KF7029 - MSc Computer Science & Digital Technologies Project

At the start of the module there will be an intensive induction period where you will be expected to attend the university for a series of workshops and classes, typically for y two weeks. During this period the series of lectures/workshops will outline the project process and there will be guidance to enable you to propose your project choices. You will be then be allocated a research project, an academic supervisor and you will be put into a small Research Action Learning (RAL) set and spend the rest of this induction period developing your research proposal. Following this you will move on to complete your main research project, largely working independently but also within the supporting environment of your RAL set. As you are working mainly independently throughout this module, you are expected to keep a record of your progress in your research project log that you can share within your RAL set and with your supervisor on a regular basis. The responsibility for the work ultimately lies with you and you will be expected to operate as an independent learner and carry out research and discover new information for yourself. You need to be able to demonstrate a disciplined and ethical approach and demonstrate your professionalism by taking responsibility for your own work, using professional development standards, planning your project work, meeting deadlines, respecting the work of others and dealing with your own problems in a responsible manner. Your research project log should reflect this progress. However, as part of the RAL, you will be expected to attend the regular meetings of the RAL with your allocated supervisor and present your progress to date, receiving individual feedback from your supervisor and peers, plus also engage with the wider discussions, providing peer support to other members of the RAL set when they present their work. The supervisor and your RAL are also there to support you and provide you with informal feedback as you progress through your research project.

Your main academic support will be via your academic supervisor and the members of your RAL set. You will be expected to attend the regular meetings of the RAL set where you will be asked to present your progress to date. . Then there will be the opportunity to receive support and guidance from your academic supervisor and the other members of the RAL set tailored to your individual project.
However, the responsibility for the research project is ultimately yours. Your supervisor should not have to tell you what to do – you need to organise yourself and your time. This does not mean that you should not ask for advice, but that you should know what advice to ask for and not continually be asking for advice. You will also be allocated a second academic supervisor whose main role is to provide independent advice and guidance and be an independent assessor for your final assessment. There is also a MSc Project Tutor who has overall responsibility for quality assurance and academic oversight of the module. The MSc Project Tutor also allocates the projects and academic supervisors and second supervisors to students and is responsible for gathering student feedback and reporting back on this to students.

There are no formal scheduled teaching hours for this module although you are expected to attend the intensive induction period at the start of the module and also the regular meetings between each academic supervisor and their RAL sets.

The module BB site has the module guide and associated resources to support you during this module.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Apply in depth specialist technical and academic knowledge and critical understanding of the research literature, research methodologies and project management in the context of an independent academic research project related to your programme of study and at the forefront of the computer and information sciences field

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Identify, plan and execute a substantial independent research project demonstrating originality, critical and innovative thinking, risk management and problem solving

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
3. Critically evaluate and address professional, ethical, legal, risk, societal and sustainability issues in an appropriate manner within an academic research environment
4. Effectively communicate the outcomes of a significant individual research project in both written and oral forms

Formative
You will receive formative feedback throughout your project via your academic supervisor and your RAL set.

You will also be asked to produce a research proposal at the start of the module on your research project.

Summative
You will be expected to have applied and been granted ethical approval before starting on the main practical research for your project.

The summative assessments for this module are a research project log, research paper (typically 6-8000 words) and viva. These will be assessed holistically against all four learning outcomes.

The supervisor and second marker will independently assess the research project log, research paper and viva and then agree a final overall mark. If there is substantial disagreement between them (more than 5% difference in overall mark), a third marker will be allocated.

KF7028 or equivalent

N/A

This module provides the opportunity for you to undertake a substantial and innovative academic research project centred at the forefront of your programme disciplines within the wider field of computer and information sciences. You will experience the full life cycle of a research project from initial conception and proposal, through a critical review of the literature, planning, design, implementation and analysis of your main research project, to final evaluation, reflection and dissemination. You will be expected to work independently but also as part of a Research Action Learning (RAL) set under the support and guidance of an academic supervisor. You will be able to apply and gain further valuable skills and expertise in relation to your chosen programme and future career path, including technical skills, research methodologies, project management, innovative and reflective thinking, problem solving and analytical skills. Your work will be formally assessed through the production of your research project log, final research paper and an accompanying viva.