat3451 Options Day

29. Useful Books - 1 Weaver, Philip (2004) Success in Your Project. Pearson Education Ltd. A very useful guide for software development projects. Dawson, Christian W. (2009) Projects in Computing and Information Systems: a student’s guide. 2nd ed. Pearson Education. Useful guide for all students, but particularly helpful for literature searching, literature reviews and presenting information. Ricketts, Ian W. (1998) Managing Your Software Project. Springer. A useful introduction to the documentation required for developing a software project. imat3451 Options Day 29

30. Useful Books - 2 Britton, Carol & Doake, Jill (2005) Software System Development. 4th ed. McGraw-Hill. Describes a variety of design approaches, somewhat old-fashioned, but a useful introduction. O’Leary, Zina (2009) The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. 2nd ed. Sage. A useful book which offers guidelines for carrying out research. Cornford, Tony & Smithson, Steve (2006) Project Research in Information Systems. 2nd ed. Palgrave MacMillan. A useful guide to final year projects which have a strong research focus. imat3451 Options Day 30

31. Additional Note on Research Projects A research project will include: • Extensive literature search to retrieve academic papers & a critical write-up of this • Establish the research question • Review & write-up of research methods • Empirical research design • Undertake empirical research • Analysis and critical write-up of empirical research • Write-up of findings, conclusions & recommendations for further work. imat3451 Options Day 31