Individual Undergraduate Project 20232024

Individual Undergraduate Project 20232024

A1: Proposal

Your Project Title

381008840470Course:

Student Name:

Student Number:

Supervisor Name:

1000000Course:

Student Name:

Student Number:

Supervisor Name:

Overall Note

Guidance Sections: All guidance text is placed in green boxes like this one. Please ensure that you remove these sections before submitting your final document.

Template Usage: This document serves as a general template designed for common final year project purposes.

Customisation: It is crucial to tailor this template to fit the specific needs of your individual project. Discuss the structure and content with your supervisor to ensure it aligns with your project's unique requirements.

Assessment Criteria: Please refer to the marking criteria outlined in the assessment brief for more detailed information on how your proposal will be evaluated.

Contents

TOC o "1-3" h z u 1Introduction PAGEREF _Toc146527753 h 11.1Background and Rationale PAGEREF _Toc146527754 h 11.2Key Themes/Topics PAGEREF _Toc146527755 h 11.3Key Themes/Topics PAGEREF _Toc146527756 h 12Aim and Objectives PAGEREF _Toc146527757 h 12.1Project Aim PAGEREF _Toc146527758 h 12.2Project Objectives PAGEREF _Toc146527759 h 13Project Planning PAGEREF _Toc146527760 h 23.1Initial Project Plan PAGEREF _Toc146527761 h 23.2Resources PAGEREF _Toc146527762 h 23.3Risk Assessments PAGEREF _Toc146527763 h 24Project Review and Methodology PAGEREF _Toc146527764 h 34.1Critique of Past Final Year Projects PAGEREF _Toc146527765 h 34.2Literature Search Methodology PAGEREF _Toc146527766 h 34.3Initial Literature Search Results PAGEREF _Toc146527767 h 45Bibliography PAGEREF _Toc146527768 h 4

IntroductionBackground and RationaleGuidance: Briefly explain what your project is about. Discuss the problem or issue you are trying to address. Describe the current development, situation, background, etc. Explain why you are undertaking this project and what contribution you aim to make.

Tips:

Use concise and relevant information to establish the foundation for your project.

Consider incorporating statistics or cited information to highlight the importance of your project.

Key Themes/TopicsGuidance: Provide a succinct overview of the main themes or topics that your project will cover. These themes determine the scope of your project and identify the subject areas where you will conduct in-depth, independent literature reviews. This might include methodologies you intend to utilise, technologies involved, or broader subject areas pertinent to your project.

Tips:

Use this section to set the scope and relevance of your project firmly. Mentioning these themes at this early stage will guide your Literature Search Methodology and set the groundwork for later, more comprehensive literature reviews in subsequent assessments.

Aim and ObjectivesProject AimGuidance: The aim states what you plan to achieve overall, but NOT how you are going to do it. This should be a broad and generalised statement of intent.

Tips:

Craft your aim to be straightforward and to the point. It should encapsulate the essence of your project in a single sentence.

Project ObjectivesGuidance: Objectives set out how you are going to achieve your aim. Objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resourced, and Time-limited (SMART). Objectives should be presented using bullet points and numbering to enhance readability. Information on SMART objectives is available on Moodle.

Tips:

Use action-oriented language for your objectives to make it clear what steps will be taken. Make sure that each objective aligns directly with your overarching project aim.

Try to limit yourself to a manageable number of objectives to keep your project focused.

Use bullet points and numbering to list your objectives clearly.

Project PlanningInitial Project PlanGuidance: Identify the tasks and subtasks that are necessary to meet your project objectives. Provide a brief description for each, outlining its role in achieving the goals you've set. Also, be aware of the time each task and subtask will require.

Tips:

While a Gantt chart is a useful tool, it's not mandatory. You may use any table or format that effectively captures your planning. The key is to clearly display the timeline, tasks, and their interdependencies.

Your descriptions should be concise but informative, helping the reader understand the role and importance of each task and subtask in the context of your project plan.

ResourcesGuidance: Specify the resources required for the successful execution of your project. Resources can include lab equipment, IT hardware and software, as well as research materials like databases or library resources. For example, you might need high-computing servers for machine learning projects, specialised editing software for digital media work, or network simulation tools for networking tasks.

Tips:

Bear in mind that the university does not provide additional funding for student projects, so you should account for any costs that are not covered by existing resources. It's advisable to consult your supervisor regarding these costs, as they might be able to provide or recommend equipment or software.

Align your resource requirements closely with your project aim and objectives to ensure that available resources are sufficient for achieving your goals.

Risk AssessmentsGuidance: Contemplate the potential risks that could derail your project timeline. This could encompass a variety of factors, from unavailability of specific resources like software or equipment to logistical constraints such as limited access to specialists or test subjects.

Tips:

Prioritise the identification of risks that directly impact your project aim and objectives. For more substantial risks, consider implementing a contingency plan or alternative approaches that could mitigate these challenges.

Consult your supervisor for expertise and advice on managing identified risks effectively.

Project Review and MethodologyCritique of Past Final Year ProjectsGuidance: Examine two past final year projects to enhance your understanding of how to approach your own project. Firstly, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these past projects. Secondly, identify what aspects, such as background, methodologies, techniques, or technologies, are particularly useful for your own project. Finally, explain how you plan to apply or adapt these useful aspects in your project. The aim is to understand best practices and potential pitfalls, regardless of whether the projects are directly related to your own subject matter.

Tips:

If you can't find projects that directly align with your focus, select the closest available options. Concentrate on what you can learn from them in terms of project planning, methodologies, or specific techniques, and how you can apply this knowledge to enhance your own project's robustness.

"Critique" in this context means a detailed analysis and assessment of something, in this case, past projects. Look beyond just listing good and bad points; instead, discuss the reasoning behind these points and their implications for your own work.

Literature Search MethodologyGuidance: In this section, articulate your approach for conducting a literature search relevant to your project. Specify the search terms you intend to use and explain the rationale for choosing them. Identify the databases you will utilise for your search, including IEEE Xplore, Elsevier, ACM Digital Library, Web of Science, or Google Scholar. Discuss your strategy for assessing the relevance and quality of the resources you find. Finally, describe your method for recording your findings, ensuring they can be easily referenced later. It's advisable to consult with your supervisor at the outset to ensure you're on the right track.

Tips:

Be precise with your search terms, as this will significantly affect the quality of resources you discover.

Maintain consistency when grading the significance of each resource; you may consider employing a scoring system or rubric.

Keep a well-organised record of your findings using citation management software, such as Mendeley, to facilitate the writing process.

Initial Literature Search ResultsGuidance: Present a few examples of key resources you have identified during your initial literature search. This doesn't need to be exhaustive but should be sufficient to validate that your search methodology is effective.

Tips:

When reporting your initial findings, aim to be clear and concise.

Include the citation, a brief summary, and your own evaluation of each resource's relevance or importance to your project.

This serves as a preliminary validation of your literature search strategy and also prepares you for a more in-depth literature review later in the project.

BibliographyGuidance: Compile a list of all the references you have used in your proposal, adhering to the Harvard referencing style. Each citation should be complete, accurate, and in the prescribed format.

Tips:

For more guidance, consult the BCU learning services.

Using citation management software like Mendeley can also assist in organising and formatting your references correctly.

Note: The Bibliography does not count towards the overall word count of the project proposal.