BSc Final Year Projects in ComputingComputer Science, Creative Computing,

Games Programming, Business Computing

Dr Rodger Kibble

Scope of the project

• The Project in Computing is an opportunity for students to apply the skills, knowledge and expertise that they have acquired whilst studying at the Department to a single and coherent body of work.

• The project allows students to follow an initiative that appeals to them; the outcome will be the most complex, detailed and thorough piece of work that they have had to develop as part of their studies.

• The project outcomes will serve as a showcase for their talents and could launch a professional career in industry.

• The project is worth 60 credits and accounts for over 25% of the final degree mark.

Types of project

The final project deliverable may be:• A substantial software implementation• A physical computing system• Results and analysis of a programme of research• A combination of research and software or physical

implementations.In each case, a report of around 12,000 – 15,000 words is

required.Much of what follows will apply to MC students but there may

be differences in timing.

Schedule: Term 1

• First half of term: think about general project area, talk to potential supervisors

• Supervisors’ preferred project topics will be listed on learn.gold, and 3rd year lecturers are asked to suggest suitable topics

• Reading week: we aim to match all students to supervisors• Students who have not linked up with a supervisor will be assigned

one, and will be required to work on one of their supervisor’s topics

• Throughout term (dates tba): lectures on employability, project management, presentations from supervisors

• End of term (date tba): submit c. 1,000 word project proposal

Project ProposalThe proposal must demonstrate that the planned work is:• Consistent with the programme Learning Outcomes• At an appropriate level of difficulty – neither over- nor under-

ambitious• Achievable with the knowledge and skills already acquired from

taught modules, or that can realistically be acquired through independent study

• You must also show that you will have ready access to appropriate hardware/software environments, both during development and at the viva.

You should outline how you will evaluate your software or research outcomes.Students may only proceed once the proposal has been approved.

Schedule: Term 2• Week 1: final year exams• Remainder of term:

– Weekly supervision meetings– Weekly project labs– Weekly Employability lectures– Submit weekly logs recording planning & progress, time

management, tasks agreed and completed etc• Mid-term: submit Preliminary Project Report of about 2,000

words• Easter vacation: submit full draft report and aim to demonstrate a

prototype system. Not formally assessed but is an opportunity for constructive feedback from the supervisor.

Schedule: Term 3

• End of week 3/4 (tbc) – submit final report including implemented system if applicable. Counts for 80% of final mark; marked out of 100 as follows:– 40/100 technical content– 40/100 quality of report– 20/100 testing and evaluation

• Weeks 5-6: vivas and demos. Vivas last up to 30 minutes and are conducted by the supervisor and a second marker.

Plagiarism

• Sadly, we occasionally find that students have submitted work which is not their own.

• Any content that is taken from other sources must be clearly indicated – this includes program code.

• The range of penalties for plagiarism in the final year includes dismissal from the college without a degree.

• When we write references for former students, we have a duty of care to potential employers to disclose any serious misconduct.

• At the viva, students may be asked to explain any part of their submission.

What to do now

• Enrol on learn.gold “Computing Project” from Sep 28th

• Read through supervisors’ project topics• Visit potential supervisors during their office hours• Look out for further announcements via learn.gold

QUESTIONS?