ENGP5501 Individual Project Module Handbook | DMU

Taught: MSc Three Runs, Respectively in Autumn (611), Spring (613), Summer (615)  , Year Running 2024/25 

The Individual Project

The project is a major part of the MSc programme (credited as 4 modules - 60 credits). You are only allowed to undertake your project if you have successfully accumulated no less than 60 credits from the other eight 15-credit modules in your programme.

Prior to the project, the Research Method module would have helped develop your research skills and techniques necessary to engage in a master's level project. Additionally, it has been utilised as a tool to develop the project brief and conduct background research for your project.

This handbook explains what your dissertation is, how to run your project, how to prepare and submit your report, and the assessment process. The formal module specification is given in Appendix A.

Your dissertation is an important piece of individual and independent work. It can be the most exciting and challenging piece of work you do at university, since you can research a topic of interest to you in some depth.

Your dissertation will normally be between 12,000 and 18,000 words in length (excluding appendices) and will be undertaken under your programme’s assessment schedule. 
 
The dissertation is different from coursework because it is a much larger piece of work, and you have a lot more freedom about the topic and approach. You will be assessed on how you manage your dissertation project, as well as on the report and presentation /viva to examiners.

A dissertation is a substantial piece of work in which you can demonstrate your ability to propose and solve problems. It requires you to become familiar with the research process, as well as developing and presenting a detailed academic argument. The work associated with a dissertation will generally call on you to decide on a research problem, thoroughly review relevant work in the area (mainly but not exclusively the academic literature), carry out the research (which can take many forms) and analysis, and conclude. The regulations applying to postgraduate taught programmes, which include the dissertation, can be found at the Academic Regulations and Recognition of prior learning

In addition, a wide range of support is available from the library for writing, maths, referencing, and other subjects. 

Aims 

The Project aims to enable the student to: 

• Carry out a critical, in-depth study of an area of knowledge relevant to the course.
• demonstrate the application of techniques, acquired from the taught component of the programme, to the solution of a product development problem.

The project will be a self-contained piece of work of greater depth than could be accommodated within the taught modules. Ideally, the project should encompass many aspects of the taught modules.

The postgraduate nature of the project should be evident from the overall higher standard compared with an undergraduate project. This will be reflected in the depth of the analysis and critical review, the insight required and in the complexity of the task undertaken. 

The benchmark for determining the degree of success of a project will normally be whether or not the project and its report can form the basis for a publishable academic paper.

Students will be expected to demonstrate project management and presentation skills throughout the period of the project. 

Projects (part-time students) 

Projects for part-time students will be normally related to the student’s employment, which would be carried out as part of the student’s normal duties, i.e. a task or tasks which would have been carried out anyway but which can now be improved using the new skills and knowledge, and augmented by setting it in its research context, appropriate for an advanced Master’s project. 

Research Integrity 

There are a number of important things to consider in order to ensure the research is done in a proper manner, and does not adversely affect others or compromise the project. While there is no universal definition of research integrity, most of it is common sense and includes: 

• Excellence – in carrying out research to a high standard
• Honesty – with results, with other people involved
• Integrity – comply with all legal and ethical requirements
• Safety – dignity, rights, safety and wellbeing of all involved in research

For further details, there is information on the DMU website, see the following link and submenus for guidance, policies and forms: ‘Ethics and governance’:

More general guidance is provided by the UK Research Integrity Office (UKRIO) Ukrio

Project Assessment 

A project should draw upon the knowledge base and skills acquired in the taught modules; it should demonstrate the integrative nature embodied in engineering and demonstrate design ability at the conceptual and practical levels.  

The academic supervisor will be the first reader of the dissertation and will mark the project.  A second reader, who is not a member of the Project Management Panel, will be appointed by the Individual Project Module Leader in liaison with the Programme Leader to second mark the work to ensure uniformity of standards and assessment. 
 
 A good project demonstrates:                     

• Evidence of a thorough and wide-ranging grasp of the domain of concern of the project.
• The technical and organisational competence to apply this understanding to a practical problem by deciding a method and logically organising and controlling the work involved to produce a solution which demonstrates it;
• Critical judgement both in discussing current work in the field and in evaluating the methods chosen in the project and the practical results achieved.
• Consistent hard work
• Initiative and resourcefulness in the face of difficulties
• The communication skill to present results both orally and in writing. 

Project Report (90% of total marks) 

The quality of this report is a major consideration since it is where the student displays his/her understanding of the problem tackled, the solutions offered, and a critical evaluation of his/her achievements.  

Examiners look for 

• Evidence of sufficient reading enabling the student to fully understand the conceptual context of the project and any related work that has been done
• Originality, a readiness to confront issues, and tenacity in dealing with them.
• Sensibly ordered presentation of material, which reads as the development of a coherent argument
• Sensible distribution of emphasis (so that unimportant details are not given too much discussion and difficult issues are addressed in full)
• Quality of English/readability
• A critical evaluation of the project in terms of both the results produced and the methodology adopted

Report Guidelines and Marking Criteria 

You need to adhere to the best structure suited to the discipline of your project. You are required to write analytically / critically rather than pure descriptive writing. It is expected that your thesis has typically around 12,000-18,000 words, but the main principle should be 5Cs - clear, concise, complete, technically correct, and critical analysis; word counts are not so important (10,000-12,000 may still be acceptable). There are no specific guidelines for your project report, but the following form a sequential structure of a good report (and can form Chapters of your report). : 

• Introduction - Background, Aims and objectives, requirements specification, project management (optional)
• Literature/State-of-the-art review - you should not just report past works or technologies, you need to critically review them, describe very clearly how what you learnt led you to your project design (this is often the updated version of the literature review from your Research Methods module). Figure/Table – Include captions, and provide a source reference for any external source.
• Methodology/Technical concept note – provide a systematic, theoretical analysis of the methods adopted and account of the techniques and tools used in your project (Secondary research, techniques used, approach in handling challenges). Include Activity/Design specification (features of the system and performance specifications) / System Design (model-based design)- For a non-technical project, you need to provide an overview of the activity to be undertaken. For engineering disciplines, you should support your concept with mathematical formulations where possible. 
• Results/Project outputs – Data analysis; Modelling & simulations / Implementation / Development  - describe how you implement your design, the tools used, the model created and simulations (i.e. show your calculations to support your design) - verify that your design is workable. Present Tests and Evaluation / Results and Analysis -describe your test design, show your results and analyse critically. When including results, please make sure you include the right amount of explanation and analysis for them..
• Discussions - you need to be critical in your discussion - go and learn critical analysis  
• Conclusions (summary of findings) + recommendations / future works
• References - IEEE style, please
• Mandatory uploads and Appendix – The following documents form part of mandatory uploads to complete this assignment: 1. Ethics Screening form approved by supervisor; 2. Learning log completed datewise showing engagement with supervisor and progress on the project; 3. Completed project report. 

In addition, you can add supplementary evidence to support your research, e.g. survey files, raw data, videos, design drawings, etc. You may discuss this with your supervisor as to what would be suitable to upload as part of the Appendix for your specific project. 

Project Marking Criteria: 

Marked by the Supervisor and 2nd Assessor:
 
Project overview - Abstract, Introduction, Background, Scope, Problem formulation 

Aim & Objectives; Requirements / Project specification (10%) 

Literature/State-of-the-art review - critical analysis and evaluation demonstrated; not mainly descriptive (20%)

Methodology/Technical concept note – description of the proposed methods,  Quality of system / experimental design, methods and techniques used, Case study/survey details (as applicable), etc. (20%)

Results Project Outputs and Discussion – Data analysis/Critical analysis / Evaluation of modelling/simulation/implementation / experimental work; Discussion of results, Conclusions and identification of further work (20%)
 
Report structure – overall format, reporting style including Tables/Figures (10%) 

Referencing – correct style and appropriate use of relevant references (10%)
Engagement log (10%)

Oral Presentation (10% of total marks) 

Students are expected to make short presentations of their projects, their problems and their approaches. The presentation (10% of the final mark) should highlight the programme of work to demonstrate the achievement of the specified goals. Each student will be allowed up to 15 minutes for the presentation, followed by up to 5 minutes of questions, allowing at least 5 minutes changeover time. Students must ensure that their supervisors (including industrial supervisors and second assessors if possible) are informed and invited to their respective presentations. Students are strongly encouraged to attend all the presentations related to their course to support their colleagues.  
Examiners will look for:

• Ability to communicate the significant elements of the project
• Clarity & conciseness
• Ability to use time effectively (without overrunning, under-running or having to hurry)
• Ability to engage the audience
• Ability to respond articulately, accurately and honestly to questions.

Presentation marking criteria: