COMP08163 2019 Project

General Details

Full Title
Project
Transcript Title
Project
Code
COMP08163
Attendance
N/A %
Subject Area
COMP - Computing
Department
COEL - Computing & Electronic Eng
Level
08 - NFQ Level 8
Credit
10 - 10 Credits
Duration
Semester
Fee
Start Term
2019 - Full Academic Year 2019-20
End Term
9999 - The End of Time
Author(s)
Colm Davey, Shane Banks
Programme Membership
SG_KCMPU_L08 202000 Higher Diploma in Science in Computing SG_KCMPU_L08 202300 Higher Diploma in Science in Computing
Description

In this module, students will undertake a significant piece of independent work under supervision with the objective of preparing students for the demands of the workplace and/or further research. The module aims to encourage innovation, exploratory learning and to act as an integrating module to allow the student to draw on knowledge learned and developed across the programme. The module exposes the student to the application of research, current design and development methodologies, and aims to develop critical thinking and analysis skills.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this module the learner will/should be able to;

1.

Undertake a comprehensive review of relevant and appropriate literature in the project domain and construct a detailed argument in support of the project direction.

2.

Analyse the problem through the lens of research undertaken, evaluate options and select the most appropriate methodology and/or technology to apply to the project area.

3.

Develop a project plan that manages the available time and delivers a successful project.

4.

Develop a major project that aligns with the project plan and involves stages for design, development, testing and deployment and apply industry standards and best practice at each stage.

5.

Produce a written report which meets the required standards of scholarship and technical expertise.

6.

Demonstrate the appropriate written and oral communication skills required of a professional practitioner.

Teaching and Learning Strategies

This module provides the student with an opportunity to manage their own learning strategy and is very much student-led. Learners will be allocated a supervisor for the project.  Weekly meetings with the supervisor will help the learner maintain focus, discuss problems or needs related to the project and review progress. 

 

Module Assessment Strategies

30% of the marks will be awarded at the interim presentation stage. This 30% is broken down as 10% for the presentation, 10% for a literature review and 10% for a prototype of some key features of the project. If the project is primarily thesis based then 10% will be awarded for the presentation and 20% for the literature review. Feedback will be provided on the literature review at the interim stage to allow students the opportunity to enhance their literature review.

70% will be awarded for the final deliverable with a breakdown of 40% for the deliverable, 20% for the final report and 10% for the presentation. Where the project is thesis-based 60% is awarded for the final report/thesis and 10% for the presentation. The report length will be approximately 9000 words. In the case of a thesis, the report will not exceed 14,000 words, excluding appendices. 

Where appropriate a screencast and poster may be part of the final deliverable.

Turnitin will be used for submissions.

 

Repeat Assessments

A repeat project covering all learning outcomes.

Indicative Syllabus

Undertake a comprehensive review of relevant and appropriate literature in the project domain and construct a detailed argument in support of the project direction.

  • Carry out detailed research on the problem and technology solutions that can be applied to the problem.
  • Use peer-reviewed journals, articles, and books sourced from online databases and search tools such as Google Scholar.
  • The literature review should be critical in its analysis and justifications for choices should be clearly backed up with solid arguments
  • Appropriate referencing formats such as Harvard should be used and tools such as Mendeley or EndNote employed to aid this
  • Use appropriate writing conventions such as the 3rd person.

Analyse the problem through the lens of research undertaken, determine the different user groups and their needs, evaluate options and select the most appropriate methodology and/or technology to apply to the project area.

  • Determine the needs of the various user groups through user stories and/or focus groups
  • Identify the various technologies and stacks that can be used
  • Students are encouraged to look beyond what they have already learned from in the programme and look at new areas that challenge them
  • Select the appropriate technology set
  • Document the proposal in detail

Develop a project plan that manages the available time and delivers a successful project.

  • Identify project management and planning processes and put these in place
  • Identify the key stages of the project
  • Determine the activities at each stage and estimate the time required
  • Prepare a project plan based on the stages and estimates
  • Work out the software/hardware/cloud requirements and costs
  • Put in place cloud-based reporting structures
  • Identify appropriate implementation platform, development tools, and other aids.

Develop a major project that aligns with the project plan and involves stages for design, development, testing and deployment. Apply industry standards and best practice at each stage.

  • Determine what methodologies can be used at each stage of the project and select the appropriate one
  • Execute a design phase generating wireframes around key features of the project
  • Apply quality standards to the software development phase
  • Ensure the use of version control tools such as GitHub
  • Use an Agile approach to delivering features quickly
  • The test phase should include User testing with evidence to show where appropriate that user test output fed into the redesign of features
  • Deployment should be to a cloud-based service

Produce a written thesis which meets the required standards of scholarship and technical expertise.

  • Clearly articulate the problem, the aims, and objectives of the project.
  • The report should show how the solution is based on the literature review
  • The design, development and testing phases should be working to industry best practices and the relevant chapters should articulate this.

Demonstrate the appropriate written and oral communication skills required of a professional practitioner.

  • Be comfortable answering detailed questions on the problem domain, show a depth of learning on the problem domain
  • A breadth of knowledge on the problem domain should be apparent
  • Be able to create a presentation that moves from the high-level problem statement through to technical details
  • Use of diagrams such as architecture diagrams is essential as good diagrams convey that you have a clear understanding of the elements of the problem and the solution
     

Coursework & Assessment Breakdown

Coursework & Continuous Assessment
100 %

Coursework Assessment

Title Type Form Percent Week Learning Outcomes Assessed
1 Project Submission Project Individual Project 70 % End of Semester 1,2,3,4,5,6
2 Interim Assessment Project Interview 30 % Week 7 1,2,3
             

Online Learning Mode Workload


Type Location Description Hours Frequency Avg Workload
Directed Learning Not Specified Supervisor Meeting .33 Weekly 0.33
Independent Learning Not Specified Independent Work 14 Weekly 14.00
Total Online Learning Average Weekly Learner Contact Time 0.33 Hours

Required & Recommended Book List

Required Reading
2015-11-19 Brilliant Agile Project Management: A Practical Guide to Using Agile, Scrum and Kanban Pearson Business
ISBN 1292063564 ISBN-13 9781292063560

Brilliant Agile Project Management

Required Reading
2017-06-09 How to Do Your Research Project: A Guide for Students SAGE Publications Ltd
ISBN 1473948878 ISBN-13 9781473948877

Lecturers, request your electronic inspection copy here. 'Gary's book, never more than a metre away, has been my indispensable research companion. With its easy layout, my well-worn copy, stripy with florescent marker and pencilled notes, has been my go-to, on-hand supervisor throughout my degree; taking the distance out of distance learning., Replace daunting and impossible with clarity and entertainment. I wouldn't be where I am today without it; it has been my gateway to achievement' - Ellie Davies Moore, distance learner in Multi-Sensory Impairment at the University of Birmingham With more advice on concluding, writing up and presenting research, using social media and digital methods, and understanding what supervisors want and how to work with them, the third edition of this bestselling title continues to lead the way as an essential guide for anyone undertaking a research project in the applied social sciences. Setting out a clear and detailed road map, Gary Thomas guides the reader through the different stages of a research project, explaining key steps and processes at each level in refreshingly jargon-free terms., It covers:- How to choose your research question- Project management and study skills- Effective literature reviews- Methodology, theory and research design frames- Ethics and access- Data collection tools- Effective data analysis- Discussing findings, concluding and writing upPacked with engaging anecdotal evidence and practical advice and supported by an interactive website featuring worksheets, videos, SAGE Journal articles and more, this new edition is a user-friendly, one-stop-shop for guidance on research principles.

Required Reading
2015-04-16 Projects in Computing and Information Systems: A Student's Guide: A Student's Guide (3rd Edition) Pearson Education
ISBN 1292073462 ISBN-13 9781292073460

Module Resources

Non ISBN Literary Resources

 

 

Journal Resources

NA

URL Resources

NA

Other Resources

Access to the IT Sligo Virtual Computing environment may be required. 

Access to cloud-based services such as those from AWS or Azure may be required.

Additional Information

None