| Word Count |
12,000 Words |
| Academic Year |
2026-27 |
CSIP5501 MSc Project Module Handbook
1. Access to Support Material and Additional Information
Most of the teaching, learning and support material is provided electronically via the module’s LearningZone shell. Note that the details provided in this project handbook are based on the formal module template for this module, which sets out the agreed content, learning outcomes, assessment, and teaching methods. The module template for your programme of study can be found through a link on the module space on LearningZone.
2. Introduction/Aims/Background
This module aims to provide you with an opportunity:
- To develop systematic understanding and critical awareness of an agreed problem relevant to your academic discipline.
- To apply established techniques of research and enquiry to create and/or interpret knowledge in your academic discipline.
- To critically evaluate both your own research and that of others from their discipline.
- To plan and execute a major piece of work.
- To gain experience in the written communication of complex ideas and concepts.
These aims are achieved through conducting an in-depth study in the agreed topic area. There are two more common types of study:
- A research-focused study, which aims to draw on practical data to assess critically a specified area or topic. The empirical data may come from a study undertaken by the student with an appropriate organisation (agreed by the department) or a meta-analysis of data already available in published relevant literature.
- A practical software development study which aims to explore an area or ideas, or demonstrate a concept through appropriate software development, testing and critical analysis.
All of the different types of projects are acceptable for most of the MSc degrees. However, one type of project may be more feasible given the skills developed by a particular degree programme, or more appropriate for meeting the educational objectives of a particular degree programme. If you are concerned about this, you should consult your tutors or your Programme Leader. The exceptions are BCS-accredited programmes. For this, students need to do practical work using computer technology, typically producing some sort of artefact, usually a running program (see BCS Standards).
An MSc project needs to be scholarly work. For any MSc project, of any type, a significant element of background research is required. This should result in the acquisition of sufficient and extensive knowledge to provide sound justifications for the methods used or the approaches employed in solving a given problem. The MSc project should also address research questions that the research and development work help to answer. The level of the research element should be defined when discussing the Terms of Reference with your Supervisor. You must determine the type of project you will undertake. The choice you make will affect the deliverables, content, presentation, and assessment of the project work. These categories are not rigid: the balance between literature survey, primary research, software development and other activities can be set to suit the demands of the project and the interests of the student and adapted to fit the nature of the project as the student’s work progresses.
Regardless of the study pursued, it will be necessary to undertake a literature review because both the ability to develop knowledge and skills through self-guided learning and the ability to critically appraise literature from the perspective of the problem being addressed are fundamental at the master's Level. A detailed, appropriate research method must also be used. While there is a range of types of projects, there are no rigid distinctions between them, as the scope and importance of literature analysis, primary research, and system development can be tailored to fit the needs and interests of individual students and topics. Development projects, research projects and literature study projects are the most common types:
- Development Project: In a development project, the student is normally expected to produce a working piece of software that serves a particular purpose, meeting a defined set of requirements. In some cases, the product may include self-designed and purpose-built hardware as well as software, for instance, an innovative robotic system. The running system itself is normally the major deliverable,and is normally the most important factor in the assessment. However, the requirements analysis, the system design work, and the testing and evaluation of the software, and how they are documented and presented, are also important to the assessment of development projects. The development work should be set in the context of the questions that it should help answer and how it contributes to answering them.
- Research Project: Research projects normally involve the design and implementation of original empirical research. Students are normally expected to create a research proposal and plan, identify research questions, undertake a literature review, review, select and evaluate data collection and data analysis methods, design and implement empirical research, analyse data and report research outcomes. All research projects are required to be undertaken within, and contribute to, a theoretical framework.
- Literature Study Project: A project may consist of a literature review alone when it is extensive, strategically significant, rigorously defined and implemented, and includes well-thought-out recommendations and implications. This requires the student to produce a novel and creative analysis that attempts to answer one or more unanswered (or perhaps wrongly answered) research questions. The student is expected to produce a report describing and critically evaluating existing documents and other sources of information, setting them in the context of a clear conceptual framework, and presenting a cogent analysis.
- Consultancy Project: In a consultancy project, the student is normally expected to produce a consultancy-style report to meet a clearly defined need for a clearly defined client or audience, providing a detailed and sophisticated critical evaluation of existing techniques, approaches or systems, or how to solve a practical problem, with recommendations. The practical consultancy work should be set in the context of how the work can answer more general and scholarly questions.
- Data Analysis Project: In a data analysis project, the student is expected to evaluate, select and apply computational techniques for data analysis and knowledge extraction, to solve a novel data analysis or knowledge extraction problem, or develop a novel technique for solving a particular data analysis problem, or develop a novel technique for presenting data or statistical information to support a particular human activity. The student is expected to demonstrate and illustrate the application of the technique and evaluate how well it solves the problem.
- Conceptual Analysis Project: In a conceptual analysis project, the student is expected to develop an analysis on paper of a system or of how to solve a problem. Such projects might involve developing an analysis of a working software system by applying one or more analytical techniques, for example for producing a usability evaluation; or analysing or modelling a process; or producing a notation or technique for describing a particular sort of information that a software system might generate or use; or devising a procedure for tackling a particular class of problem in software development. The student is expected to demonstrate and illustrate the application of the technique and evaluate how well it solves the problem.
3. BCS Standards
The BCS (British Computer Society) is the Chartered Institute for IT. The requirements for BCS accreditation for degree programmes specify standards that projects for computer science degrees must meet, both in terms of content and in terms of quality of work. Meeting them is mandatory for Intelligent Systems projects and expected (and wise) for other development projects. Appendix II comprises Section 2.5 of the BCS document ‘Guidelines on Course Accreditation: Information for universities and colleges’ dated January 2020, in which these requirements are stated. The plan for the project (for a BCS-accredited degree) in the Terms of Reference document must meet the BCS requirements; the students should ensure that the Terms of Reference satisfies the BCS checklist (borrowed from the undergraduate project module, available on LearningZone); the Supervisor should check this.
3.1. Standards for professional conduct
All students should, in their project work and elsewhere, seek to aspire to high professional standards. We expect MSc students to maintain high standards of professional conduct. The professional standards the BCS expects of its members and other computing professionals are embodied in the BCS Code of Conduct, contained in Appendix III. In addition, the ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct can be seen here https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics.
4. Learning Outcomes
Whatever module or programme of study you are studying for at De Montfort University, there are learning outcomes (LO) that you must meet/achieve to be awarded the credits which comprise the module and programme of study. To get a pass mark (50- or above) in this module, you must meet these learning outcomes below, that is, you must demonstrate the ability to:
- Demonstrate abilities to analyse a given context, using appropriate methodological approaches, and to justify decisions taken.
- Develop and present in written and oral forms a comprehensive solution that addresses the defined context in a rigorous and relevant manner.
- Critically evaluate the relative success of their work.
- Design, implement and evaluate research and its outcomes, paying due regard to research methods, procedures and theory
5. Method of Teaching
This section contains:
- Overview
- The phases of the dissertation
- The Viva Voce
- The Ethics process
- Working with outside companies
5.1. Overview
This module is conducted through self-directed study under the supervision of a member of academic staff. There will be a dissertation briefing session, which will cover procedural issues as well as ethical considerations, and slides/DMU replay will also be made on LearningZone.
Throughout the dissertation process, you should keep the following in mind:
- Responsibility for the research and the content of the dissertation is the students' alone. The supervisor is there to offer comment and advice, and it is advisable to listen carefully and respond appropriately. If you do not, your supervisor may be less inclined to take the time to discuss and help you develop your work.
- The supervisor is expected to know how the student is progressing with their dissertation. This usually means that the supervisor will require the student to attend meetings and present both written and oral evidence of progress as the dissertation develops.
- Students should see their supervisor regularly. It is the student's responsibility to arrange and attend an appropriate programme of meetings with their supervisor. Your supervisor may have many other responsibilities and may need to be away from the campus. It is unreasonable to expect to just drop into your supervisor's office whenever you want to discuss your dissertation.
- The supervisor is not the sole arbiter of the eventual dissertation standard. Students should see the supervisor’s comments as helpful advice and not as judgements on their work. A supervisor cannot change the dissertation learning outcomes.
- A supervisor will provide formal feedback on your final submissions. They will also provide informal feedback on drafts of your work. At a minimum you can expect informal feedback on one draft. You will, however, need to negotiate the timing of submission of these drafts well in advance to fit in with your supervisor’s schedule. If you do not give your supervisor enough time, then you cannot expect appropriate feedback.
- You can expect your supervisor to provide interim feedback on your progress during the teaching block.
- If your supervisor leaves the University a new supervisor will be appointed. Note this does not include periods when your supervisor is temporarily unavailable. As noted above you must make sure you are aware of your supervisor’s availability well ahead of time.
You may approach any member of staff for assistance with your dissertation content. It is up to you to decide who is best placed to help you. Your supervisor may also ask for another academic to be nominated as an advisor where they believe you would benefit from their expertise. There is no requirement for the advisor to provide formal written feedback.
5.2. Phases of the Dissertation
There are three phases in the dissertation development process, which are designed to support the steady progression of work and to provide opportunities for feedback at appropriate points. These are:
5.2.1. Phase 1: Selection of Research Topic and Supervisor (Prior Task)
First, find your topic and find a supervisor who will agree to supervise it. Information about possible supervisors and project suggestions will be made available on the appropriate LearningZone space. At the start of your dissertation, you will have identified an area of work containing a potential problem for investigation. To agree on a topic, make an appointment to see a supervisor and discuss this. This will take some time, so start early! There is no guarantee that you will get your first choice of supervisor and/or topic. Once a supervisor agrees to supervise you, meet with them as soon as possible to agree on a topic. Your research topic should reflect the subject area of the course studied, as agreed by your supervisor. Please refer to the module shell for your specific deadline, as it is different for each cohort.
5.2.2. Phase 2: Terms of Reference and Ethical Review Form (TAR) (Preliminary Task)
Once the topic has been agreed upon, you will prepare a more detailed outline of the research you plan to conduct, or the TAR. You should complete your Terms of Reference (TAR) document and your Ethical Review Form to the satisfaction of your supervisor as quickly as possible. Your supervisor may insist on revisions. You should get them finished, agreed and submitted early in your project; failure to do so may get you marked down for poor project management. Once your supervisor is satisfied with your TAR and Ethical Review Form, you should submit each via the appropriate Turnitin link on LearningZone. Note, these documents are kept for archiving purposes and for checking that everyone has done them and are not checked for similarity to other documents.
5.2.3. Phase 3: The PGT Project (Main Task)
During the final phase of your dissertation, you will prepare and submit The PGT Project (Task 2). This is the culmination of your work. Your dissertation will be assessed by both the supervisor and a 2nd marker. The criteria they will use are given below.
To pass, all the following criteria must be met:
- Understanding of Problem and Requirements: An acceptable understanding of the problem domain, gained through research, analysis and design but lacking insight or flair and discrimination.
- Research Questions: Some thought given to how to use the work to answer questions. Questions are limited and basic or lack sophistication.
- Literature Review and Fact-Finding: Limited investigation of topics beyond the curriculum, adequately understood and explained, with adequate referencing, making consistent use of a standard reference format, possibly with some gaps or misunderstandings.
- Research Analysis: Sensible attempt to synthesise background research material into a structured story, maybe with minor misunderstandings. Limited use to support development or research.
- Primary Research and Development: Work shows some evidence of critical analysis and evaluation, and/or a reasonable attempt at system design resulting in a product/report meeting some of the requirements in the terms of reference.
- Critical Review: Limited attempt to evaluate the deliverables and the project as a whole. Major gaps or insufficiently critical views.
- Answers to Research Questions: Fair effort to draw more general conclusions from the project. May have some misconceptions or not be tightly linked to explicit research questions, or with inadequate consideration of the strength of evidence.
- Dissertation: Adequate dissertation covering all essential topics and presenting most of the required information in line with guidelines; reasonably readable and with a sensible structure.
- Documentation: Adequate documentation, but with some omissions or significant limitations, reasonably clearly presented.
- Demonstration/Viva: Demonstration shows some insight into the student’s work, or shows limited functionality of the system. Reasonably well planned. Able to answer the majority of questions posed.
OR
- Presentation/Viva: The presentation provided some insight into the student's work, but the performance at the oral was rather pedestrian. Able, with prompting, to answer several of the questions posed.
- Project Management: Mostly adequate project management, but with some problems with time management, proactively recognising and carrying out activities, maintaining contact with the supervisor, and producing documents on time.
The above criteria will determine what constitutes a pass mark; however, work judged to meet all or most of the following additional criteria will be awarded a distinction level mark; work meeting some, but not all, of these criteria may be considered for a merit level mark, at the discretion of the markers:
- Understanding of Problem and Requirements: An excellent critical understanding of the problem domain, gained through comprehensive, fully referenced and evaluated research of current literature, thorough analysis and design.
- Research Questions: Good set of well-formulated research questions that are addressed by the programme of work, showing knowledge and a clear path for the work to make a scholarly contribution.
- Literature Review and Fact-Finding: Very good systematic investigation and critical analysis of selected topics beyond the curriculum, with a thorough survey of appropriate sources, fully understood and well described, with immaculate referencing.
- Research Analysis: Coherent analysis of background research material, with insightful application to support development or research.
- Primary Research and Development: Excellent work which demonstrates the student’s insight and in-depth critical analysis and/or highly effective, thorough systems design skills employing all appropriate methodologies. The project fully met or exceeded the requirements as recorded in the terms of reference.
- Critical Review: Insightful analysis of the strengths, weaknesses and failings of both the project as a whole and the deliverables produced.
- Answers to Research Questions: Good thoughtful effort to answer research questions from the outcome of the project, considering the strength of the conclusions and the strength of the evidence.
- Dissertation: Very good, focused dissertation, with clear and thorough explanations of all the required information. Well written with no major deficiencies of English, and well presented.
- Documentation: All the required documentation was clearly and effectively presented.
- Demonstration/Viva: Highly professional demonstration, with a well-planned guide providing an excellent view of the project’s functionality and technical aspects. Logically presented with a thorough grasp of the relevant material. Good analysis of what the project says about the research questions.
OR
- Presentation/Viva: Highly professional presentation with clear, informative visual aids providing an excellent overview of the project. Clearly spoken with a thorough grasp of relevant material. Good analysis of what the project says about research questions.
- Project Management: Exemplary project management: good time management; developed well-organised, proactive and self-directed, while actively seeking and acting on advice from the supervisor. Timely production of required documents.
It is important to remember, especially if software development has taken place, that it is the work as evidenced in the dissertation that determines the way your work is judged at the end.
The Viva Voce
In addition to the assessment of a written report, all projects will include a viva voce examination, which may or may not include the demonstration of some project artefacts.
Purposes of The Viva Voce Examination
The purposes of a viva voce are:
- To establish that the submitted work is that of you, the student.
- To give you, the student, the opportunity to explain and defend the direction, structure, methods, procedures, analysis and conclusions of the work.
- To explore with you, the student, any specific issues in the submitted work that require clarification or development.
The Viva Voce Examination Is Mandatory
The viva voce examination is a “must pass” element of the overall project assessment! If the viva voce examination is seriously unsatisfactory, the project will get an overall fail mark regardless of the quality of the product and report. Not having a viva voce examination constitutes non-submission of the project.
Conducting the Viva Voce Examination
The student should agree on the format that the viva voce will take with the Supervisor and arrange a time and a place that suits the Supervisor and Second Reader. It will typically include a presentation by the student outlining the project and its results. If the project involved producing an artefact (e.g., a program), the viva voce will include a demonstration of the program; the assessors will want to test the program and may wish to examine the code. It may be possible to hold the viva voce examination remotely using MS Teams, Skype or other communication technology, if this is feasible and the Supervisor and 2nd Marker are willing to do this.
Preparing for The Viva Voce Examination
You should expect the viva voce to last between 30 and 40 minutes. Typically, a PGT project would have a 10–15-minute presentation followed by about 5 minutes of questions, while a development project might have a more mixed format with a presentation and a demonstration of the program. You should attend prepared to discuss any aspect of your work. If you are giving a prepared presentation, which is expected for nearly all projects, you should prepare a PowerPoint presentation. If you would prefer to use a different approach, you should consult your supervisor in advance. You should focus on your research questions, and what you have done and found, and what your system does, and say very little, if anything, about the structure of the project module, or general information about procedure and methodology unless you have done something non-standard. You should not have too many words on a PowerPoint slide – these words should provide real content, not describe the structure of your talk. Talk to the assessors – do not just read your slides unless you are quoting something. If you can, find a volunteer to listen to your presentation and give you feedback before the viva voce. Your friend may spot where you are waffling or being vague or need to pause. A good run-through will give you confidence, but you should remember that slick talking is a very minor aspect of your project assessment.
6. Submission Deadlines
Part of the challenge of doing a PGT project is getting it done on time. You have a deadline, and alterations to the deadline are not agreed upon lightly.
6.1. Full-Time Students
The normal duration of a project is 14 weeks of full-time work. Full-time students are normally required to complete their projects within the normal period of full-time attendance, i.e., within 12 months of initial enrolment on the course. For most, this means starting taught modules in October, finishing taught modules in May, starting the project in June (at the beginning of Block 5), submitting in September and having a viva before October.
Full-time students (usually starting their programme in October) finishing taught modules in May
- Start project in June, finish in September, duration ~14 weeks (Block 5,6)
Full-time students (usually starting their programme in February) finishing taught modules in January
- Start project in February, finish in May, duration ~14 weeks (Block 3,4)
In all circumstances, full-time MSc students must submit within 3 years of initial enrolment on the course; otherwise, their registration time out and they are automatically terminated.
In some circumstances, full-time students may convert to part-time status if they need to combine doing a project with employment or some other time-consuming activity. This requires the approval of the Programme Leader. For the exact deadline, please refer to the module shell you are enrolled on.
6.2. Part-Time Students
Part-time and distance learning students are normally expected to take three years to complete their degrees and do their projects in the academic year after they complete their taught modules. The normal duration of a part-time project is 11 months. However, part-time students who finish taught modules in May and officially start their projects at the beginning of the next academic year in October may do unsupervised preliminary work on their projects over the summer.
Part-time students finishing taught modules in May
- Start project in June, finish in May, duration ~11 months.
Part-time students finishing taught modules in September
- Start project in October, finish in September, duration ~11 months.
Part-time students finishing taught modules in January
- Start project in February, finish in January, duration ~11 months.
In all circumstances, part-time MSc students must submit within 6 years of initial enrolment on the course; otherwise, their registration time out and they are automatically terminated.
6.3. The Standard Project Submission Deadlines
The standard submission deadline will be determined and announced for each year by the PGT Project Module Coordinator.
The Block 3,4 and Block 5,6 deadlines will be determined and announced for each year by the PGT Project Module Coordinator, but will normally be on the last day of teaching for the taught modules.
- For the 2025-2026 academic year, the May deadline will be 12:00 midday on Friday, 29 May 2026.
- For the 2025-2026 academic year, the September deadline will be 12:00 midday on Friday, 11 September 2026.
Any other submission deadline needs to be agreed at or before the beginning of the project, by the Student, the Student’s Supervisor and the PGT Project Module Coordinator. The decision and primary responsibility for variations in deadlines rests with the PGT Project Module Coordinator.
6.4. Delaying the Start of the Project
Students may delay the start of their PGT Project with the prior written agreement of their PGT Project Module Coordinator (and subject to visa requirements, if applicable). Students wanting to delay starting the project must provide a good reason for delaying the start of the PGT project to the PGT Project Module Coordinator (such as doing an industrial placement after the taught modules). Note that a delay to the start of the project may mean that the ratification of the project mark and award of the degree gets delayed to the subsequent Programme Assessment Board (about four months later).
For overseas students, a delay to the start of the project or a later submission date may be incompatible with the terms of their visas, even if the PGT Project Module Coordinator is willing to allow it. If you are considering delaying the start of your PGT project, you should consult the De Montfort University Immigration Compliance team in Student and Academic Services as early as possible, to check the implications for your student registration and visa status in the UK. It is your responsibility to ensure that your choices about what you do when, especially starting and submitting your PGT project, do not compromise your ability to complete your remaining studies or conduct the project successfully.
6.5. Industrial Placements
Students may wish to do an industrial placement before their PGT projects, and so delay their PGT projects until the following year. If so, they need to notify their Programme Leader, the Faculty of Technology, Arts and Culture Placement Team, and the PGT Project Module Coordinator of their intention to look for an industrial placement before the end of May, and if possible, much earlier. Under DMU’s regulations, students need to pass all of their first four taught modules (first time, without resits) to be allowed to do a placement.
Note that the Faculty of Technology, Arts and Culture Placement Team needs to check and approve an agreed placement before DMU can allow it, so you need to seek their agreement. The Placement Team can be very helpful with finding placements, so it is a good idea to talk to them early about doing a placement.
Students wanting to look for industrial placements need to ask their Programme Leader’s permission in advance to delay starting their project for four weeks while they devote June to looking for a placement. This permission may be made conditional on demonstrating sufficient commitment to finding an industrial placement, and may be revoked, so that additional time granted for doing the project may be lost.
Students who do industrial placements will be expected to do projects immediately after completing the placements.
Students who get permission to delay the start of the project to look for an industrial placement, but fail to find one, will be expected to start work on their projects immediately.
Students who delay starting a project to look for an industrial placement, but do not ask permission to do so in advance, cannot be given a delayed start date retrospectively by their supervisor, their Programme Leader, or the PGT Project Coordinator. They may apply for a deferral, but the Faculty Deferral Panel will need a strong justification for granting a deferral. At a minimum, it will want to see a good reason for why permission was not asked in advance, and evidence for substantial effort put into finding a placement.
6.6. Resit Projects
Students who fail the project module get an opportunity to do another project. In certain circumstances, students, at the discretion of the Supervisor and Module Leader, may be allowed to revise and improve their projects if they are close to pass-standard. Otherwise, the students need to do a new project, possibly with a new supervisor.
Full-time students who are reworking or extending their previous projects are expected to submit them at the next standard submission deadline. For example, for students who originally submitted in September, the resubmission is due in January.
Part-time students are expected to complete new resit projects in the academic year after their original project and submit a year after their original submissions. For example, for students who originally submitted in September, this means submitting a year later in the following September.
Part-time students who are reworking or extending their previous projects are expected to do this in the semester (block) after they get their result notifications. For example, for students who originally submitted in September, the resubmission is due in January.
6.7. The Viva Date
The viva voce examination is a mandatory component of the module – not having a viva counts as a non-submission of the project. The student arranges a time for it that suits the Supervisor and Second Marker. This is normally after the submission deadline and in time for marking to be completed and marks to be processed, and the degree awarded at the next Postgraduate Assessment Board.
6.8. Extensions, Deferrals and Interruptions of Study
For students whose work is severely disrupted by unpredictable, unplanned-for events like serious illness, there are three mechanisms by which submission deadlines for assessments can be postponed. If you think you may need an extension, a deferral, or an interruption of study, talk to your supervisor as soon as possible; if you cannot, talk to your Programme Leader as soon as possible.
The following is only a brief outline of university policy, which isn’t guaranteed to be up to date or sufficiently detailed; you should obtain fuller and more accurate information as quickly as possible if you are considering asking for an extension, a deferral, or an interruption of study.
DMU regulations and procedures are described on the DMU website, at http://www.dmu.ac.uk/dmu- students/the-student-gateway/academic-support-office/deferral-of-assessments.aspx.
6.8.1. Extensions
In the event of a temporary problem seriously disrupting your work, the Module Leader can authorise an extension of the submission deadline of up to 1 week, depending on the severity of the problem. You will need to request the period of extension from the module leader, providing a reason for why the request is being made. It is not possible to extend submission deadlines more than one week, so if this is not sufficient, you need to apply for a deferral.
6.8.2. Deferrals
In the event of an unforeseen major problem causing much more than the loss of two weeks’ work, which will make it very difficult or impossible to complete your project by the deadline, you may apply to defer the submission of your project to a later date. Your supervisor, your Programme Leader or the PGT Project Module Coordinator cannot authorise a deferral; a deferral application will need to go to the Faculty of Technology, Arts and Culture Deferral Panel and be supported by documentary evidence (confidential evidence will only be read by the chair of the panel). You will need to fill in an official form and present documentary evidence of the problem. In exceptional circumstances, deferrals can be granted retrospectively, but students are very strongly advised to apply as early as possible.
6.8.3. Interruptions of Study
An interruption of study is a complete suspension of your enrolment in the course for an agreed period, usually one year. Interruptions of study are only permitted to cater for forthcoming events, such as having to change jobs, having to accept new responsibilities at work, health problems, etc. As this is a whole-course matter, you would need to discuss it with your Programme Leader as well as your supervisor. Interruptions of study cannot be agreed retrospectively.
6.8.4. Absences Abroad
The Home Office (UKVI) requires De Montfort University by law to monitor overseas students’ attendance and participation in the course. Because of this, the university requires PGT students who wish to leave the UK for more than four weeks during the course of their degrees to go through a bureaucratic procedure to (1) obtain permission to do so, and (2) register the permission with the university’s International Office. If the absence is during the project, the Supervisor can grant permission; otherwise, permission is required from the Programme Leader.
If you wish to go abroad to further your PGT project work, for instance to interview people in another country, or you wish to travel for urgent personal reasons, you should discuss the matter at soon as possible with your supervisor. If your supervisor is satisfied that the travel is justified, you should then download and complete the Absence Request Form (which is an editable PDF file available on LearningZone), get your supervisor to sign it, and send it to the responsible Faculty of Technology, Arts and Culture administrator. In the absence of the Supervisor, the Programme Leader can do this.
During your absence, you must communicate with your supervisor at least once every two weeks to comply with the terms of your permission to be absent and the requirements of the university’s statutory obligation to monitor your participation in the course. Communicating more often than that would, of course, be desirable for maintaining your progress and making sure that your supervisor knows what he or she needs to know about your situation.
The submission of an electronic copy of the report by the day of submission (see below); the electronic copy is submitted as follows:
- Your report should be contained in one document.
- It MUST be submitted as a Microsoft Word document
- Any problems with submission, please contact ITMS directly.
We STRONGLY suggest that you attempt to submit your dissertation a day early. It will be a large document and sometimes will take several attempts to upload. As we all know, systems tend to fail on deadlines!!!
NB: ALL SUBMITTED DISSERTATIONS WILL BE PUT THROUGH TURNITIN FOR PLAGIARISM CHECKING!
The Ethics Process
The university requires that all research undertaken follow ethical procedures and conform to ethical standards. Consequently, you are required to discuss the ethical aspects of your proposed work with your dissertation and, with your supervisor’s guidance, complete the ethics submission process. You cannot pass your dissertation without Ethical Approval. Please ask your supervisor and see the RESEARCH ETHICS information for PGT projects on LearningZone and the wider Research Ethics pages on LearningZone for further information.
Working with outside companies
Occasionally, students choose to involve outside companies in their dissertation work. Please be aware that De Montfort University accepts no liability for any advice or software provided to case study companies in such cases. Furthermore, in supervising dissertation work, staff members accept no duty of care in relation to any work undertaken within case study companies. Students working with outside companies as part of their dissertation should make those companies aware that De Montfort University claims copyright on any software written by the student as part of their research. Formal collaboration agreements can be negotiated between an outside company and the University (via the De Montfort Research Services) if needed. If it is a necessary condition of working with a company, it is possible (although rare) to restrict the finished dissertation reports to within the university and not to publish them for a specified period of time.
7. Reading List
7.1. Core reading list
One of the hallmarks of a scholarly approach is that your work is presented in context, and the contributions of others to the problem area are acknowledged. Any reasonable project topic requires a search of the relevant literature – referring to course texts and assuming that there is nothing else available is obviously inappropriate. Whilst searching the literature to gather appropriate information is a difficult and time-consuming task, which you should make a background activity for the rest of the blocks, you need to show that you have mastered the necessary techniques and have not missed important articles which are reasonably easily available to you.
At (or near) De Montfort, the following resources are available:
- The De Montfort library has many journals published by ACM and IEEE - these cover diverse aspects of computer science and information systems. De Montfort has online access to many journals and eBooks, including ACM and IEEE journals.
- The BCS/IEE library is normally open to you. The IEE building, which houses the library, is near to the Embankment tube station, at the other end of the park in Savoy Place (next to the Savoy hotel).
- You may also normally use the Science Reference library in London.
- The De Montfort library holds several abstract journals, most computing/information systems/software engineering articles will be covered by Science Abstracts C and reading the abstract will often enable you to assess the relevance of the article without going to the effort of locating the full text.
- The De Montfort library also holds the Science Citation Index (SCI), which allows you to trace references to articles or the work of particular authors reasonably easily. SCI also allows crude topic searches by looking for key word pairs in titles, but this is an unreliable approach because titles can be very misleading. A set of online citation indexes is provided by Web of Science, which again you access through the library link in its index of online databases.
- several online information resources may help you locate suitable material. The De Montfort University library maintains links to a number of these from their web page.
- There are several other university libraries in the East Midlands area; you may need an introduction from the De Montfort librarian or your supervisor (see also the SCONAL library system).
- If all else fails, you can use the inter-library loan scheme, but you will have to pay for the service, and it can be very slow.
- Organise your search carefully. Haphazard searches are time-intensive and not very useful.
PLEASE ALSO SEE THE ‘PLAGIARISM AND REFERENCING’, ‘INFORMATION SKILLS’ AND
‘ACADEMIC SKILLS – ASK’ PAGES on LearningZone. These are extremely useful!
7.2. Supplementary Reading
The following may be helpful:
- Coolican, H (2004). Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology (4th Ed). Hodder & Stoughton.
- Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R and Lowe, A. (2002). Management Research: An Introduction. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
- Hair, J.F. (2019) Essentials of business research methods, 4th edn, Routledge, London.
- Hart, C. (1998) Doing a literature Review, Thousand Oaks: Sage.
- Huberman, A.M. and Miles, M.B. (1994) Data management and analysis methods, in N.K. Denzin and Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research, pp. 428-444, Thousand Oaks: Sage.
- Jones (1999) Doing Internet Research, Thousand Oaks: Sage.
- Miles, M.B. and Huberman A.M. (1994) An expanded sourcebook: Qualitative data analysis, 2nd edition, Thousand Oaks: Sage.
- Oates, B.J. 2006, Researching information systems and computing, SAGE, London.
- Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2005) Cite them right: the essential guide to referencing and plagiarism. Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Pear Tree Books.
- Robson, C (2002) Real World Research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner- researchers (2nd Ed). Blackwell.
- Sharp, J.A. and Howard, K. (1996) The Management of a Student Research Project, 2nd edition, Aldershot: Gower.
There are other general guides to report writing and undertaking project work which you may come across. It is important that any guidance that you follow is discussed with your supervisor to avoid conflicts in the dissertation process.
8. Assessment
Task 1 TAR (0%) & Ethics (0%) formative feedback
Task 2 PGT Project report & viva voce (100%) summative grade
The suggested length of the dissertation is 12,000 words (not including title page, table of contents, and references). If you go over this length, then you may be awarded a lower grade as you are conforming to a good writing quality (see Phase 3 criteria). Program code and additional materials may be included, usually by submission to a separate link on the VLE (LearningZone).
9. Deliverables and Feedback - important dates
You should prepare and submit all coursework according to the Department's instructions for assessments available in the Student Handbook on LearningZone. You should make sure that you are fully aware of the Department's policy on plagiarism and the marking of joint work. You should also be aware that you cannot later claim that you did not know the rules and regulations, as you must make yourself familiar with them. If you cannot complete any work on time, you should look at the Department’s instructions on what to do. The Department policy is that all coursework must be submitted electronically via the University’s LearningZone system. Please navigate to the LearningZon pages for this module for further details. You will get feedback on your performance via the LearningZone pages for this module. If you do not receive your feedback by the given date, you should first contact the module leader. If it proves necessary, you should also contact the Director of Postgraduate Studies.
10. Appendix I Requirements of master's Degrees
To avoid any possible ambiguity the following important extract is taken directly from the Framework document for higher education qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/qualifications-frameworks.pdf dated October 2014, accessed September 2017. See also the QAA’s master's degree Characteristics description at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Masters-Degree-Characteristics-15.pdf dated September 2015, accessed September 2017)
Master's degrees are awarded to students who have demonstrated:
- a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study or area of professional practice
- a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship
- originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline
- conceptual understanding that enables the student:
- to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline
- to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses.
Typically, holders of the qualification will be able to:
- deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non- specialist audiences
- demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level
- continue to advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high level.
And holders will have:
- the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring:
- the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility in decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations
- the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development.
11. Appendix II BCS Requirements for projects
Quoted from Section 2.5 of the BCS document ‘Guidelines on Course Accreditation: Information for universities and colleges’ dated May 2018.
11.1. General project requirements
An individual project is an expectation within undergraduate, integrated master's, and postgraduate master's programmes. Students must be provided with written guidance on all aspects of the project, including selection, conduct, supervision, milestones, format of the report and the criteria for assessment.
All projects should reflect the aims and learning outcomes which characterise the programme to which they contribute, as set out in the programme specification.
11.2. Project reports
Projects must involve the production of a report which should include:
- elucidation of the problem and the objectives of the project
- an in-depth investigation of the context and literature, and where appropriate, other related products (this section is likely to be emphasised less for an IEng project)
- where appropriate, a clear description of the stages of the life cycle undertaken
- where appropriate, a description of how verification and validation were applied at these stages
- where appropriate, a description of the use of tools to support the development process
- a critical appraisal of the project, indicating the rationale for any design/implementation decisions, lessons learnt during the project, and evaluation (with hindsight) of the project outcome and the process of its production (including a review of the plan and any deviations from it)
- a description of any research hypothesis
- if the individual work is part of a group enterprise, a clear indication of the part played by the author in achieving the goals of the project and its effectiveness
- references
11.3. Postgraduate project requirements
Projects at the postgraduate level may be similar in scope to undergraduate projects but should reflect the ethos of advanced study and scholarship appropriate to a master's degree (whether generalist or specialist).
Postgraduate projects must give students the opportunity to demonstrate:
- a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of the specialist academic discipline
- a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship
- originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline
- deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
- demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level
- critical self-evaluation of the process
Generalist master's programme projects should be worth at least 30 credit points and be at least at an undergraduate honours level. It is recognised that in practice, a project on a master's programme is usually worth at least 60 credits at Level 7. The project must be passed without compensation.
11.4. Notes for guidance on projects
Projects must include the students undertaking practical work of some sort using computing/IT technology. This is most frequently achieved by the creation of an artefact as the focus for covering all or part of an implementation life cycle. Dissertations based solely on literature review activity and/or user/market surveys are not acceptable.
12. Appendix III BCS Code of Conduct
Taken from The Code of Conduct for BCS Members (approved 3 June 2015).
The original document at http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/conduct.pdf gives definitions and stresses the obligation of BCS members to report breaches by other BCS members.
1. The Public Interest
You shall:
a) have due regard for public health, privacy, security and wellbeing of others and the environment.
b) have due regard for the legitimate rights of Third Parties*.
c) conduct your professional activities without discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, nationality, colour, race, ethnic origin, religion, age or disability, or of any other condition or requirement
d) promote equal access to the benefits of IT and seek to promote the inclusion of all sectors in society wherever opportunities arise.
2. Professional Competence and Integrity
You shall:
a) only undertake to do work or provide a service that is within your professional competence.
b) NOT claim any level of competence that you do not possess.
c) develop your professional knowledge, skills and competence continuingly, maintaining awareness of technological developments, procedures, and standards that are relevant to your field.
d) ensure that you have the knowledge and understanding of Legislation* and that you comply with such Legislation, in carrying out your professional responsibilities.
e) respect and value alternative viewpoints and seek, accept and offer honest criticisms of work.
f) avoid injuring others, their property, reputation, or employment by false or malicious or negligent action or inaction.
g) reject and will not make any offer of bribery or unethical inducement.
3. Duty to Relevant Authority
You shall:
a) carry out your professional responsibilities with due care and diligence in accordance with the Relevant Authority’s requirements whilst exercising your professional judgement at all times
d) NOT disclose or authorise to be disclosed or use for personal gain or to benefit a third party, confidential information except with the permission of your Relevant Authority, or as required by Legislation.
e) NOT misrepresent or withhold information on the performance of products, systems or services (unless lawfully bound by a duty of confidentiality not to disclose such information) or take advantage of the lack of relevant knowledge or inexperience of others.
4. Duty to the Profession
You shall:
a) accept your personal duty to uphold the reputation of the profession and not take any action which could bring the profession into disrepute.
b) seek to improve professional standards through participation in their development, use and enforcement.
c) uphold the reputation and good standing of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.
d) act with integrity and respect in your professional relationships with all members of BCS and with members of other professions with whom you work in a professional capacity.
e) notify BCS if convicted of a criminal offence or upon becoming bankrupt or disqualified as a Company Director, and in each case give details of the relevant jurisdiction.
f) encourage and support fellow members in their professional development.
Get Expert-crafted assignments
