1 Dave Inman Choosing a Project, a Supervisor & Registering

2 Choosing a project n Look at past projects (web) n Look at supervisor ideas (web) n Think what inspires you n Think what parts of your course you liked n Think of your niche - questions to answer n Ideas from a placement n Brainstorm - don’t eliminate until you write How did you choose your project?

3 Choosing a project What you like Bits of yourcourse you liked Possibleprojects

4 Choosing a supervisor n Look at past projects (web) - see who supervised them n Look at supervisor ideas (web) n Who do you get on with? n Think what parts of course you liked n Your supervisor does not need to be in your area - you can get technical help from elsewhere

5 Choosing a supervisor n Write a project outline n About 1/2 page About project About you About supervisor n Be enthusiastic and clear n Get list of 5 supervisors - maybe from Web n Send or approach them in class with your outline n Do it early

6 Choosing a supervisor What if you get no response? n them again explaining urgency and how much you want them n Check registrations on the web to see supervisor workloads n Extend choice of supervisor Your supervisor does not need to be in your area - you can get technical help from elsewhere

7 Registering your project n You must register yourself as soon as possible - Name, Course & – and by the end of week 2 at the latest n By 4th week of term you must register your project. Re- register with your project information : Title Key areas Summary Supervisor n Failure to register can mean project postponed 1 year! n You can change (re-register) all details except supervisor until the end of term 1.

8 Good project titles n An online guide to JavaScript. n Internet Web site for Alevi Cultural Centre. n An Evaluation of Competing Middleware Technologies. What do you think makes a good title?

9 Bad project titles n THE MESSAGE SERVICE WITH A DIFFERENCE. What is wrong with this? n NETWORKING What is wrong with this? n Book Club/Subscription System What is wrong with this?

10 Good titles n Clear n Concise n 1 sentence of about 5-8 words n Gives reader a clear idea of the project n Spell & grammar check n NOT ALL CAPITALS Get a friend to read it and ask them what they think your project is about

11 A good project outline n An online guide to JavaScript will be developed for use on the World Wide Web. The application will present examples of source code and its resulting output. The application will be designed for easy use and effective learning. The application will be developed using Java, JavaScript, HTML and Java Workshop. Sally Justice of CSD will act as client.

12 A good project outline This project looks at the current manual system and tries to devise a computerised alternative to manage G International business operations, with particular attention to order processing and stock control. The project will be tackled using SSM and/or SSADM or appropriate approaches for the requirements analysis, SSADM and/or OOD or appropriate approaches for the data analysis and the design, and Microsoft Access and Visual C or appropriate environments for the development of the systems implementation.

13 A good project outline This project will guide a student through the first stage of SSADM using Toolbook. By this I mean that the user will be able to work through the different steps of the first stage via the screen and then work through some exercises, questions, etc. about that area. A PC will be used for the Tutorial application and all the information will be held in Toolbook. The student will be able to work through all the steps of the Requirements Analysis stage either sequentially or in any order he/she wants. After each step/section there will be an exercise covering that step. Once the student has finished with the exercise by directly inputting the information onto the screen he/she can print both the answers and the questions to give to the tutor.

14 A bad project outline THIS PROJECT IS BASED ON BULIDING AN INFORMATION SYSTEM OF A DRYCLEANING BUSINESS USING LOTUS NOTES AND WORLDWIDE WEB. What is wrong with this?

15 A bad project outline 1. A database 2. Support quries 3. Reports 4. Forms What is wrong with this?

16 Bad project outlines install and learn to use one or more synthesis/ analysis and verification tools.using Petri/STG/TD specifications and generate a set of Boolean equations. What is wrong with this? What makes a good outline?

17 Good outlines n Clear n Concise n 1 paragraph - return characters are removed n Gives reader a clear understanding of the scope of the project n Spell & grammar check n NOT ALL CAPITALS Get a friend to read it and comment on it

18 Deadline for registration n By end of 4th week of term 1 n Even if you don’t have a supervisor you must register a title, outline and key areas. n Failure to register can mean project postponed 1 year!

19 Project outline to supervisor n Your supervisor will ask for an outline. n This can contain info from registration: Title Summary Key areas plus (but ask your supervisor) n Introduction n Plan with milestones