COM9360 - MSC PROJECT

Module Identifier

COM9360

Module Title

MSC PROJECT

Academic Year

2005/2006

Co-ordinator

Mr Christopher W Loftus

Semester

Available all semesters

Pre-Requisite

Available only to students taking the Diploma/MSc in Internet and Distributed Systems (Advanced) scheme., Successful completion of Part One; see regulations.

Course delivery

Workload Breakdown

600 hours of private study and assessment.

Assessment

Assessment Type	Assessment Length/Details	Proportion
Semester Assessment	Dissertation	100%
Supplementary Assessment	Resubmission under University Regulations

Further details

http://www.aber.ac.uk/compsci/ModuleInfo/COM9360

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. identify and document user requirements for a distributed system in a specific context.

2. use the professional and academic literature to survey possible approaches to the construction of a specific distributed system and select the most suitable.

3. develop a substantial piece of distributed software to meet identified requirements.

4. design and carry out a set of validation, verification and testing activities to demonstrate that the software produced does indeed meet the identified requirements.

5. critically reflect on the choice of techniques and the manner of their use, in the light of the experience gained from developing the software.

6. identify weaknesses and lacunae in the available techniques.

7. document all of the above to a professional standard.

Aims

This module forms a core part of the new Internet and Distributed Systems (Advanced) MSc. Within this module students complete their MSc project and associated dissertation. The project must be on a topic related to distribution and/or the Internet.

Brief description

The purpose of the project, on which the dissertation is based, is to demonstrate that the student has acquired the ability to undertake and satisfactorily complete a major piece of work in computing and research in the field of Internet and distributed systems.

Content

The aim of the MSc project is to demonstrate that students can:

bring together the knowledge acquired from the various modules in the programme and apply it to a major task;
use the professional and academic literature to extend their knowledge to meet the challenges of the project;
critically evaluate other people's work and their own.

Module Skills

Problem_solving	Significant problem solving is required to complete the project.
Research skills	Students are required to read relevant academic and other materials during the progress of the project. An element of original research is required.
Communication	No.
Improving own Learning and Performance	A considerable amount of self-motivation and discipline is required to complete the project and dissertation.
Team work	No.
Information Technology	Entire content of module.
Application of Number	Depends on the project topic.
Personal Development and Career planning	No.
Subject Specific Skills	See learning outcomes.

Reading Lists

Books
** Recommended Background
J A Sharp and K Howard (1996) The Management of a Student Research Project. 2nd. Gower,Aldershot 056607706X

Articles
** Recommended Text
Frank Bott (1999) MSc in Computer Science: Guidelines for Projects and Dissertations. Computer Science Dept, UWA

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7