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Unit information: Individual Project with Innovation Case in 2021/22

Please note: you are viewing unit and programme information for a past academic year. Please see the current academic year for up to date information.

Unit name Individual Project with Innovation Case
Unit code COMSM0052
Credit points 40
Level of study M/7
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director Dr. Lapinskas
Open unit status Not open
Pre-requisites

Successful completion of Years 1, 2 and 3 of the Computer Science or Mathematics and Computer Science Undergraduate degrees.

Co-requisites

None

School/department School of Computer Science
Faculty Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

The final year project acts as a focus for the accumulated skills resulting from all other units: the overarching goal is application of those skills to a specific, significant challenge or problem. The unit offers a high degree of freedom with respect to project topic, and allows students to spend a significant amount of time and effort on something they are specifically interested in. Ideally this might act as a bridge to a career in such a topic, but will also satisfy more general, transferable learning outcomes.

As part of the Project, students will complete an Innovation Case, that contextualises their project for a relevant external audience, e.g., an academic research proposal based on the project, a business plan related to their project, a social enterprise strategy associated with their project, a “white paper” on the ethical implications of their project, a slide deck pitching the work to a venture capitalist, a briefing paper contextualising the work for a relevant government department or institute (e.g., Heilbronn Institute, Alan Turing Institute, etc.), a set of teaching materials or set of lesson plans derived from their work, etc.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate understanding of research-level material.
  • Identify a well-motivated, scientifically interesting challenge.
  • Engage in a suitable approach to solving said challenge (e.g., developed a proof, analysed an algorithm, implemented a system).
  • Critically evaluate their solution in a suitable manner.
  • Present their results in written and verbal form.
  • Manage their own time, and decide their own objectives.

Teaching Information

The project is intended to promote self-directed learning, under guidance of an academic supervisor (plus any relevant external third-parties).

The Innovation Case will be supported by synchronous and asynchronous workshops.

Assessment Information

Written thesis (87.5%) and Innovation Case coursework (12.5%). The thesis mark will be informed by a viva with a second marker.

Students will also have a separate, optional, opportunity to present their project to an audience before submission in order to get feedback.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. COMSM0052).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.

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