PROFESSIONAL PROJECT - 2023/4
Module code: COM3001
Module Overview
The project consists of a substantial written report and accompanying video presentation and software submission, completed by the student towards the end of their programme of studies. These are based on a major piece of work that involves applying material encountered in the taught component of the degree, and extending that knowledge with the student's contribution, under the guidance of a supervisor. The project lasts over both semesters, and usually involves software development, experimental or theoretical research, or a substantial analysis on a specific topic. Students are also expected to consider the legal, social, ethical and professional aspects of the project.
Module provider
Computer Science and Electronic Eng
Module Leader
GUERIN Frank (CS & EE)
Number of Credits: 45
ECTS Credits: 22.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 6
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 428
Guided Learning: 12
Captured Content: 10
Module Availability
Year long
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
None
Module content
The project is the result of an expected 450 hrs of work. Most of this is done individually by the student, in locating and reading relevant sources, working on the technical contribution that is the main part of the project, and writing up the final report. Some time is also spent in regular discussions with the supervisor. Further details are given in the module handbook.
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | FINAL YEAR PROJECT | 100 |
Alternative Assessment
N/A
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the learning outcomes for this module.
The summative assessment for this module consists of:
- A Final Report Project -A final project report detailing the student’s work.including a short video presentation demonstrating it.
Formative assessment and feedback:
There are 2 formative assessments for which feedback is provided:
- The interim discussion (which includes a written and oral component).
- The draft final report submission.
As such, formative feedback is given by the supervisor during regular meetings as well as on a draft version of the final report. Additional formative feedback will be provided by an examiner as the result of the interim discussion.
Module aims
- Require students to undertake and complete a substantial piece of work at a professional level. It is the most substantial individual piece of work in the degree programme.
- Provide the opportunity for students to plan, organise, and implement a large piece of work over a long period of time.
- Allow students to show inspiration for a project and follow it through to completion, whatever the level of academic achievement thus far in their degree.
- Provide students an awareness of external factors which may affect the work of the computer professionals, including computer security, Intellectual Property and related issues, social and sustainability considerations, as well as the design, implementation and maintenance of trustworthy software.
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Put into practice concepts and techniques studied in the undergraduate programme | P |
| 002 | Apply scientific and software/hardware techniques to solving a problem | CP |
| 003 | Demonstrate literacy skills, including gathering relevant references and perform critical literature review, citing references properly, and understand plagiarism and copyright | KPT |
| 004 | Analyse the solution to evaluate the associated results | C |
| 005 | Demonstrate the ability to time manage tasks | T |
| 006 | Demonstrate the ability to present the project work | T |
| 007 | Demonstrate the ability to explain the importance of professional responsibilities and the role of professional codes of conduct and possible economic, social and environment issues related to their project | PT |
| 008 | Demonstrate an understanding of IT Regulation and compliance in practice, and the ability to evaluate the importance of information security | KCPT |
| 009 | Demonstrate the ability to recognise and the ability to understand software contracts, to deal with issues related to intellectual property (IP) and the relevance of IP to software and associated materials | KPT |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
Provide students with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience covering the module aims and learning outcomes.
The learning and teaching methods include:
- Regular meetings with the allocated supervisor to discuss progress.
- Lectures on research methods, technical writing, and presentation skills
- Supporting lectures to provide guidance on structuring a project and report writing
- An interim discussion early in the project cycle, to provide formative feedback on the selected topic and plan of work (one meeting of approx ½ hour)
- A draft report submission towards the end of the project cycle, to provide formative feedback on the write-up
- The project will include the preparation of a report, a video presentation of the work performed, and the submission of any software written as part of this work
All activities will be co-ordinated via SurreyLearn where detailed project guidelines and other supporting materials are available
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: COM3001
Other information
Digital Capabilities
On this module, students learn to take a large-scale technical project from conception through to implementation and evaluation. This requires excellent technical skills that bring in aspects from the other modules on the programme such as COM2027 (Software Engineering Project). Students also bring in knowledge of the Software Development Lifecycle from COM1028 (Software Engineering) to engineer a solution to a complex problem using a professional development approach.
Employability
This module provides students with technical skills alongside a range of transferrable skills by developing their own solution to a complex problem. Key to success in this module is good project management skills (taught in COM2027) and the ability to follow through a professional software development approach (taught in COM1028). This large-scale project module provides students with experience of working on a large scale, complex piece of software. The resulting solution can be used as a portfolio piece to advertise a student’s development experience to employers. .
Global and Cultural Skills
Computer Science is a global language and the tools and languages used on this module can be used internationally. This module allows students to develop skills that will allow them to develop applications with global reach and collaborate with their peers around the world.
Resourcefulness and Resilience
This module require that a student take an idea from conception, through to specification and design, implementation and then evaluation. This large-scale project requires excellent technical skills, but also excellent project management and planning. The experience gain in the module will be immensely valuable when planning and implementing future large-scale projects.
Sustainability
Computers are embedded within almost every industry including industries such as energy and agriculture to enhance sustainability. As part of the Professional Project module, students get the chance to define and develop a project in a field of their choosing. Students are expected to consider the social, economic and environmental impact of their project and many choose to develop an application that addresses the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computing and Information Technology BSc (Hons)(CORE) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 40% to pass the module |
| Computer Science BSc (Hons)(CORE) | Year-long | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 40% to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.