Final Year Projects Some tips. 1

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Research, research research Explore ALL AVENUES that are related your project NOT every type of component, rather every type of existing product. Get as much detail as you can. Explain how this affects your project and where your research will fit into this 3

Where to research Google Patent offices Past theses Books (in the library) Magazines (in the library) + Journals Academic papers, Talking to colleagues, professionals etc 4

Aims, Objectives and Deliverables 5

Aims, Objectives, Deliverables Aim(s) – Your final project – Final results of experiment Objectives (a portion of the project) – Part of the project that works – An experiment that shows the characteristics of… – A program that controls a… Deliverables (what can you show to prove) – The working motor system – The graph/table of results – The computer program 6

Gantt chart 7

8 Personal reflection happens as part of day to day living. If we find ourselves in a difficult or challenging situation, we often spend time reflecting on (thinking about) what happened, what went right or wrong, what we could have done or said differently. We discuss the learning event with friends or family. We may choose to deal differently with similar challenges when they happen again. Reflective practice is a learning process, whether it is happening in an informal or formal environment. David Kolb (1984) has created a Learning Cycle that is based on what happens when people learn. 1. Introduction to writing reflectively < Back to Contents pageBack to Contents page

9 It can be helpful to think of reflective practice as part of a continual process between having an experience, evaluation and experimentation. Kolbs cycle is the basis of many reflective activities undertaken in a professional (or informal) context. Kolb said that an individual must go through every stage to fully learn from an experience. There are links in the References section to other learning theorists.References 1. Introduction to writing reflectively Kolbs reflective cycle

10 1. Introduction to writing reflectively Kolbs reflective cycle

11 The cycle then starts again, to continue refining and evaluating your learning until it becomes as efficient as it can be. 1. Introduction to writing reflectively Kolbs reflective cycle

12 1. Introduction to writing reflectively Kolbs reflective cycle: An example

13 Please remember Reflective writing is a major part of the learning experience! Writing makes your thoughts visible. When you write reflectively, you create a cycle of connections among thinking, planning and acting.

14 Please remember Reflective writing helps you to squeeze all the goodness out of your learning…

15 Give yourself time to reflect… 1. Block out 10 mins at the end of your experiments and results to reflect 2. How did the learning event compare to my learning expectations of what I thought the event would be like to how it actually was? Are there any issues that need to be analysed? 3. What have I gained in knowledge or skills from this learning event? 4. What further reading, research or study could I do? 5. What are other influences (knowledge, opinion, past experience) that have shaped my learning? 6. How will I share this work/ the outcomes of this course with colleagues and my tutor?

16 4. How do you do it? Option 3: Using prompts 3 of 3 How might have you tackled the task differently? Are there previous instances of this event that will help you to think differently about it? If yes, what? What are the positive or negative aspects that helped the situation to be successful or unsuccessful? Is there another point of view that you could explore? In an ideal world what would you change? (dont hold back!) If you are reflecting on a specific positive of negative event you may wish to use the following prompt questions:

Remember Its not what you build!!!! It is how you go about researching, testing and writing up the results of your experiments that matter. The results may/may not end in a final working artefact 17

Log book Your book You keep it Handed in, in semester 1 for marking Meeting notes, website addresses, program snippets, addresses. Circuit diagrams, results of tests REFLECTION!!!! 18

Meetings Groups of 3 20 minutes per person per week Write items to discuss in your logbook Show me what youve done in your logbook I take notes, you take notes in your logbook Make a list of what to do throughout the week I sign your logbook 19

Groups 20

Meeting times 21

Anything else? 22