What are computing Projects

1
What are computing Projects?
2
Aims and Objectives

• Aim introduce academic computing projects
• Objectives
• discuss meaning of research
• discuss meaning of projects and the different
  types of academic computing projects

3
What is research?

• It is an original investigation undertaken in
  order to gain knowledge and understanding

4
WHAT IS RESEARCH?
Methodology
Systematic investigation into study of
materials, sources, etc in order to establish new
facts and reach new conclusion
Endeavour to discover new or collate old facts
etc, by scientific study of a subject or by a
course of critical investigation
Original Contribution to knowledge
5
WHAT IS IN RESEARCH?
Something important is to be found out, revealed
or discovered this task is to be approached in
a SCHOLARLY fashion
The results of investigation must be communicated
to the wider community of interested parties
6
Originality

• Can be original in 2 ways
• Doing something someone has done before but using
  a different technique or approach
• Producing or developing something that has not
  been produced before
• Outcome
• A new product, a new theory or a new method

7
Gain

• Research should lead to a contribution to
  knowledge
• Learning something new for yourself and
  disseminate this knowledge to others

8
Knowledge

• It is your personal interpretation of what you
  gain from information as rules, patterns,
  decisions, models, ideas and so on.
• It represents the results of experience organized
  and stored inside each individuals own mind

9
CONTEXT OF CONTRIBUTION TO KNOWLEDGE IN ACADEMIC
RESEARCH
Undiscovered body of knowledge
Current boundary of world knowledge
Undergraduate project
Research discoveries /invention
Contraction of world knowledge / loss of certain
skills
Postgraduate project (contributing to world
knowledge)
Source Dawson (2000) in The Essence of
Computing Projects A Students Guide
10
CLASSIFYNG RESEARCH
APPROACH
FIELD
Represent the research method employed as part of
the research process
Information Systems Human Computer Interaction .
NATURE
Level 1 Pure theoretical development Level 2
Review and assess pure theory and evaluate for
potential of application Level 3 Applied
research that has some practical
application/outcome
11
SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• Scientific research
• Basic concerned primarily with description and
  explanation
• Applied focused on prediction and control
• Empirical science
• Empirical observations to obtain factual
  information using deductive work to synthesize
  the observations into law
• Principles of empirical science
• Empirical verification (testability)
• Require actual fact
• Require to be told how the facts were obtained
• Require to be explicitly told the reasoning of
  the conclusion
• Operational definition
• Controlled observations

12
SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• Characteristics of research which uses scientific
  method
• It is generated by a question
• It necessitates clarification of a goal
• It entails a specific programme of work
• It is aimed at increasing understanding by
  interpreting facts or ideas reaching some
  conclusions about their meaning
• It requires reasoned argument to support
  conclusion
• It is reiterative in its activities

13
INTENDED KNOWLEDGE OUTCOME

• Analyze, synthesis information, evaluate
• Think critically
• Think creatively
• Undertake research appropriate to level and
  subject area
• Present written and oral arguments in a clear and
  cogent manner
• Identify issues
• Assimilate, evaluate and analyze information as a
  result of independent or group research
  Formulate a practical solution to a problem,
  making effective use of time and resources
  available
• Manage personal learning
• Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability
• Exhibit self-discipline and perseverance
• Demonstrate self-motivation and initiative
• Exercise sound judgment

14
INTENDED SKILLS OUTCOMES

• Intellectual skills
• Communication skills
• Problem solving skills
• Personal skills for lifelong learning
• Research skills
• Written Communication
• Problem Solving
• Interpersonal Communication
• Initiative
• Oral Presentation
• Adaptability
• Planning and Organization
• Computer Literacy

15
EXAMPLE OF INTENDED OUTCOMES
16
What are projects?

• It is something which has a beginning and an end.
• The desirable situation represents some form of
  contribution to knowledge (contribution here
  implies the uniqueness of the project and the
  novelty of its outcomes)

17
Difference between academic projects and
industrial projects

• Academic projects
• should provide evidence of a much deeper
  understanding of what you are doing
• they require some form of justification
• you are expected to develop your own thoughts,
  arguments, ideas and concepts, and look at things
  in a new way or from new angle
• you are expected to think

18
Types of computing projects

• Research-based project
• Development project
• Evaluation project
• Industry-based project
• Problem-solving

19
Research-based project

• It involves a thorough investigation of a
  particular area, improving your understanding of
  that area, identifying strengths and weaknesses
  within the field and acknowledging areas suitable
  for further development and investigation

20
Development project

• It includes the development of not only software
  and hardware systems, but also of process models,
  methods and algorithms.
• It requires evaluation, requirements
  documentation, designs and analyses and fully
  documented test results along with user manuals
• Include critical evaluation of the product and
  the development process used

21
Evaluation project

• It may involve an evaluation of
• several approaches to a particular problem
• two or more programming languages
• implementation process within a particular
  industry
• different user interface
• particular concept

22
Industry-based project

• It involves solving a problem within an
  organization
• But care must be taken to make sure that academic
  requirements are satisfied

23
Problem-solving

• It involves the development of a new technique to
  solve a problem or might involve improving the
  efficiency of existing approaches
• It might also involve the application of an
  existing problem solving technique to a new area
• Some form of evaluation would be expected

24
Discussion for next tutorial

• Identify research field, approach and nature
• Identify type of project