Unit information: Creative Technology Project in 2018/19

Unit name	Creative Technology Project
Unit code	COMSM0014
Credit points	40
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Professor. Calway
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	none
Co-requisites	COMSM012 Individual Project: Business Plan
School/department	Department of Computer Science
Faculty	Faculty of Engineering

Description including Unit Aims

The final year Creative Technology Project acts as a focus for the accumulated skills resulting from all other units within the Computer Science degree programme: the overarching aim is application of those skills within a creative design and development cycle. The unit offers a high degree of freedom with respect to project topic, and allows students to work together as a collaborative development team; spending a significant amount of time and effort on the development of a novel technology solution which is market-driven. The end result is often a demonstrator or product prototype which can be presented to potential investors.

Within the context of a specific project topic, this unit provides an opportunity to refine and test a highly transferable set of skills including collaborative team-work, creative design, research, product development and prototyping, analysis, critique and evaluation. The aim is to prepare students with the ability to meet challenges within their chosen post-degree career path, while at the same time collaborating in a design environment to deliver a substantial body of work that they can proudly demonstrate.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will have had to:

1. Identify concepts, themes and skills related to creative technology development
2. Conduct a design process by applying those concepts, themes and skills
3. Plan and execute effective collaborative strategy
4. Read and understood research-level material
5. Identify a well motivated, market-driven challenge and engaged in a suitable approach to solving this challenge
6. Critically evaluated solutions
7. Formulate and produce effective communication media (written, oral, visual)

Teaching Information

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

Assessment Information

You will be assessed on the value that you add to the collaboration. The deliverable is a design document, written collaboratively, which reflects on every stage of the product development process; from concept to prototype.

Criteria for assessment include (but are not limited to):

• Challenge how difficult the project was?
• Contribution what was done beyond what existed already?
• Depth and rigour were there any unanswered challenges'?'
• Novelty and innovation how new the approach or results were
• Analysis and evaluation were robust, interesting and relevant conclusions drawn?
• Clarity and quality of presentation

A viva-style presentation, and submitted resource such as source code or product prototype, will act to clarify the understanding of markers but are not formally marked themselves. Passing this unit or the Individual Project: Implementation unit is a requirement for obtaining an MEng degree in Computer Science.

Reading and References

Dependent on project