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The main aim of an MSc dissertation project is for a student to develop and demonstrate autonomy in the management and development of realistic projects in computer science, either research or application oriented. Although new technical skills may be acquired, this is not the main aim. At the end of the project a student should have demonstrated the ability to initiate, plan, manage and deliver a complete IT project for a customer or research supervisor. The delivery of the project will include giving interim presentations describing important stages of the project, and a final dissertation describing the project as a whole. Level M Projects are not necessarily expected to involve original research in the sense of making new scientific discoveries. However, at level M there should be some degree of scholarly added value attached to the project (not in the sense of "what new subject a student may have learned from undertaking the project", but "what contribution the p
roject makes to the knowledge of others") regardless of whether the project is a practical one or a research oriented one. MSc projects are not required to be fully-fledged research projects in their own right; but should add some seed of original thinking, innovative approach, interesting or beneficial contribution to the existing body of knowledge. The aim is not necessarily "to do something that has never been done before", but to present a new "angle" or "view point" on something that has been done before. For example: The critical comparison of some complimentary recent innovations. The extension or adaptation of some recent innovation so that it becomes in some sense better, e.g. faster, more accurate, requires less storage etc. The application of some recent innovation to a generic application area where it has not yet been applied. The combination/concatenation of some recent innovations in a novel manner not previous
ly recorded in the literature. Whatever the case, the key characteristics of the work carried out should be: Originality: Originality in the application of knowledge, togetherwith a practical application of techniques of research and enquiry. Generalization: Even when the project has a very specific target, students should address it in a way, which will make the resultspotentially applicable in a broader context. Critical evaluation: Design decisions made by students in the courseof the project should be made in the context of a critical examination ofalternatives, and the students should subject their results and conclusions to the same rigorous analysis. All projects should contain the following elements: research, design, realisation and evaluation. Particular projects are allocated on an individual basis.
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