Postgraduate Course: Masters Dissertation (Design Informatics) (INFR11097)
Course Outline
School | School of Informatics |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
Course type | Dissertation |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 60 |
Home subject area | Informatics |
Other subject area | None |
Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
Course description | The goal of this course is to make something new, that makes work, care or play better, by designing with data. The dissertation reports an in depth investigation of a significant problem in Design Informatics, according to sound scientific, engineering and design principles.
|
Course Delivery Information
|
Delivery period: 2013/14 Flexible, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Learn enabled: No |
Quota: None |
|
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
Course Start Date |
05/08/2013 |
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
600
(
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 40,
Summative Assessment Hours 548,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
0 )
|
Additional Notes |
|
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this course should be able to:
1 - Structure and summarise a body of knowledge relating to a substantial project topic in Design Informatics.
2 - Critically evaluate previous work in the area.
3 - Conduct a programme of work in further investigation of issues related to the topic.
4 - Discuss and solve conceptual problems which arise during the investigation.
5 - Justify design decisions made during the investigation.
6 - Critically evaluate the investigation.
7 - Present their work, with demonstration of working products or services where appropriate. |
Assessment Information
Assessment 100%
The project is assessed on the basis of a written dissertation which should typically contain:
- Title page with abstract (a one or two paragraph summary of the contents).
- Introduction: background, previous work, exposition of relevant literature, setting of the work in the proper context.
- Description of the work undertaken: this may be divided into chapters describing the conceptual design work and the actual implementation separately. Any problems or difficulties and the suggested solutions should be mentioned. Alternative solutions and their evaluation should also be included. A focus on the associated product or service is expected.
- Analysis: results and their critical analysis should be reported, whether the results conform to expectations or otherwise and how they compare with other related work.
- Conclusion: concluding remarks and observations, unsolved problems, suggestions for further work.
- Bibliography.
Students may be required by their project markers to demonstrate any system that arose from the project. If the project¿s focus is the production of an artefact of some kind, then evaluation of that artefact supports the evaluation of the dissertation. |
Special Arrangements
None |
Additional Information
Academic description |
This is a major piece of full-time independent work which occupies the final months of the MSc course. If taken as part of a one-year masters, it accounts for all of a student¿s time following their course exams. If taken as part of a two-year masters, it accounts for 1/3 of student time during Semester 1 of Year 2, and 2/3 of student time in Semester 2 of Year 2. It allows students to demonstrate their ability to organise and carry out a substantial investigation into a problem in Design Informatics, according to sound scientific, engineering and design principles. The project involves both the application of skills learnt in the past and the acquisition of new skills. The project often involves the construction of an artefact, whether software, hardware, a robotic device, some other artefact incorporating computation, or some combination of these.
The types of activity involved in each project vary but include most of the following:
- Researching the literature and gathering background information.
- Analysing requirements, comparing alternatives and specifying a solution.
- Analysing and exploiting relevant theory in novel ways.
- Designing and implementing the solution.
- Experimenting with and evaluating the solution.
- Exploring the solution as part of a product or service.
- Discussing existing results and presenting new research.
- Developing written and oral presentation skills.
The project is conducted individually by the student under the supervision of a member of teaching staff. Students are formed into groups for the purpose of Review Meetings. |
Syllabus |
Project dependent.
|
Transferable skills |
Not entered |
Reading list |
Project dependent. Initial readings are provided by teachers; students are expected to supplement these lists themselves. |
Study Abroad |
Not entered |
Study Pattern |
Lectures 0
Tutorials 0
Timetabled Laboratories 0
Non-timetabled assessed assignments 0
Private Study/Other 600
Total 600
|
Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Bjoern Franke
Tel: (0131 6)51 7175
Email: b.franke@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Katey Lee
Tel: (0131 6)50 2701
Email: Katey.Lee@ed.ac.uk |
|
© Copyright 2013 The University of Edinburgh - 13 January 2014 4:28 am
|