How to Complete a Dissertation Assignment

Assignment Task

Introduction

• In this set of slides we will cover a number of points regarding the Dissertation from the beginning of the process to the very end with the demo.
• We will cover what you can expect in the beginning.
• Through what is required in terms of documentation.
• What to expect on the demo day. I And what deliverables you can expect along the way.

Expectations

• In terms of expectations your Dissertation is worth 30 of your 90 ECTS credits (i.e. 1/3rd of your degree)
• Thus it will have a significant effect on what the final classification of your masters will be.
• 30 ECTS credits at 25 hours per credit equates to 750 hours of work.
  • This is how much work you are expected to put in
  • At a bare minimum 8 hours of work a day
  • 750 hours over 12 weeks including weekends works out as about 9 hours per day
• The time will go very quickly.
• However, you can get a lot done in that time if you apply yourself
• Note however, that as was stated in the first lecture of your Research Methods class, that your project already started all the way back in September.

How the Dissertation is assessed?

Process

• Did you meet your goals and deadlines?
• Did you stick to schedule?
• How did you deal with development issues/roadblocks along the way?

Supervisor

• Did you show up to all of your meetings?
• What is your work ethic like?
• How professional were you?
• What was your discussion with the supervisor like?

Demonstration

• Does your software work?
• Are you able to explain what your software does?
• Are you able to handle questions put to you by your demonstrators?
• How well do you know and can reason about your work?

Documentation 

• Does the documentation describe the research?
• Does it describe the design and implementation of the project?

Common Misconceptions

There are a number of things Dissertation students mistake about the dissertation. I will list some of them here.

• Your dissertation specification is not the only factor that is considered when your dissertation is graded. e.g. if you implement 100% of your specification you do not automatically get awarded 100%
• The complexity/difficulty of the idea is also considered. More complex/difficult the better
• The quality of the implementation is also considered. Better implementation gets a better result.
• The novelty (i.e. has this been done before) of your work.
• You are not permitted to do this dissertation remotely. You are required to be physically present on campus for meeting your supervisor.
• Extensions to the dissertation will not be granted. The demo is treated like an exam sitting. If you are not there on the day it will go as an NP against your record.

This Dissertation has been solved by our PhD Experts at My Uni Papers.