Dil-CS-BR

Assignment Specification:

Assignment One: MSc Research Project Proposal

KF2028 Research Methods and Project Management

Department of Computer & Information Sciences

ASSESSMENT BRIEF
Module Title:	Research Methods and Project Management
Module Code:	KF7028
Academic Year / Semester:	Semester One, 2022-23
Module Tutor / Email (all queries):	Becky Strachan Email: [email protected]
% Weighting (to overall module):	80%
Assessment Title:	Assignment One: MSc Research Project Proposal
Date of Handout to Students:	Week commencing 26/09/2022
Mechanism for Handout:	The assessment specification and criteria, together with other supporting resources are provided to you on your eLearning Portal (Blackboard) module site for KF7028. An overview of the assignment will be provided in the face to face taught sessions during Week one of the semester, w/c 26/09/2022
Deadline for Attempt Submission by Students:	Thursday 15th December 2022
Mechanism for Submission:	Your assignment should be submitted online via Turnitin through your KF7028 module site.
Submission Format / Word Count	You should upload your assignment in either word or pdf format to the appropriate assessment area on the KF7028 Blackboard module site. The length of your written proposal should be in the range 2800-3000 words including references.
Date by which Work, Feedback and Marks will be returned:	Draft feedback and marks will be returned to you by Thursday January 19th 2023. Final marks will only be formally confirmed at the award board.
Mechanism for return of Feedback and Marks:	Your draft marks and feedback will be provided online via the main Blackboard module site. Your supervisor and/or module tutors can be contacted with any queries relating to your formal feedback.

Learning Outcomes

The following learning outcomes (LOs) are addressed by this assignment:

Knowledge & Understanding:

LO1: Deploy comprehensive knowledge and understanding of appropriate techniques and tools to plan, research and manage a computing technical project

Intellectual / Professional Skills & Abilities:

LO2: Systematically identify and analyse a complex computing problem and produce a project proposal to solve it, considering professional, ethical, social and legal issues

LO3: Appreciate and apply appropriate techniques, tools and knowledge to support

effective project management, research and advanced scholarship

Personal Values Attributes:

LO4: Demonstrate independent research and enquiry skills at an appropriately advance level in the construction of a computing project proposal

Assignment Brief

Introduction

The main focus of this assignment is to produce a proposal for a research project at Masters level appropriate to your programme of study. This proposal is the foundation for the 60 credit research project that you will undertake as part of the module KF7029 MSc Computer Science and Digital Technologies project. KF7029 usually forms the last module of your Masters programme and you will typically spend one semester for full-time students (and one year for part-time students) undertaking a substantial individual research project.

This assignment is therefore important as:

· It accounts for 80% of the overall mark for KF7028, Research Methods and Project Management module.

· It is essential preparation for your final KF7029 MSc Computer Science and Digital Technologies research project.

Overview

Early on in the semester you will be asked to select a choice of academic supervisors and their related areas of research. From this selection, you will be allocated an academic supervisor and they will provide some individual guidance during the design and development of your research proposal. You will also be allocated a second supervisor. You should meet your academic supervisor usually twice in the semester, one to outline and discuss your main ideas and secondly a few weeks later to review a fuller draft of your research proposal. You will also be able to draw on the resources and tutors from the KF7028 module.

Your proposal will be based on an identified research gap in the current and emerging research and is typically aligned to one of your supervisor’s areas of research expertise.

Structure of your Research Proposal

Your proposal should contain the following elements:

Front Page

This should have the following items:

Module Name: KF7028 – Research and Project Management

Module Tutor: Becky Strachan/Kyle Montague/Marta Cecchinato

Assignment Title: Assignment One: MSc Research Project Proposal

Student Name (first name, surname):

University Student ID:

MSc Programme Title: e.g. MSc Computer Science with Advance Practice

Name of Supervisor:

Name of Second Supervisor:

Proposed Title of your Project

Main Body of Research Project Proposal

The main body of your assignment should comprise the following sections. Word counts are indicative but your overall proposal should not exceed 3000 words including references.

1. Background and Literature Review (500-600 words)

The main part of this should be a short critical review of current and emerging research in the area. It should also include enough wider background information to help the reader understand the context for the research in this area.

2. Rationale for your Research (150-200 words)

This should identify the main research gaps in the current and emerging research and from this outline a clear justification for your own research project. Why is it needed and what will it contribute to the field?

3. Research Aim, Scope and Impact (250-300 words)

Provide the overall aim of your research in one or two sentences. Also outline the scope of your research and what its potential impact is likely to be.

4. SMART Objectives (max 400 words)

Identify a set of 5-8 SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) objectives that will enable you to meet your overall research aim.

5. Research Approach (350 – 450 words)

Outline and justify your overall research approach. Also outline the main research methods and techniques you will employ as part of this approach including an overview of your proposed approach to data management and analysis.

6. Project Plan (1 side of A4)

You should provide a plan showing the timelines for each SMART objective including start and end dates. For each SMART objective, also identify the deliverables from this, any associated subtasks, and the key resources required.

7. Ethics, Risk and Related Issues (600-750 words)

Outline the key ethical considerations for your research project and how you will address them. This should also include consideration of any key risks including health and safety considerations. You should also consider the following issues: Professional, Legal, Social, Security and Sustainability (PLSSS) and outline for each what the main issues are for your research project with justification and how you will address them. Even if you think one or more of these areas are not applicable to your project, you need to justify why this is the case.

8. References (max 1 side of A4)

Include the list of references cited in your main proposal. Use a recognised citation system such as Harvard or British Standard.

2

6

Assessment Criteria and Process

Your assignment will be assessed by your supervisor and second supervisor. You will receive a collated set of marks and feedback via the Blackboard module site.

Assessment Criteria

The assessment will be assessed using the following five criterion areas, equally weighted with 20 marks allocated to each:

A. Critical Literature Review, Background and Rationale (20 marks) B. Research Aim, Objectives, Scope and Impact (20 marks)

C. Research Approach (20 marks) D. Project Plan (20 marks) E. Ethical, Risk and Related Issues (20 marks)

Your research proposal will be assessed using the following criteria:

Marks Range	Assessment Criteria
	A: Lit, b/g & Rationale	B: Aim & Obj, etc	C: Research Approach	D: Project Plan	E: Ethics, Risk &, PLSSS
86-100	Outstanding critical literature review. Perceptive and robust rationale for proposed research project.	Clearly defined and insightful research aim, set of SMART objectives and scope. Strongly justified and articulated impact.	Exceptional outline of research approach – clearly evidenced and fit for purpose.	Robust and thorough project plan linked to the SMART objectives	Ethics, risk & PLSSS are insightful, appropriate, clearly articulated with outstanding justification.
70-85	Excellent critical literature review with strong rationale for proposed research project.	Clearly defined and comprehensive research aim, set of SMART objectives and scope. Excellent impact & rationale.	Excellent outline of research approach – evidenced and fit for purpose	Strong and comprehensive project plan linked to the SMART objectives	Ethics, risk & PLSSS are appropriately defined for the research project with excellent justification.
60-69	Very good literature review with clear rationale for proposed research project.	Clearly defined research aim, set of SMART objectives and scope with good justification/outline of impact.	Clearly defined and argued outline for research approach	Comprehensive project plan linked to the SMART objectives	Ethics, risk & PLSSS are appropriately defined for the research project with good justification.
50-59	Good literature review with some rationale for proposed research project.	Clear research aim and defined set of SMART objectives and scope with outline/justification for main impact.	Research approach is outlined and is generally appropriate with some rationale for its selection.	Generally useful project plan linked to the SMART objectives	Ethics, risk & PLSSS are generally appropriately defined for the research project with some justification.
40-49	Literature review lacks criticality. Rationale for proposed research project is defined but not clearly.	Research aim, SMART objectives and scope defined but lack clarity. Some impact defined with little rationale.	Research approach is outlined but is unclear in places or not sufficiently justified.	Project plan is provided and links to SMART objectives but is too generic or is unclear/inappropriate in a few areas.	Ethics, risk & PLSSS are defined but at least two are not clearly defined and/or lack justification.
20-39	Literature is summarised but not critically reviewed. Weak rationale provided.	Unclear research aim, set of SMART objectives and/or scope. Weak impact with little or no justification.	Research approach is not clearly outlined and lacks rationale for its selection.	Project plan is vague and/or not linked to SMART objectives.	Ethics, risk & PLSSS are defined but at least four of them are not clearly defined and/or lack justification.
0-19	Very weak or absent review of the literature with no or very poor rationale. for proposed research project	Unclear or missing research aim, set of SMART objectives and scope. No or very poor impact provided.	Research approach is missing or is inappropriate with little or no rationale.	Project plan is too vague and missing several elements and/or is not linked to SMART objectives.	Ethics, risk & PLSSS are either missing or the majority are ill-defined with no or little justification.

Additional Important Information

Academic Integrity Statement: You must adhere to the university regulations on academic conduct and use excellent academic practice throughout. Formal inquiry proceedings will be instigated if there is any suspicion of plagiarism or any other form of misconduct in your work. Refer to the University’s Academic Regulations for Taught Awards if you are unclear as to the meaning of these terms. The latest copy is available on the University website.

https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/university-services/academic-registry/quality-and-teaching-excellence/assessment/guidance-for-students/

Failure to submit: The University requires all students to submit assessed coursework by the deadline stated in the assessment brief. Where coursework is submitted without approval after the published hand-in deadline, penalties will be applied as defined in the University Policy on the Late Submission of Work and Extension Requests, available on the University website also at https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/university-services/academic-registry/quality-and-teaching-excellence/assessment/guidance-for-students/