What will I learn on this module?
This module is the first half of your major final year project module, during which you will undertake a substantial individual practical computing project related to your programme of study. You will become knowledgeable in your chosen topic, including important concepts and literature. You will use and further develop skills learnt elsewhere in your programme and acquire new skills and expertise to carry out practical computing work. You will also acquire or further develop your professional skills, including communication skills (oral presentation and report writing), literature searching and review, research methods and design, project management and personal time management. Both the technical and professional skills developed through the project module will enhance your career and employability competencies. During this module, you will create a project proposal for the practical project you will complete as part of the Computing Project: Practical module, which you will study in your second semester of the programme. This practical project will involve the creation of an artefact as the focus for covering all or part of an implementation lifecycle. In this module, you create a proposal for this project and explore the issues the practical project will address. Projects based solely on literature review activity and/or user/market surveys are unacceptable, e.g., all will involve system/software development work. Hence, you will engage in research-informed authentic enquiry by exploring the context of a computing problem and planning how you can execute a related practical investigation in your second semester on the programme.
How will I learn on this module?
The module will begin with a skills audit during which you will explore how your current skills set corresponds to an industrial skills framework (e.g. Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) or similar). The audit will help identify your strengths and areas for further development and help define the type of project and technologies you might employ in your practical project. Your studies will be supported by lectures, workshops, and group activities, which will provide formative feedback upon your emerging skills audit. Independent working will also be required to finalise the audit.
Via a combination of lectures, seminars, and group tutorials, you will choose a topic area and then develop a problem specification, including a description of the problem and high-level aims and objectives to address it. Your academic skills will be developed through lectures and workshops, including traditional and AI-mediated literature searches. You will then apply these academic skills in writing a literature review and, where appropriate, product review related to your topic. Feedback will be available via group tutorial sessions. Independent working will also be required to produce the proposal.
These outputs will inform the development of a project plan and costing for the Computing Project Practical module.
Finally, you will complete an oral defence of your proposal via a Viva-style examination.
How will I be supported academically on this module?
A combination of lectures, workshops and group tutorials will support you. Academic skills will be addressed, together with guidance and support regarding the assessed activities. You will discuss your work and your peers' work via group tutorials, making the feedback on your assessed activities rich and actionable. Resources and online materials will be provided on the Blackboard module site throughout the module.
What will I be expected to read on this module?
All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)
What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the skills, methods and tools for the development of a project proposal for a practical computing research project.
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
Elucidate an open-ended computing problem, identify objectives to address it and develop a corresponding plan and costing.
Investigate the context and literature of a computing problem, including related equality, diversity and inclusion issues, and where appropriate, other similar products, using traditional and AI-supported approaches.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
Plan and record self-learning and development as the foundation for lifelong learning/CPD
Communicate the methods and results of the project through written proposal, documentation and oral presentation/demonstration.
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed by a portfolio (maximum 3500 words) consisting of the following.
A skills audit to recognised skills framework (e.g. SFIA) identifying current strengths and development opportunities
A problem specification for a practical computing project, including description, aims and objectives
A literature review and the evidence base for underpinning traditional and ai supported work
A project plan and related costing, including identification of the practical computing work
Module-level ethical approval will be in place; however, you need to briefly explain how the required ethical procedures will be followed in your project.
And a 10-minute viva defence of the portfolio. The viva is employed to enable you to highlight your key achievements to the module team and to assure the academic authenticity of your work.
The portfolio and viva will enable you to evidence the achievement of all the module learning outcomes.
Formative feedback will be provided on your portfolio via the teaching sessions with the module. You will be encouraged to share drafts of your portfolio with your supervisor and small groups of students, which will provide you with feed-forward feedback during the portfolio's creation. In second semester of your programme, you will complete the project as part of the Computing Project: Practical module.
Pre-requisite(s)
None
Co-requisite(s)
N/A
Module abstract
The Project proposal module is the first half of your undergraduate project in which you define the problem you will address, explore its background and context, and develop a plan for a practical exploration in the follow-up computing practical module. This will build on the academic, research, and technical skills and expertise you have gained during your studies, which are documented in your skills audit. The skill set developed through the project will enhance your future career and employability competencies. The summative assessment is a portfolio and a viva.
Course info
UCAS Code G419
Credits 20
Level of Study Undergraduate
Mode of Study 1 year Full Time
Department Computer and Information Sciences
Location City Campus, Northumbria University
City Newcastle
Start September 2025 or September 2026
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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