Individual Study 1 and 2

Overview

These are the web pages for the Individual Study modules. The number in the name of the module is to do with the level, NOT the semester. An individual study module may be taken in EITHER SEMESTER.

Individual Study 1 is for:

  • Undergraduates at Level 3 (whether in 3-year programmes or in 4-year programmes).
  • Master's students wishing to make up credits in options below Level 4.

Individual Study 2 is for:

  • Master's students desiring modules at Level 4.
  • Undergraduates at Level 4 (necessarily in MEng or MSci programmes).

Choosing the Module, and a Special Permission Form

As well as selecting the module in the same way as you select other optional modules, you need to fill out THE SPECIAL PERMISSION FORM for the module. Both you and the Module Coordinator must sign this once your Supervisor has agreed to supervise you on a mutually acceptable topic (see below). YOUR REGISTRATION FOR THE MODULE IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL YOU HAVE PROPERLY DEALT WITH THE FORM.

Module Coordinator

Shan He
Room UG36
Email s.he@cs.bham.ac.uk
Homepage http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~szh

Please come to my office hours (Thursday 4-5pm) to ask questions or make comments. If you cannot manage the assigned times for some important reason, please contact me to arrange an appointment.

What You Do in the Module

Please make sure you have read and FULLY UNDERSTAND the Outline, Aims and Learning Outcomes in the Syllabus Page for the relevant module (Individual Study 1 or Individual Study 2).

Notice the strong role of your Supervisor for the module. They are the person who will guide you in your work, not the Module Coordinator. The Coordinator's function (unless of course they happen to be your Supervisor) is largely administrative, though also having a hand in the assignment of marks.

The reason for the restriction of the module to "particularly strong students" (see Outline in Syllabus Page) is because the study will be at your own initiative, both in terms of sorting out the topic in conjunction with staff (see below) and in terms of the management of the study process itself.

Some particular points:

  • Unlike the case of the final-year Software Project module, Individual Study does NOT normally involve the creation of software. However, it MAY do so, in special cases, if your Supervisor thinks this is beneficial for serving the Aims and Learning Outcomes of the module.

  • It may also involve trying out existing software pacakages created by other people, though again this is relatively unusual.

  • The module is not designed for just learning a programming language or some other software tool. However, your study could be to critically examine the principles, advantages, disadvantages, etc. of one or more programming languages, tools, etc.


The main task in your study is to be CRITICAL in the "critique-like" sense of teasing out the (relative) advantages and disadvantages of any systems, theories or whatever that you look at, seeing whether they are WELL-CONCEIVED, delving into what their REAL UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES are, and so forth.


Finding a Topic and Supervisor

The module is for people who have some enthusiasm to study some area OF THEIR OWN CHOICE (and that is not covered by the ordinary taught modules available for you to take at Level 3/H in your degree programme). DO NOT come to the Module Coordinator or go to a possible Supervisor with a request for THEM to suggest an area to you.

Moreover, it's best if you have some specific topic, or set of possible specific topics, in mind, not just a broad area.

Once you have an idea of at least a broad area and hopefully also some specific topics within it, try to determine which members of staff might be appropriate as a Supervisor, by looking at their webpages if necessary. You are welcome to ask the Module Coordinator (Nick Hawes now) for suggestions about whom to approach.

It is for you to approach particular members of staff as potential Supervisors. You will probably need to negotiate with one or more of them the exact topic of your study. For instance, they may disagree with you about whether what you've suggested is at the right level of ambition.

Assessment

There is no examination, so assessment is entirely "continuous". You have to write a report (60% of the mark) and give a presentation (40%).

The Report

The report will be due by a date towards the end of the semester in which you are doing the Individual Study. Late submissions will be penalised using the University's standard approach of a 5% reduction per working day.

The exact form of and length constraints for the report depend very much on the topic of your Individual Study, and therefore can only be defined by your Supervisor (in consultation with the Module Coordinator if necessary). As a guide, the report should be at least 3000 and at most 6000 words long (excluding references, figures, tables, etc.).

For matters such as good citation and bibliographic practices, proceed as for project dissertations in the final-year Software Project module.

As regards handing the report in:

Please submit two printed copies, one with a cover sheet attached (the one for NON-anonymous work). Submit them at Reception.

  • Make sure the cover sheet clearly specifies your supervisor as well as me as module coordinator.
  • On the copy with a cover sheet, write "THIS COPY TO SUPERVISOR" (or within this put the supervisor name instead of the word SUPERVISOR).
  • On the other copy, write "THIS COPY TO NICK HAWES".

Make sure to include your name and ID on the front page of the report itself. I'd be grateful also if you could put the following on the front page:

"Individual Study 1" or "Individual Study 2" as appropriate.
the current academic year (e.g. 2013/14)
"Semester 1" or "Semester 2" as appropriate.

so that I don't have to write this on for my own purposes.

The Presentation

This will take place at a time that will be announced. The intention is for it to lie within the final week of Term 1. You will attend the presentation of all of the other students taking an individual study. Failure to give a presentation will result in a mark of 0 for this part of the module.

You will give the presentation to a small audience that will normally include your Supervisor, the Module Coordinator, some other Individual Study students, and possibly other members of staff.

The presentation will consist of a talk by you lasting 20 minutes followed by 5 minutes of question time.

There is no particular requirement concerning the form of, or media used in, the presentation. Presentations can range from ones with fancy animated graphics to ones not involving any audiovisual aids at all.

Marking Schemes

You can get an idea of what we are looking for in the presentation and report by looking at the following marksheets:

Individual Study 1 marksheets: report, presentation

Individual Study 2 marksheets: report, presentation