MN691 Research Methods and Project Design Assignment Help

Assessment Details and Submission Guidelines
Trimester	T2 2024
Unit Code	MN691
Unit Title	Research Methods and Project Design
Assessment Type	Individual and Group Work
Assessment Title	This document provides a detailed overview of all assessments and their corresponding marking guides.
Purpose of the assessment (with ULO Mapping)	At the completion of these assessments, students will be able to: a. Develop and apply research methods and analytical, technical, managerial, and time-management skills to the analysis and design of a capstone project. b. Identify and evaluate project management concepts and apply them to a realistic business problem. c. Research, adapt and apply the knowledge and skills acquired over the core units to plan a substantial capstone project. d. Demonstrate effective communication skills in relation to client, ethical and professional behavior. e. Work effectively and efficiently in a team, and exercise coordination within a team.
Weight	100%
Total Marks	100
Word limit	N/A
Due Date	As per Unit Descriptions Assessment Section
Submission Guidelines	∙ All work must be submitted on Moodle by the due date along with a completed Assignment Cover Page. ∙ The assignment must be in MS Word format, 1.5 spacing, 11-pt Calibri (Body) font and 2 cm margins on all four sides of your page with appropriate section headings. ∙ Reference sources must be cited in the text of the report and listed. appropriately at the end in a reference list using IEEE Transactions on Networking referencing style.
Extension	If an extension of time to submit work is required, a Special Consideration Application must be submitted directly to AMS. You must submit this application three working days prior to the due date of the assignment. Further information is available at:
Academic Misconduct	Academic Misconduct is a serious offense. Depending on the seriousness of the case, penalties can vary from a written warning orzero marks to exclusion from the course or rescinding the degree. Students should make themselves familiar with the full policy and procedure available at:. For further information, please refer to the Academic Integrity Section in your Unit Description.

Use of Generative

Artificial

Intelligence

(Gen AI) in Assessments

More information about the use of Gen AI in student assessment can be found in the full policy and procedure available at

Further support can be found in the MIT Lib Guide: Using Gen AI at MIT. Further details on the type of assessment tasks, and whether Gen AI is permitted to be used or not are provided in the assessment brief.

All Assessments will be marked by both project supervisor and unit lecturer.

Assessment Task	Due Date	Weightage (%)	Learning Outcomes Assessed
Assignment 1 Literature review – Individual report	Week 3	5	a
Assignment 2 Group report: Project requirements analysis and specification* and Individual report	Week 5	15	a
Assignment 3 Group report: Project plan and preliminary design* and Individual report	Week 9	30	b
Assignment 4 Group report: A report on research undertaken for project planning, and research methods to be used for the next stage of the project* and Individual report	Week 11	40	a-c, e
Assignment 5 Group presentations	Week 5 to 10	10	d
TOTALS		100

*Within a group task, a number of subtasks will be assigned to individuals in consultation with the project supervisor. This, along with the peer-evaluation of individual contributions to the project will be used to assess individual student contribution.

Assignment Description

MN691 Research Methods and Project Design Marking Guideline

Assignment Submission and Marks:

∙ Assignments 2, 3 and 4 are group submissions and need to be submitted as group work. ∙ Submission of self-evaluation (i.e., reflective journal) and peer-evaluation is individual student responsibility.

∙ The marks shown for Assignments 2, 3 and 4 are calculated as the overall group marks multiplied by individual student’s marks.

∙ The individual student’s marks will be based on criteria such as individual’s participation and contribution, in class participation, self and peer-evaluation. Please see Table below for breakdown of marks.

In Week 5

(for weeks 1- 4)

Participation and Contribution / 8 Marks

Self and Peer-Evaluation Report / 4 Marks

In week 9

(for weeks 5- 8)

Participation and Contribution / 8 Marks

Self and Peer-Evaluation Report / 4 Marks

In week 11

(for weeks 9-11)

Participation and Contribution / 6 Marks

Self and Peer-Evaluation Report / 3 Marks

Individual marks will be calculated for each assignment as follows: For example: Group 1 Assignment-2 group report marks = 16/20

Individual marks based on Participation and Contribution, as well as self and peer evaluation:

Member 1 = 10/12

Member 2 = 12/12

Member 3 = 07/12

Member 4 = 00/12

Total marks for each member for Assignment 2:

Member 1 = 10/12 X 16 = 13.3 / 20

Member 2 = 12/12 X 16 = 16.0 / 20

Member 3 = 07/12 X 16 = 09.3 / 20

Member 4 = 00/12 X 16 = 00.0/ 20

Assignment Specifications

In all MN691 assignments, GENERATIVE AI USE IS PROHIBITED.

Assignment 1: Individual Report Literature Review

Due Date: Week 3 Sunday

Sections	Description	Max Marks
Literature Review	Is the summary of the literature review clear, specific and does it capture the essence of the literature review being conducted? [Each student should refer to a minimum of 2 sources (one peer reviewed journal papers & one peer reviewed conference papers)].	3
References	Follow IEEE reference style	1
Standard code of conduct	Fill the form and attach at the end of the file with your signature.	1
	Total Marks	5

Assignment-2: Group Report – Project Requirements Analysis and Specification

Due Date: Week 5 Sunday

Sections	Description	Max Marks
1. Introduction	Is The topic introduced appropriately, and is there a clear overview of what will be discussed in the report?	1
2. Problem domain and research questions	∙Has the student identified a research problem and described it clearly? ∙ Are the research questions relevant to the problem being studied?	1
3. Background and Project Objective	Clear aim and objectives of the project. ∙Has the student conducted an in-depth literature review on the chosen topic (please check for quality of the papers, variety of research sources including journals and conference publications)? ∙ Is the summary of the literature review clear, specific and does it capture the essence of the literature review being conducted? Does the summary of all papers reviewed conform to guidelines provided in Appendix II: Literature Review Summary? [Each student should refer to a minimum of 6 sources, including 2 literature reviews from assignment 1 (total of three peer reviewed journal papers & three peer reviewed conference papers)]. ∙Does this section clearly specify objectives of the research project in a clear and concise manner?	1 6 1
4. Project Requirements Analysis and Specification	∙Does this section include details about requirements specifications? ∙Does it include a list of project requirements: Are there clear project requirements such as hardware, software, etc?	1 1
References	Are citations and references accurately formatted in accordance with the IEEE Transactions on Networking style?	3
Appendix I	Does the report have Client Details with contact name’s signature and project proposal?	Hurdle
	Total Marks	15

Assignment 2 Individual Report

Due Date: Week 5 Sunday

Individual Marks	Participation and contribution (Weeks 1-4): Participation will be used from common class and supervisor meetings; contribution marks will be awarded by project supervisors.	8
Individual Marks	SparkPlus Report Weeks 1-4.	4
	Total Marks	12

Assignment 1 total marks for each member are calculated based on the overall group marks and the individual marks for Weeks 1

Assignment-3: Group Report – Project Plan and Preliminary Design

Due Date: Week 9 Sunday

Sections	Description	Max Marks
Comments Updates	Summary of the updates based on Assignment 2 feedback or comments provided by supervisor or unit lecturer in Appendix III.	4
5. Project Plan and Preliminary Design	∙ Table of weekly activities. ∙Detailed description of roles and responsibilities of each team member. ∙Gantt chart appropriate to the project. ∙High Level Project Design with diagram ∙ Project Individual Design Approaches: Project with block diagrams step by step (you can use UML/Use cases/flow charts). Negative marks will be given for inclusion of any software engineering or project management methodologies such as waterfall, agile, scrum, SDLC etc. Design approaches should include technical specifics, such as technique, technology, algorithms, etc. ∙ Budget with references (detailed budget with specifications) – include hardware, software, human resources, etc.	2 2 3 4 12 3
	Total Marks	30

Assignment 3: Individual Report

Due Date: Week 9 Sunday

Individual Marks

Participation and contribution (Weeks 5-8): Participation will be used from common class and supervisor meetings; contribution marks will be awarded by project supervisors.

∙ SparkPlus Report (Weeks 5-8)

∙ Should include evidence of industry exposure for a duration of 2 hours.

Total Marks

Assignment 3 total marks for each member are calculated based on the overall group marks and the individual marks for Week 5

Research Methods and Project Design

Assignment 4: Group Submission – Final report

Due Date: Week 11 Sunday

The final report should include Assignments 2 and 3 reports, updated based on supervisor feedback, the marks for the additional sections are given below.

Sections	Description	Max Marks
Comments updates	∙Appendix IV: Summary of the updates to Assignment-3 based on the feedback and comments provided by the supervisors and unit lecturer.	4
6. Research methods to be used for the next stage of the project	∙ Roles and responsibilities of each team member in MN692 of the capstone project. ∙ Research methods to be used for MN692 (include detailed plan for implementation with specific technique, technology, software, applications, hardware, and other resources). ∙ Prototype of the project (initial implementation or layout of the expected outcome of MN692).	4 5 10
7. Conclusion Limitations and Future work	∙ Conclusion. ∙ Clear and concise limitations to the implementation plan for MN692. ∙ Future work.	7
Report Format	∙ Final report format.	4
Appendix V	∙Mapping ACS CBOK elements to the project description and clear justification.	2
Appendix VI	∙Weekly logbook (Weeks 1-10).	4
	Total Marks	40

Assignment 4: Individual Report

Due Date: Week 11 Sunday

Individual Marks	Participation and contribution (Weeks 9-11): Participation will be used from common class and supervisor meetings; contribution marks will be awarded by project supervisors.	6
	SparkPlus Report (Weeks 9-11)	3
	Total Marks	9

Assignment 4 total marks for each member is calculated based on individual marks for Weeks 9

Assignment 5: Group Presentation

Due Dates: Week 5 to Week 10

	Description	Max Marks
Group Presentation	Oral presentation and submission of related ppt file to Moodle during tutorial class	4
Video recording – 2 min	Submission due is week 10	3
Poster submission	Submission due is week 10	3
	Total Marks	10

Individual Report Template

Record of Participation, Self (Reflective Journal) and Peer-Evaluation Report Due week 5, 9 and 11

a. Include a screenshot of your AMS attendance. Participation and contribution marks will be provided by your supervisor.

b. Spark Plus: Include screenshot of Spark Plus including comments provided.

Individual Report 2 for Assignment 2 should include reflective journals on industry professional workshops. Students who could not attend industry professional workshops at MIT should include a report on 2 hours equivalent of professional exposure.

Examples of professional exposure

1. Practical exposure in an environment outside the teaching establishment

2. Guest lectures of industry visits and inspection

3. Interviewing IT professionals

4. Being mentored by a professional

5. Direct industry input of data and advice to problem solving projects and evaluation tasks.

Examples	Evidence of Activity
Practical exposure in an environment outside the teaching establishment such as Industry placements (paid or unpaid).	Work exposure letter from employer, students’ reflective journal.
Guest lecturers.	Record of guest lecturer, seminar leader presentation, students’ reflective journal and e-portfolio.
Use of industry visits and inspection.	Letter from employer, students’ reflective journal.
Industry contacts/visit for feasibility studies Examples: contact supplier, industry professional to gather data or requirements.	Letter from employer, students’ reflective journal.
Seminars presented by industry professionals.	Evidence: flyers distributed to students advertising seminars; letters to quest speakers; reflective journal and e-portfolio.
Being mentored by a professional.	Student records of mentor meetings in e-log.
Direct industry input of data and advice to problem solving projects and evaluation tasks.	Industry-based projects. Where possible industry mentors will have some time available to advise students and/or to have input into student assessment. This may mean e.g. An expert present for student presentations. Evidence: letter from expert agreeing to mentor project. Record of contact in student diary/e-log
Attend professional association seminars or events.	Record each contact in a student diary or e-log, certificate of attendance, email confirmation etc.

Project Presentation Marking

Presentation should be for 12 minutes and 3 minutes for Questions and Answers.

Description	Max Marks
Project description	1
Industry client project requirements (include client details and requirements)	1
Research questions (max of 3 questions)	1
Project design	1
Design approaches from each member	5
Conclusion and references	1
Peer evaluation Marks based on the quality of questions you ask and response you provide.	10
Total Marks	20

MN691 Project Process

Project process includes 3 sections:

– Project Selection Process

– Student group formation

– Project Supervisor allocation

Section 1: Project Selection Process

The School has systems in place so that all students gain industry relevant experience in their capstone project units. The Institute’s Industry Liaison Officer in each campus works with the Capstone Project Coordinator (CPC) to assist students in sourcing industry projects. Students may bring their own industry projects, academic supervisors may source projects from their industry connections, or students may accept projects through organizations that facilitate industry projects and internships for a fee. The School’s Project Review Panel (PRP) consisting of the Deputy Head of School, Course Coordinators and the Capstone Project Coordinators evaluate each project topic for appropriate scope and ability to achieve the learning outcomes of the unit before approving them. The PRP may give suggestions to the client to review the topic and/or scope or may recommend requirements to students in addition to what the client requires so as to meet the learning outcomes of the unit (an example is additional research elements for a development-based postgraduate project proposal), and reject them as inadequate.

If students are unable to find an industry project or if the industry client drops out midway through an industry project (for example, the company cancels the project or withdraws from the project), the School ensures industry experience to such students through the following means: a) For the student groups which do not have an industry project, the School will engage an IT

professional to propose an industry-relevant project. The Project Review Panel checks that the professional has significant ICT experience and is currently working in the ICT industry and assesses the project for comparability with the industry-provided projects. The IT professional performs the role of the client for the project and meets with the student group regularly in that capacity. He/she also acts as an industry-oriented advisor to the student group. Whilst this is not an exact simulation of an industry-provided project, it retains a true industry flavor, being advised by an ICT professional. Further, the aim is that such projects reflect typical industry-based projects, rather than being academic exercises.

b) For student groups who started on an industry project but where the client-student interaction is disrupted seriously part-way through, the capstone project coordinator will make an assessment on whether to allow the group to continue on that project topic or choose a different project topic (the latter maybe from a different industry client or an in-house project). Often this depends on how far the student group has worked on their original industry project, preferences of the student group and the coordinator’s assessment of how likely the project will succeed without input from their original client.

i. If it is decided that the original industry project is to continue, a ‘client’ is assigned who has significant industry-experience to meet with the student group regularly and act in the client’s role in the project. The project does not need to go to the Project Review Panel since the topic and project scope has already been assessed and approved by the panel. The coordinator informs the Project Review Panel Chair of the decision so a determination can be made whether there is any matter of concern that needs to be brought to the attention of the panel.

ii. If the Capstone Project Coordinator decides that the project be abandoned, then either a new industry project (which is approved by the Project Review Panel) will be assigned to the student group, or action will be taken as in Part (a) above.

Section 2: Student Group Formation

Students can form their own group in week 1 tutorial class. The group should be between a minimum of 3 students to maximum of 5 students. Another option is to form a student group based on student’s request, project proposal selection by students or a student’s timetable created on AMS with a particular MIT project supervisor.

Section 3: Supervisor allocation process

PRP decides MIT staff as supervisors for some of the projects based on their expertise. Supervisors can choose proposals from a list of PRP approved project proposals Or course coordinator assigns projects to MIT supervisors depending on their expertise.

Tips for Presentation Slides

Common feedback provided in the past include (considering where appropriate to your presentation slides):

∙ All figures should have captions with figure number and title.

∙ If the figure is not your own work and taken from outside sources, you should reference it appropriately.

∙ Footer needs to be updated with group number.

∙ Figures should be labeled clear and visible.

∙ Explain approaches in Assignment 3 with reference to figure.

Tips for Group Report

∙ Follow the final report template.

∙ Write industry client name and company name and supervisor’s name on the cover sheet. ∙ Include all sections of the final report.

∙ Update assignment 1 based on the comments and continue as an assignment 2 report. ∙ Write captions for all tables. Table captions should be written at the top of each table. When you reference in the main text use capital ‘T’ for Table. E.g., As shown in Table 1, …

∙ Write captions for all figures. Figure captions should be written at the bottom of each figure. When you reference in the main text use capital ‘F’ for Figure. E.g., As shown in Figure 1, … ∙ Explain Gantt chart, figures, and tables in the main text.

∙ Cite all tables and figures in the main text. (Cross-referencing)

∙ Project diagram should be a block diagram.

∙ All design approaches should include use case diagrams or flowcharts or block diagrams. ∙ Explain each design approach with reference to diagrams.

∙ Costs and specifications in the budget section should have references and list them in the reference section.