Research Methods for Computing 7CC009

Module Code: 7CC009
Page 1 of 6
University of Wolverhampton
Faculty of Science and Engineering
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

ASSESSMENT BRIEF

Task 2 – 4:00 PM on 6th January 2021
Task 3 – 4:00 PM on 3rd February 2021
Learning outcomes:
LO1: Students will be able to: Select and critically analyse appropriate sources of information and
data
LO2: Students will be able to: Demonstrate an awareness of the legal, social, ethical and
professional issues involved in the exploitation of computer technology.
LO3: Students will be able to: Develop advanced analytical competence at PG level of study
LO4: Students will be able to: Evidence their own personal knowledge through the development and
presentation of a coherent research and experimentation proposal that will address open ended
questions associated with new and advancing theory/practice.
The assessment will consist of 3 pieces of work:
ONE group-task with panel reviewed presentation weighted 30% (task 1 – Note: Presentation
timeslots will be announced online) and
TWO individual tasks (tasks 2 and 3 weighted 40% and 30% respectively)
Which together accounts for 100% of the marks for the module.
Note: Any assessment work submitted, or fails to be submitted by the deadline, the final grade will
be capped to 50%.
Module Code: 7CC009
Page 2 of 6
University of Wolverhampton
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Task 1: Group work – 30% of the portfolio grade (LO1, LO3)
Context
In this task you are required to work in small groups as allocated, and

main research question. Note that each sub-research question should be complementary toward the
main outcome of the research. One of the most important aspects of this task is to attain group
consensus. (The assessment panel will ask question on your consensus attainment methodology).

the group towards the count of THREE article requirement. You can find out relevant articles and/or
dataset (if required) from the following resources you can get access from the library:
a. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE):
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp
b. Stanford University (SNAP – Stanford Network Analysis Project)
The Stanford Large Network Dataset Collection: https://snap.stanford.edu/data/index.html
c. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – the UN’s specialized agency for information
and communication technologies – ICTs:
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
d. The European Union Open Data Portal (EU ODP): http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data
e. Amazon Web Services (AWS) public datasets: http://aws.amazon.com/datasets
f. Find Open Data – UK central government, local authorities and public bodies:
https://data.gov.uk/ or the U.S.A equivalent https://catalog.data.gov/dataset
(iv) Individual members should develop a project briefing document (500 words) that briefly outlines a
possible development or research project that could enhance or extend the subject. You should
highlight any anticipated benefits for identifiable project stakeholders. In addition, provide
supporting literature, and outline any resource requirements, development plan and milestones.
Delivery
For this assessment you will be working in a group to prepare a draft research briefing. This should take the
form of a PowerPoint presentation with accompanying notes pages where you can put additional details
from the team member concerned.
Module Code: 7CC009
Page 3 of 6
University of Wolverhampton
Faculty of Science and Engineering
You are required as a group to present your slides to the assessment panel in your allocated timeslot on (16th
& 17th December 2020 (Presentation Timeslot to be confirmed)). ALL group members MUST take part
in the presentation and should present an equal proportion of slides. A copy of your presentation must be
submitted through the Canvas Assessment gateway for this module by 4:00 PM on the 15th December 2020.
Group size and group members will be decided by your tutor. Typical groups should have four members. ALL
students must take part in preparing the presentation.
At the end of the presentation you should be prepared to answer the questions from the assessment panel.
Module Code: 7CC009
Page 4 of 6
University of Wolverhampton
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Your presentation should include the following slides:
 Working title (1 slide)
A single sentence that very briefly summarises the topic.
 Introduction/Aim of research topic (1 slide)
A brief description of the background information relating to the topic and the issues you aim to
investigate.
 Main Research question and one or more sub-question per member (1 slide)
Specific research question that you are going to investigate (common for group)
 References for supporting literature (1 slide per group member)
Each group member needs to find 3 journal/conference articles that are relevant to their respective
sub-question related to the topic they are investigating. In your slide summarise the main points
from each article. Be concise in your summary. Use bullet points, not long sentences.
 Project Briefing document for each sub-question includes motivation, objectives and research output
beneficiary (1 slide per group member)
 Research methodology and Dataset validity (min. 2 slides)
Detail step by step exactly how the research was or will be conducted.
o What data to collect (list sources)
o How data will be collected (interview, questionnaire, online, datasets etc.)
o Select and justify method of analysis (Quantitative / Qualitative, software to use etc.)
o Resources and assumptions
 Ethical, professional or commercial considerations that need to be addressed (1 slide)
 Deliverable (1 slide)
o A report/artefact/conference paper
 Risk register
 Harvard Reference list (1-2 slides)
o Harvard reference list
Group
Work
Group
Work
Indiv.
Module Code: 7CC009
Page 5 of 6
University of Wolverhampton
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Task 2: Individual work – 40% of the portfolio grade (LO1 & LO4)
You are required to investigate in more detail, the main research question selected for Task 1 and, using the
materials gathered so far, enhance your project briefing document from the previous task into a detailed
research project proposal of 2500 words in length.
The project proposal document should consist of:
 The research question, and The purpose statement which should illustrate the reasoning of the
investigation and potential outcomes
 Literature Review
 Research Method (including validity testing)
 Ethical Issues
 Project Plan
 Resource requirements
Date for submission: Assessment Task 2 should be submitted as a Word document through the Canvas
Assessment gateway for this module by 4:00 PM on 6th January 2021.
Assignments submitted after the deadline and without an authorised extension of time will be marked down
accordingly.
Hand-in all relevant documents or files for marking. You are advised to back up and keep a copy any work
submitted.
Please note that this is an individual assignment. Plagiarism will be treated as academic misconduct, and the
piece of work will be awarded ZERO, if proven.
Module Code: 7CC009
Page 6 of 6
University of Wolverhampton
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Task 3: Individual work 30% of the portfolio grade (LO2)
The Codes of Ethics for the professions evolving from your programme of study is often looked upon in some
areas as expressing worthy sentiments about values but lacking the power to protect public interest and
impact the lives of its members.
Write a 1500 words reflective essay that discusses the performance and the conduct of yourself and others in
respect of the delivery and deliverables of the module. You should pay particular attention to the theory and
practice of professionalism and ethics within the profession generally, and amongst you and your team
members specifically.
You should consider various aspects of the Code of Ethics and Professional Practice guidelines of national and
international bodies such as the British Computer Society (BCS) and contextualise your response and
highlight actual instances where applied in terms of good and bad practice within the group.
Finally, briefly discuss the possible issues of “Whistleblowing”, Right of Ownership, and “naming and
shaming” in the context of your group. You should identify and discuss the degree of involvement of
external bodies considered in any form of enforcement or resolution of such issues.
Your essay should demonstrate in a practical way, what you have learnt about ethical and professional
considerations in postgraduate studies, and within the Computer Science profession.
Date for submission: Assessment Task 3 should be submitted as a Word document through the Canvas
Assessment gateway for this module by 4:00 PM on 3rd February 2021.
Assignments submitted after the deadline and without an authorised extension of time will be marked down
accordingly.
Hand-in all relevant documents or files for marking. You are advised to back up and keep a copy any work
submitted.
Please note that this is an individual assignment. Plagiarism will be treated as academic misconduct, and the
piece of work will be awarded ZERO, if proven.