Transcript Project intro - University of Huddersfield

CHP 2524: Individual Project
Last Lecture – March 27th 2009
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Timescale and hand-in procedure
Project Report and Product Content
Marking and Write-up advice
Hand-in Procedure: Last Week
The Last Week: April 27th-May 1th
During this week you must
finish your project report and product
 allow time to get two copies of your project report printed off
and bound, and to get your product ready to hand in.
 Put your project report through TurnitIn via Blackboard
 book up a room, date and time when you will give your 30
minute demonstration and/or talk to your supervisor and
examiner. This date and time must be on or before the
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15th May
You are responsible for making sure the correct equipment is
installed in the room you book (with the help of the
technicians, of course)
Hand-in Procedure: DEADLINES
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Wednesday 29th April: Everyone must have
finished their project report and product and be
preparing them for hand-in.
Friday 1st May, 4pm: Everyone must have
handed in TWO COPIES of their BOUND report
and product at our DEPARTMENT’s RECEPTION
on level 4 of Canalside West.
Friday 15th May, 4pm: Everyone must have given
their talk/demo to their supervisor and examiner.
Front Cover, Print Credits, Binding..
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Front Cover: By 20th April: Send email to [email protected]
marked with subject PROJECTS the following information using
this format:
YOUR NAME:
YOUR PATHWAY:
YOUR ID NUMBER:
YOUR PROJECT'S TITLE:
If you do not send this email by that date the information we have
on the initial project spreadsheet record will be used to create your
project's front cover.
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Ring Binder: There is a ring binder in the 24 lab, or alternative
facilities in the University Library.
Print Credits: You will receive extra print credits for this purpose
Hand-in Procedure: Important dates
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There should be NO minor deadline extensions (only
MAJOR ones which involve eg your degree being
postponed because of some major disaster you have
encountered)
If something occurs that significantly affects your project
performance then you should submit whatever you have
done along with an extenuating circumstances plea to your
course or pathway leader.
Projects arriving up to one week late will be marked to a
40 per cent maximum. After that a fail mark of zero will
be recorded.
Project Report Content
Your project report should contain:
Abstract - explains in 100 –200 words the contribution of the project
EG:
ABSTRACT of “Computational Approaches to Bee-Keeping”
(**** expression of general problem)
Many Bee-keepers still use manual systems to deal with ...
(**** specific problem attempted)
In this project I have analysed the .... of a particular
Bee Keeping system - the Sheffield Striped Insect (SSI) systems ...
SSI required a system that could handle honey collection ….
more efficiently, ....., logged stings .....
(**** what you have achieved)
Here the details of the requirements, specification, and design of a beekeeping system are reported ..... The system was implemented and
evaluated ... and resulted in ....
(**** lessons learned)
The project shows the feasibility of engaging computational approaches …
in the … of bee-keeping ..
Project Report Content
Your project report should contain:
Introduction - explains context, the problem, the clients , the users.
Also it should give a summary of what you have achieved and
what your product is.
HINT: Start with the text of your abstract, then write more details (2
– 4 pages) introducing the reader to the area, explaining what the
specific problem you have tackled is and what you have
achieved.
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MAKE IT CLEAR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE/ACHIEVED
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WRITE YOUR INTRODUCTION AFTER YOU HAVE
FINISHED THE REST OF THE PROJECT REPORT!
Project Report Content
Your project report should contain:
“Middle” sections:
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It must contain Background Research – an examination and
analysis of the academic issues relevant to the problem with
references to the published literature This can be derived from
your interim report, and MUST show evidence that you
understand the context and current thinking in your problem area.
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Other sections in the central part of the project vary according to
the nature of the product. Normally your project involves solving
a problem by producing software and the middle sections will
include specification, choice of tools and techniques, software
design and development, testing and evaluation of that product.
Product evaluation is particularly important.
Project Report Content Continued
Project Evaluation - you must evaluate your performance, as a
whole, on the project
Conclusion – a summary of the achievements and findings of the
project. What lessons can be learned from the project
Bibliography – a sorted list of all the full references of all the
papers, books, websites etc you’ve have cited in the report
Appendix - This should contain anything you have produced for the
project that can be textually represented but which is not
appropriate to appear in the report itself eg program code,
product user guide, detailed designs, survey forms etc
Project Product
Your project’s product will vary:
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The software you have produced must be handed in with the
report on a CD or floppy disc. Note that the QUALITY of the
software product will be marked on evidence in your project
report (designs, testing, screen shots, user guide, code listing etc)
as well as the product’s operation when executed in your
demonstration.
Note in the Project Report’s Introduction you must clearly identify
the form and content of your ‘product’, and to what extent it
solves your identified problem.
Marking - report
NB Marking of projects will be ‘holistic’– that is staff will take into
account the project as a whole when marking rather than breaking
marks down into individual components.
The project report mark (50 per cent weighting) will be based on the
following criteria (the weights of each will vary depending on the
nature of the product):
The clarity, presentation and cogency of the report (including
the quality of your prose and grammar)
The depth and breadth of research and analysis in the report
The choice and use of tools and methodologies appropriate to
the nature of the product
The thoroughness of product development, testing and
evaluation
Marking – product and progress
The quality of the project's product (40 per cent weighting) will be
assessed using evidence from the project demonstration and any
product description, development, evaluation, code etc given in
the report submission. Marks will be given based on the fitness for
purpose of your product, its technical complexity, robustness etc
The format of your project demonstration depends on your
product. It could be a ‘power-point’ talk, a demonstration of
software you have produced, or a combination. You decide.
The student's progress throughout the year (10 per cent weighting)
will be assessed using evidence from the progress report and
progress meetings
Marking and Write-up advice
RECALL AIMS discussed in the first lecture:
The PROJECT provides “an opportunity for a student to
investigate an area of computing of their choosing in some
depth…”
You must become an expert in the subject area related to your
project, learn new skills and knowledge, integrate skills and
knowledge picked up from other modules – eg
programming, design methods, databases.
Your project must ‘solve a problem’ of some description, have
a real or imaginary client and have an identifiable ‘product’.
Write-up advice
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In the introduction, make it CLEAR what the product is, and
what you have achieved. Note, the ‘product’ does not have
to be ‘the software’. The product could be an evaluation (eg
of a method) which involves the writing of software.
The project report should be an enjoyable read. Read it
and spend time refining it. Make it something you are proud
of – it will stay with you all your life! Make sure it is
grammatically correct and written scientifically.
Plagiarism is EASY to spot. Do not use lumps of text from
the Internet. Use your own words and reference the opinion
and results of others. Avoid ‘quotes’.
Avoid leaving your write-up till the last minute.
Write-up advice
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Write impersonally, use your own words.
Avoid sales pitch language and jargon (“.Net is the
premier product delivering a full bandwidth solution
to all the Web programmers’ needs”)
Avoid ‘anecdotes’ (“I turned on my laptop and tried
out my program. It worked first time.”)
Avoid hyperbole (exaggeration) and slang
Write-up advice
BAD EXAMPLE: “I found Microsoft Word to be great. The
screen was really well laid out with really good buttons. It is
the premier product with massive market penetration. I
chose to use it for the project because it is on my PC and
most of my friends use it and they said they liked it”
Rather (NB this is fiction):
“According to Gates [Gates, 95] Microsoft’s Word product [MC,
1991] embodies five of the six major HCI principles used in
the Interface Standard [ICRM, 90]. Recent surveys suggest
that Word’s market penetration is over 90 per cent [ Dix,
2002]. On the other hand, reliability estimates suggest that
the mean-time-to-failure of any Microsoft product is 2.9
hours….. In conclusion, because of its innovation in HCI, it
was decided to adopt this product for the project”
Marking Criteria Given to Staff
Points to be considered when considering the project report and any other
documentation
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grammar, clarity of prose
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layout, structure, coherence, presentation
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cogency, originality, integration and use of literature and pathway
knowledge
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completeness - to include abstract, introduction, background research,
methodology documentation, project evaluation, conclusion,
bibliography.
Points to be considered when considering the product / deliverables:
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fitness for purpose
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significance, originality, complexity
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usability
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the product development process (choice of methodology, specification,
design, testing)
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evaluation
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documentation.
Example Marking Criteria Given to Staff
For a high grade in an honours project, the student must do all of the
following well:
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1. Deliverables: the deliverables should be of a significantly greater
complexity than needed to achieve a high grade on any taught honours
level module taken by the student. The student should also have
integrated learning from different modules. Any software or reports
should have appropriate functionality, reliability and usability.
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2. Testing/Evaluation: all deliverables should have been thoroughly
tested and/or evaluated.
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3. Documentation: the student should provide sufficient design rationale
and design explanation, including program documentation where
appropriate, enabling a third party to easily take over the project.
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4. Literature Review: there should be a well-researched, properly
referenced literature review, which includes the student’s own critique
and conclusions. The conclusions should clearly influence the
subsequent stages of the project.
Example Marking Criteria Given to Staff
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5. Methodology: the student should give reasons why the particular
methodology was chosen, give evidence that the methodology has been
followed well and provide a critical review of the methodology.
6. Project management: the student should provide evidence that the
project has been well planned and managed and should also provide a
critique of his/her own performance and learning.
7. Format and style: the Final Report should be written in the third
person (except when reviewing his/her own performance), be well
organized, and should have been carefully checked.
Example Marking Criteria Given to Staff
For a distinction the project should satisfy the criteria above,
and additionally be outstanding in some respect.
For a pass grade a completed project report must have been
produced demonstrating that the student
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researched and understood the context of the project
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adopted a systematic approach to the solution of an
identified problem
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developed a product in an attempt to solve the identified
problem
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made a significant attempt to overcome any problems
encountered
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The project report and product should demonstrate
significantly more work and understanding than would be
expected from final year coursework
Summary: those important dates again..
Wednesday 29th April: Finish your project and
product, print and bind the report
Friday 1st May, 4pm: You must have handed to
the Dept Office two copies of your bound project
report and product.
Friday 15th May, 4pm: You must have given your
supervisor and examiner a demonstration and/or
talk detailing the results of your project.