IFN705 Project 1

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

This unit enables you to carry out a research based project by applying an accepted method that leads to the testing of knowledge claims or the generation of new knowledge or theory in a specific domain of knowledge or context. The project addresses a research question or a practical problem through the application of IT theories, tools and techniques. It allows you to apply the knowledge of the research skills and practices used to undertake specific research activities. It provides an opportunity to individualise your studies by concentrating on a specific problem domain.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Perform literature review to gather and analyse the state-of-art knowledge and practices in a specific area of research
2. Demonstrate advanced problem solving, analysis and design skills through a research project in an IT-related context.
3. Apply advanced knowledge and skills in the project
4. Apply research methodology and skills and project management skills based on advanced or specialised units.
5. Demonstrate advanced skills in technical writing, documentation and presentation of technical content.
6. Manage your project using an approved project management method such as Scrum, Agile or waterfall approach.

Content

Learning Approaches

You are required to plan and execute a substantive research-based project as part of your masters degree. This project is to be individually progressed, although you may be working in a research program, where other students are completing other parts of the program.

You may propose your own research-based project, but it is your responsibility to have negotiated the appointment of an academic supervisor for your project by the end of Orientation Week.

Staff and industry partners have proposed research-based projects for your consideration. All such projects are located on In-place. You must register for consideration for such a project no later than Orientation Week as selection panels will take place in week 1 of the semester. You must register and be accepted in a project by the end of the first week of the semester.

You are required to register your project topic and to sign the IFN705 project unit study agreement with your academic supervisor (s) by the end of Week 1.

By the end of week 1, you will have been accepted and registered your assigned project. In week 2, you will then develop a more detailed project overview and project proposal. This proposal will be pitched and formatively assessed in week 3 of the semester and your project plan will be submitted for summative assessment Monday Week 4.

You will meet weekly with your project coordinator and with your academic supervisor no less frequently than every two weeks. Your effectiveness of project progression are assessed in each meeting, both in terms of project management (being on time and advancing the project deliverables) as well as the quality of each product increment delivered in your project plan.

You will be guided in this research project by the QUT academic supervisor(s), who may engage an industry professional if the project is performed in an industry site within Australia. There will be regular meetings with your supervisor(s), where you will report on what you have completed since your last meeting. This is to assure that you progress in the expected manner and will be an opportunity to discuss any problems you may have encountered. Feedback and further actions and recommendations will be provided to you during these regular meetings.

You are expected to attend the project workshops organised for this unit by the unit coordinator during the semester.
You must attend the oral presentation organised by the unit coordinator or the moderator of the unit.

The project will be completed as individual efforts. Multiple individuals may be working on the same project topic set by the supervisor. Each individual may either focus on certain component of the project, or work on the whole project independently. In both cases, each individual must write own project plan and report separately and will be assessed individually. There may be a demonstration required of any functioning product that you have developed in this project. For those industry sponsored projects requiring a Non-disclosure agreement, then the student, the academic supervisor and the moderator must sign the non-disclosure agreement.

PLEASE NOTE
It is your responsibility to ensure that an academic staff member is willing to be your supervisor before enrolling in this unit. All project activities must be carried out within Australia and guided by a QUT academic supervisor. If your project activities are associated with other WIL programs, the learning outcomes of this unit must be fully retained and the project must be assessed under this unit.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

There will be regular meetings with your supervisor, where you'll report on what you have completed since your last meeting. This will be an opportunity to discuss any problems you may have encountered. Your supervisor should give feedback on your progress at the regular meetings or through email throughout the semester.

You can obtain feedback on your project plan, and oral presentation and reports from the moderators and supervisor who mark your works.

Assessment

Overview

All projects will be assessed according to the same set of assessment items specified below, regardless of university-based or industry-based projects. You are expected to pitch your detailed project proposal in week 3. This pitch will be to academic supervisors, project coordinators and to industry sponsors (if involved). Any project subject to an NDA will be pitched in separate sessions with attendees all having signed the NDA.

In particular, you must produce a project plan, project report and make oral presentation. Work Logs or Diaries, software codes (if applicable) and Working Papers (e.g., analysis) can be attached as appendix to the final reports.

If undertaking software development projects, you should also expect to produce Specification Manuals, User Manuals and Verification of System Testing, and attached software codes in an appendix. In the case you are doing an industry-based project, you may present your project outcomes at the industry site but must involve your academic supervisor. All project documentations of the industry project must be available for assessment by the moderator and the unit coordinator.

The project plan will be marked by an appointed moderator of the unit. Your presentation and report are assessed by an academic panel of at least 2 staff members, including an appointed moderator and the academic supervisor. Project plan and presentation assessments are based on common criteria sheets. Project reports are assessed against the criteria sheets related to the selected project type. Industry-based research projects will be assessed by the academic supervisor and the appointed moderator as well, considering industry partner feedbacks in terms of satisfaction of project deliverables.

This unit is designed to cater for your needs and interests and as such your achievement is determined ultimately by your own initiative and effort. Note that your project must be based on an advanced or specialised unit which are coded '600' in your masters program.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Professional Plans

Project Plan
Written research plan providing a description of the background, aim, significance, expected deliverables and development schedule of the project. In week 3, you will pitch your project concept in week 3, in order to obtain redirection or required to undertake further work. This pitch is formative assessment, providing feedback for your final project plan report.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Presentation (Oral or Group)

Final Presentation
Oral presentation about the project and its outcomes, including a demonstration of the project products.

Assessment: Report

Final Project Report
Written project report providing a detailed description of the project and its outcomes. Project specific appendices to the report may be specified by your project supervisor. Any project resulting in functioning products must also include review of the product's functionality and the degree of functional achievement against the original project deliverable set.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Risk Assessment Statement

Project work can sometimes involve site visits to commercial or industrial premises. When you visit such premises, you are responsible for acquainting yourself with any Health and Safety policies and procedures applicable to visitors (e.g. wearing of protective clothing such as hard hats, safety glasses, etc), and for observing those procedures. You are also responsible for notifying workplace supervisors of any health condition you have (e.g. asthma) which may place you at risk in some commercial or industrial situations.