Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing
School of Computer Science and Mathematics
Dissertation
Guidelines
MSc
COURSES
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NDC
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Networking & Data Communications
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NDC (B)
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Networking & Data Communications (Business)
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NIS
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Network and Information Security
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NIS (B)
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Network and Information Security (Business)
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ES
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Embedded Systems
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ES (B)
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Embedded Systems (Business)
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ES (V)
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Embedded Systems (Vision)
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ES (VB)
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Embedded Systems (Vision with Business)
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SE
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Software Engineering
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SE (B)
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Software Engineering (Business)
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IS
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Information Systems
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IS (HIM)
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Information Systems (Health Information Management)
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IT IS
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IT & Strategic Innovation
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Staff
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Name
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Extension
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Room
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Contact:
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Module Leader
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Dr. Nada Philip (NP)
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62827
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SB1006
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N.Philip@kingston.ac.uk
Consultation Hours
Mondays 1100-1300
Thursdays 1100-1300
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1.
Learning Objectives
The Aims and Learning Outcomes for this module
include developing an ability to identify a real-world problem or a topic of
state-of-the-art research, setting this problem in the context of applicable
academic concepts and methods, and providing a solution by organising and
carrying out an extended piece of work, independently and in-depth. Students should also engage in academic and
professional communication and act within actual constraints.
It follows that the
driving force behind this module is primarily the student, but also the
supervisor and, where applicable, an external client. The university provides supervision and some
support, but the initiative and responsibility for planning and conducting the
project rests ultimately with the student.
2.
Topics
The
project is equivalent to 2 (30 credit) taught modules (minimum of 16 full-time
weeks work), and the final report becomes a published document. Thus, this
activity should not be undertaken lightly - producing work of high quality
requires time and effort.
Projects will normally be of the following types (or
mix of types), depending on the specific MSc course taken:
·Evaluative: this requires the student to critically evaluate a
given system, procedures, business models, etc. identify strengths and
weaknesses and propose improvements.
·Analytic: this entails the
analysis of particular policies or strategies and
solutions, identify strengths and weaknesses and propose improvements.
·Design and development: this entails
designing, implementing and testing a system or sub system
·Empirical or
investigative:
research into particular systems or problems, comparisons of alternatives and
in most cases a demonstrable improvement of current methods.
3.
Deliverables
The
module deliverables are:
- Project registration form.
- Individual project definition and
research proposal (10% of the total marks)
- Formative Viva/Presentation - this is a
formative assessment for students to gain some early feedback and used as
an exercise for the final Viva/Presentation.
- Dissertation (electronic copy via Canvas) (%80 of the
total mark)
- Viva/Presentation to explain/defend the
finding of the project to the supervisor and the second marker,
within 2 weeks of submitting the dissertation (10%
of the total marks)
Please note
that if a student does not demonstrate/present his/her work, we reserve the
right to withhold his/her project dissertation mark until a
demonstration/presentation takes place.
The
timings for submitting each of the above deliverables depend on your mode of
study (full-time or part-time) and time of entry (September or January). In
what follows, '*' means “online submission via Canvas by 11.59pm” and '†' means
“make an appointment with your supervisor and with your second marker”.
Full-time Students that
started January 2020:
•
Project
registration form 22nd May 2020
•
Individual
project definition
and
research proposal 13th July 2020
•
Formative
Viva/Presentations 07th September 2020
•
Dissertation
* 17th March 2021
•
Demonstration/Presentation† Between 17th to 31st
March 2021
Submission of
deliverables:
You should follow the
instructions for the deliverable submission given in the dissertation
guidelines. You are reminded of the faculty policy for the late submission of
coursework. Any work submitted up to a week late will be capped at 40%,
anything submitted later than this will receive a zero mark.
If you are ill or have
problems affecting your studies, the University
Mitigating Circumstances policy may apply.
You will need to complete a form and attach suitable independent
documentation. Remember if you submit a piece of work or attend an examination,
you have judged yourself fit to undertake the assessment and cannot claim
mitigating circumstances retrospectively.
Students who wish to
make a mitigation claim submission may do so via the webpage (or
My Kingston – My
Faculty – Science, Engineering and Computing – SEC Mitigating Circumstances).
Late
Feedback
We are committed to our
students receiving timely feedback and would like to remind you that you can
let us know of any delays that occur in receiving feedback from work you have
submitted for marking. We have set up an electronic noticeboard for this
purpose:
SEC_Assessment_Feedback_Delay_-_PG_NB@kingston.ac.uk
If you have not
received feedback within the timeframe you expected then please send us the
details – we need the module code and the date you submitted the work. We
will then pick up your message and look into the matter.
Allocation of supervisors
The allocation of
project supervisors is done by the project module leader, balancing students’
preferences (if any), supervisors’ expertise and their workload.
Consequently, there is no guarantee that a student will get their preferred
supervisor. Irrespective of the allocation, all students may seek
technical advice from any member of academic staff. Should there be serious
problems with supervision, a student should discuss the matter with their
Course Director and/or Personal Tutor. If no satisfactory solution is found,
the matter should be brought to the attention of the Head of Department.
Problems with supervision
If
you encounter serious problems with supervision, you should discuss the matter
with your Module leader, Course Leader and/or your Personal Tutor. If no
satisfactory solution is found, they will bring the matter to the attention of
the Head of School. If, after this, you are still not satisfied with your
supervision arrangements, you should make a complaint through the University’s
Complaints Procedure http://www.kingston.ac.uk/aboutkingstonuniversity/howtheuniversityworks/policiesandregulations/
Requesting a change of supervisor
A student may request a change
of supervisor by emailing the module leader of the project module. However
there must be a very strong reason for any such request. A lack of expertise in
the specific area of the student’s project is not grounds for a change.
Part-time Students
There are special procedures that
apply to part-time students. Please make sure that you understand them fully:
Part-time students can complete (by
submission of their dissertation) in either 2, 2 ½ or 3 years. For example, a
part-time student who started in Sept 2015, can submit either in Sept 2017 (2
years), Jan 2018 (2 ½ years) or Sept 2018 (3 years).
To help us manage projects more
effectively it is a MUST that
part-time students let us know formally when they intend to submit their
dissertation before the submission date of the Individual Project
Definition and Research Proposal of their 2nd
year. To inform us of when you intend to
submit, you will need to complete and hand in form “PART-TIME MSc DISSERTATION
REGISTRATION” that can be found in the Appendices of this document. If part time students do not submit such a
form and inform us officially then we will presume that they are completing
their dissertation during their 2nd year.
Once we know when you intend to
submit, we will allocate you to the same cohort of students submitting in that
semester. For example, if you have told us that you will submit in January 2019,
you will join the same cohort of full-time students who started in January 2018.
This will be your cohort and it is important that you comply with the
deadlines for that cohort.
Should a
part-time or full-time student suspend studies or repeat the project, they can
only follow one of the project schedules as above (subject to regulations
regarding maximum period of study, which is currently 4 years including any
additional time needed in case of repeating modules including the
dissertation).
4.
Roles and responsibilities of
staff and students
Module leader:
The module leader assigns each
student a project. Project allocation is done by balancing student's preference
(if any), supervisor's expertise and supervisor's loading. Consequently,
there is no guarantee that a student will get his/her preferred supervisor,
even if an academic has provisionally agreed to supervise, because of the need
to balance the supervisory load fairly.
Should there be difficulties with the
supervision, the student should try to discuss
them with the supervisor and agree an action plan / timetable of further meetings. It is important that the
student and supervisor attempt to resolve
any difficulties as soon as possible. If the student is still not satisfied they should contact the module leader and
their Course Director and/or Personal
Tutor. If no satisfactory solution is found, the matter should be brought to the attention of the Head of
School.
Supervisor should:
·
Read the module guide and be
aware of all deadlines and keep up to date with Canvas announcement and emails.
·
Be prepared to meet student at
least once a fortnight during term time to review progress. Meetings are not
expected to be longer than 30 minutes for each student. At the beginning of the
project more advice and support than this may be appropriate.
·
Respond to any request for a
meeting within 3 working days. Students should arrange meetings in advance by e-mail
or in person.
·
Ensure adequate resources are
in place for the project and arrange any specialist training or support
required.
·
Supply at least some references
or other pertinent information at the start of the project.
·
Record meetings with project students
and report any significant absences to the module leader.
·
Assessment
·
Give advice on the general form
and contents of an assessment e.g., style of introduction, the presentation and
discussion of results and the style of writing appropriate to the piece of
assessment (report/ poster/ presentation).
·
Encourage the student to
produce a draft of an assessment in good time.
·
Give feedback on draft work
(proposal, report etc.) within one/two working week/s. Supervisors cannot be
expected to provide feedback on anything submitted after agreed or published
deadlines.
·
Provide comments or editing on
only small parts of individual sections of the draft assessment (e.g. 1 page)
this is for feedforward purposes and give general comments on the remainder of
the draft work.
·
Only expected to read one draft
of an assessment and not assist with continual revision. The supervisor's
approval of a report cannot be taken to imply any particular grade has been
achieved.
·
Subject specific
If relevant check student risk and hazard
assessment before laboratory work
performed.
Student should:
·
read the module guide, be aware
of and meet all submission deadlines, keep up to date with Canvas announcement
and emails;
·
arrange first meeting with
supervisor and agree a system for arranging subsequent meetings;
·
make sure that the resources
needed are available- all resource requirements and training should be
discussed with the supervisor at the proposal stage;
·
take responsibility for how the
work progresses, and keep supervisor up to date with frequent progress reports;
·
notify supervisor of any
absences and produce evidence of any reason for such absences;
· submit draft work according to agreed or published deadlines, in
order to allow supervisor time to provide feedback.
4. Marking Criteria
Project marking criteria are listed
in the appendix. To meet many of these, the topic must be of sufficient
complexity – a topic of trivial scope, for which standard solutions already
exist or that could normally be done at undergraduate level, is not
suitable for a Master’s level project dissertation. You should always seek
advice from your supervisor on what is considered Master's level.
Good grades, and in
particular an A (distinction), reflect originality, insight, critical and evaluative
discussion, systematic and comprehensive treatment and demonstrably valid
results. It would be exceptional for a report to achieve a Distinction, without a substantial
evaluative Discussion section, citations in the text to relevant research publications
and other contemporary sources and the demonstration of a novel solution or
novel ideas. In this context it is normally expected that a Distinction will
only be awarded when the project has produced tangible results (“artefact”).
What are tangible results will depend on the type of project undertaken (please
see section 2), so for example for an empirical or investigative project,
tangible results might be a new algorithm and its extensive performance
evaluation, while for an analytical project tangible results might be new
procedures and policies fully developed with and introduced at a host
organisation.
Poor grades, in particular an F
(fail), reflect bad organisation, presence of errors and omissions, poor logic,
failure to understand and apply theoretical concepts, failure to apply
consistently the chosen methods and
techniques, and/or failure to give a demonstration/presentation.
Also note that the university takes a
strict view on plagiarism (i.e. failing to properly attribute work from others),
specially for the dissertation which should be an original piece of work. We
will always investigate possible plagiarism.
5. Process
Proposal Phase
Each project is
supervised by an academic staff. We publish a list of academic staff who
supervise MSc projects together with an indicative list of their areas of
interest and possible topics for their MSc projects. You can find more about
the academic, professional and research activities of these academic staff by
browsing the Faculty's web pages (under “Research” and “People”). Once you have
found a member of staff whose interests or projects you are interested in, you
should contact them to discuss their project ideas. In most cases you will then
be able to formulate a project guided by a member of staff who would then
normally accept to being your supervisor. Note that it is also important that
your proposed project is in the field of your MSc Course (e.g. normally an
e-commerce project would not be acceptable for an embedded systems student and
so will not be accepted by the student's Field Leader).
Some students (specially
those in employment) could, exceptionally, themselves identify a specific
problem suitable for their MSc programme, typically for their employer. If you
would like to do this it is vital that you consult with your Field Leader for
approval while at the same time identify an academic staff in the field of the
proposed project to ensure that what you are proposing is within scope and at
the level of an MSc project.
Under the guidance of your
potential supervisor you should then develop a Project Proposal to define the project's scope, consider relevant objectives, propose
how access to the necessary technologies will be gained, identify required
resources, estimate the risks and constraints, list expected deliverables
and milestones, etc.
You should start thinking about
your project as soon as the course begins, and in any case at least 6-8 weeks
before the ‘Project registration form’ submission deadline
Consider and discuss alternatives in the light of your interests, abilities and career aspirations, those of the members of staff (and industrial host if appropriate) and of the resources/opportunities available. There is a limit to the number of projects any member of staff can take, so begin early to avoid disappointment. Then after submitting your project registration form, you need to start building your Individual project definition gradually develop an increasingly clear and complete statement of the project’s background, aims, literature review, methods, risks and deliverables.
Project
registration form (formative)
You
need to submit the project registration form (see Appendix –project
registration form). This form includes – title of your project, overview, aims and objectives and supervisors’ name (see Appendix).
The Projects registration forms are
then formally approved by the Field Leader who also confirms/names the
supervisor and allocate the second marker. Once this is done, the project can
formally start.
For information on the marking
criteria of this element can be found in the appendices section of this
document.
Every student must submit
a project registration form by the deadline specified. Students who do not
submit a project registration form must
contact their Field Leader.
Individual
project definition and research proposal (Summative – 10%)
The
Project Proposal is between 3000 – 4000 words in length excluding Appendices. It comprises:
For
information on the marking criteria of this element can be found in the
appendices section of this document.
Note that a project that uses human subjects/data
requires approval by the Faculty's Research Ethics Committee. This includes
projects that involve people surveys/questionnaires. Please seek advice from
your Field Leader and Supervisor as you should allow enough time to apply for
ethics approval.
Where
relevant, proposals should clarify Intellectual Property Rights (Industrial or
KU Research Hosts may wish to claim copyright, particularly if they pay the
student for any work done), the arrangements for demonstrations, and approval
for academic access to the code (it may be inspected to be assessed, and
displayed to students and staff in the Kingston University library).
Project Phase
During
the Project phase, students plan and carry out their work, and initiate
and maintain contact with the academic supervisor. It is expected that students will have
regular meetings with their supervisors, at least every two weeks (and ideally
weekly). The student should monitor his/her progress as well as review and
evaluate the work, reporting significant issues which may affect the project in
a timely manner to the supervisor, . We suggest that students at least create an audit trail for their
project (for example, by keeping a log book for notes, a spreadsheet indicating
hours dedicated to various tasks, and a folder for e-mail messages). If milestones are not being met, then the
project plan needs to be changed.
Supervisors
discuss and indicate the suitability of intended deliverables, suggest starting
points for consideration of background research, and discuss the nature of the
dissertation and comment on drafts. They
also provide advice, where possible, on issues associated with the project such
as design, implementation, proof of concept and project management.
Formative Viva/presentation (formative)
This is a
formative assessment for the final viva and a formative feedback for the rest
of the project and the final dissertation.
It is important to demonstrate the ability to summarise the results of
your work and present them to others. You will be asked to prepare a
presentation – 30 minutes Including 15 minutes questions and discussion - summarising
the progress you have made and your plans to complete the project. This will be
seen by your supervisor.
Dissertation (Summative – 80%)
The Dissertation should be between
12,000 and 18,000 words excluding Appendices. As the largest single piece of writing you
may have ever done, you will need considerable time after you have completed
the project work itself, to write your Dissertation (see Section 6).
A
typical structure for the Dissertation is as follows:
A
typical structure for the Dissertation is as follows:
· Title
Page (essential - see format in in the project dissertation guidelines on
Canvas)
· A
contents page (essential )
· List
of figures and/or tables
· Glossary
of Terms
· Abstract
(essential. A summary of the content of
the project – the problem and solution, and highlighting your main
contribution(s))
· Acknowledgements
· Introduction
and Background
o Background
research / current state of the art (For example, which theoretical concepts
are to be applied? What existing or parallel work by others is relevant? What
trends are evident in the marketplace?
What business strategies motivate this project?
o This
sets the context of the problem to be solved, and motivates your project – why
is your project of general relevance and importance? What contribution and
benefits do you expect to make?
o Discussion
regarding Ethics aspects, as well as data protection and safety relating to the
project
· Literature
Review (As in Proposal, & Progression to Full Literature Review)
· Contribution
Chapters (Suitability & Justification of Artefact, Design, Implementation
and Evaluation)
o Method
(how the project was achieved including selection of appropriate methods and
techniques, and technologies. Give
reasons for choosing the options you selected.)
o
Results (The main outcomes or deliverables
of the projects. For example, the
results for a development type project may comprise the design solution,
implementation, and testing. The results
for an evaluation type project may comprise the evaluative data gathered and
analysed.)
o Discussion
§
Critical evaluation and explanation of
recommendations (if any). For example,
why were these results obtained? Why are the results valid? Were there any
failures, anomalies or disappointments – what brought them about? Are your
results similar or different to other authors’?
§
Process review – For example, how well did
the methods work? Was the technology as relevant as expected?
·
Conclusions and future work
o
What
are your achievements, and how certain/uncertain are you? What are its limitations? How might future
work extend, or answer questions raised by your project?
o
Note,
however, that the best organisation and structure for each report is different
– it reflects the nature of the topic addressed, so expect to adapt the above
starting point to meet your individual needs. You can discuss the structure of
your dissertation with your supervisor.
Take care to give reasons for all decisions you make –
justify and explain. The same goals
could have been achieved differently – what are the advantages and
disadvantages of doing it your way?
An
integral part of the report is appropriate consideration to legal, professional
and ethical issues.
You are
expected to include in your project report ideas, methods and results produced
by other people - if you do not it probably indicates a lack of background
research and is likely to be penalised.
However, you must be scrupulously
careful to cite clearly the author/originator of any such work. If you fail
to indicate the source of such material you are, by implication, claiming
someone else’s work as your own. This is regarded as a serious matter in
academic circles and it carries severe penalties. (see Appendix on Academic Misconduct in the Student Handbook).
For
information on the marking criteria of this element can be found in the
appendices section.
Demonstration/Presentation (Summative – 10%)
Contact your supervisor and second
marker, typically by e-mail, to arrange a joint appointment within 2 weeks of
submission to demonstrate and/or present your project. Demonstrations are appropriate for projects
that have involved development work.
Special arrangements for demonstrations/presentation, such as
demonstration at an Industrial Host, will normally have been arranged at the
proposal stage. We reserve the right to
request a demonstration/presentation in person at Kingston University – it is
essential to be able to assess the project fairly and accurately.
A demonstration normally lasts around
30 minutes and proceeds typically as follows (discuss before hand with your
supervisor what is expected):
·
a summary of the project (5-10 .ppt
slides);
·
key functionality is demonstrated by
the student;
·
members of staff attempt to use the
system themselves;
·
examination of code. Staff may, for example, ask the student to
show them selected segments of the code to discuss its design, step through the
code describing it line by line, or to make small changes to the functionality. Questions may arise at any point.
Presentations normally take the form
of 5-10 slides accompanying a 15min talk to the supervisor and second marker
and followed by 15 min of questions.
For
information on the marking criteria of this element can be found in the
appendices section.
Electronic Copy
An electronic copy of your
dissertation must be submitted via the Turnitin system on Canvas.
All dissertations/final year projects in
SEC, which have achieved a grade of 60% or above, will be made available to
other students. If your dissertation/project needs to be exempt from this due
to confidentiality reasons, then you will need to ask to restrict access to
your dissertation (please contact your module leader regarding this).
6. Structure
Some
of the aspects assessed include:
o Organisation of the dissertation
into chapters and/or sections
o Overall logical structure (links
between sections and paragraphs)
o Use of appendices, graphs,
equations, and tables, as appropriate
o Consistent style
o Clarity of expression
o Correct use of language
o Layout and appearance to
facilitate readability
o Logic, coherence and
persuasiveness of arguments
o Overall coherence of report
Further
guidance on some of these aspects are given below:
Write
concisely and clearly, using jargon only when it is appropriate to convey
precise meaning. Define all your variables and parameters and the units used -
a glossary of technical terms may also be helpful in certain circumstances.
Make sure that you are consistent in your use of fonts throughout. Pay
particular attention to spelling, punctuation and grammar - you are writing an
academic publication. It is essential to carefully proof‑read your report and,
if possible, to get someone else to check it. Also use any spell-checking
software that is available. Note that as an academic/technical piece of
writing, the use of the first and second persons (“I”, “me”, “my”, “you”, “as
you can see”...) is discouraged. Also
use gender-neutral forms e.g. “they” or “he/she” instead of “he”.
Structure/Organisation
The
dissertation requires a narrative and, therefore, there should be a logical
progression from an introduction through a beginning and a middle to an end.
However, this should not be of the ‘first I did this, then I did that’ variety,
which is unacceptable. It should introduce the topic area first, then introduce
specific findings about the topic area, normally collected as a product of the
literature search, then introduce the specific project, the approach to the
project, present findings and results, and finally draw conclusions.
Ensure that
material is easy to find: use page numbers, a contents page, clear chapter and
section headings, clearly numbered self-contained appendices etc. Ensure that
all graphs, diagrams and tables are captioned and given a figure or table
number.
Create and
maintain a logical structure: divide material into sensible sections and ensure
that these are arranged in a logical order. Start with an abstract and state
the objectives of your dissertation. End with a critical review and a
conclusion.
Produce a
coherent document: proceed from the starting point to a meaningful conclusion
in a relatively direct manner. Discard irrelevant material. If material is
relevant but interferes with the flow of your arguments include it in an
appendix; for example, put any large tables of data, lengthy extracts of
computer code into appendices. It is often
useful to include a diary. Use references to condense your descriptions of
elementary standard material.
References & Bibliography
Ensure that
you have searched the literature to provide a comprehensive list of relevant
references both to justify your assertions and to allow you to give a very
concise description of other work in the field. Check thoroughly to make
certain that all references cited in the text are listed in full in the
reference list - and vice versa. (A bibliography is a list of texts that a
reader may find useful to acquire further knowledge of the field - please note
that this usually includes works not referenced in the text and is quite
distinct from the list of references).
APPENDICES
