CSE306 Research - Project Plan

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< centre (Intel College, Nairobi)>

1.Justification of the Research Proposed

Introduce the project and explain the context. What is the background to the project? What are the problems experienced by the client, what does the client want to achieve?

What are the limitations of current computing knowledge, citing journal and / or conference papers as evidence, and how do these limitations impact on potential solutions for the client? How could improvement to our computing knowledge help not just the client but also the wider world?

You need to demonstrate your understanding of one practical problem faced by the client and your ability to select a research topic that matches this problem for which it is possible to do a meaningful piece of research that has the potential to yield results that meet not just the clients problems but the problems experienced by others as well. Keep in mind that a research project is not about developing a new system but should aim to extend our knowledge.

Cite your sources and provide details of these in your reference list in the Harvard format. Ensure your references are in the correct format and specify the name of the journal or conference.

2.The Project Aim

This is a research project and thus the main aim should be a scientific outcome. Based on the research question describe clearly the proposed aim of the investigation from a scientific perspective i.e. what new computing knowledge will come from undertaking this project? This could be an improved understanding of some theory or an evaluation of one method when compared with another, or it could be to develop a new method, new approach or a new technique (e.g. to develop a method that allows visually impaired users to interact with a website in a more user friendly way).

The aim of the investigation specifies one clearly defined and narrowly focussed aspect of new or improved knowledge that could potentially be used to help the wider computing community as well as the client. An inappropriate aim would be to develop a system for a client this would be a practical outcome not an expression of knowledge that would help the wider computing community.

3.The Project Objectives

The objectives should follow a sound scientific and logical order and focus on the main steps or milestones to be completed to execute the project from initial analysis to the writing up of results (ready for publication). Aim for about 6-10 objectives. Each objective should have a tangible result such as a report on the academic literature / the results of interviews with the client / the results of an evaluation of the project.

The objectives should be as specific as possible to your project. Thus instead of Perform a literature search you may wish to write Search for research papers on methods for web interaction for visually impaired users.

A numbered list is recommended for this section of your project proposal. 4.Practical Outcomes for Client

Explain clearly what the client will get from undertaking this project if done successfully. Note for research to be successful it should be limited in its scope and should have a very clear focussed goal. Therefore a computer system that solves all of the clients problems is not a likely outcome of a research project. The outcomes could include a working prototype but are more likely to include smaller components, e.g. a new interface, and / or reports.

5.The Proposed Methodology including Evaluation Plans

Describe the proposed methodology for this project. i.e. explain how the work will be carried out in terms of its type (e.g. comparative study / laboratory experiments / field study etc. Describe the work in sufficient detail so that the reader can see how this specific project is expected to be undertaken (e.g. to develop a usable interface following the recommendations from the literature and an analysis of similar sites / carry out a usability study using 20 students / develop a secure user identification component by creating and testing iterative prototypes ).

A general explanation of qualitative verses quantitative data collection, or other general concepts, is not appropriate here the description should focus on this particular project.

Sound scientific methodology requires some form of evaluation / experiment to verify the validity of the new knowledge claimed or the benefits suggested of the proposed research. This can take different forms such as formal proofs, lab experiments, field experiments or some other form of conclusive evaluation.

Describe your proposed evaluation in detail. Specify what type of evaluation is proposed, explain what you are proposing to assess and why this is a valid evaluation given the aim of the investigation Explain in detail what experiments will be conducted, with what resources / data / users as appropriate. Explain what data will be collected and how the results will be analysed.

References to literature are not required here though if other researchers have used the same approach in their evaluation you may wish to cite and discuss these here.

6.Scientific Justification

Justify the evaluation plans, described above, with reference to the scientific theory to show that these plans adhere to sound scientific principles. You may wish to refer to the following list of scientific terms when writing this justification :- Basic research, Applied research, Quantitative research, Qualitative research, Knowledge, A hypothesis, Testability, Reproducibility, Precision, Objectivity, Validity, Reliability and Significance.

Write a short but critical reflection of these evaluation plans to identify any potential limitations or problems (e.g. the possibility of data error or bias) and state what steps you may take in your experimental design to overcome these potential problems. You may wish to reference appropriate scientific theory here but a description of this theory is not appropriate you should focus your discussion on the justification of your specific evaluation plans.

7.References

List here any research papers and any other sources used in this document. Ensure this list is in the Harvard format and sources are cited correctly in the body of the proposal. Ensure references to journal and conference papers are formatted as in the module materials and thus highlight the journal or conference where the paper was published along with other relevant details such as volume and page numbers. Keep other references to a minimum! References should not be numbered but should be in alphabetical order using the authors name. Any text taken from these sources must be in quotes and the sources cited.

If journal or conference papers are obtained via the web providing the web address is not appropriate or sufficient.

8.Schedule

Show how each of the numbered objectives are broken down into individual tasks and their expected deliverables as well as the allocation of effort to each task (in hours) and planned start and end date using the template provided below. A full and detailed list of tasks is expected covering the entire project.

The wording of each task should be clear, detailed and specific to your project.

9.Gantt Chart

Based on the schedule the Gantt Chart needs to show the tasks and their timings diagrammatically using the template provided here. This should also show the total working hours planned each week.

While Gantt charts can be produced using Microsoft Project this is designed for larger multi-person projects scheduled in days not hours. Furthermore Microsoft Project files cannot be uploaded to TurnItIn and so for this assignment these are not allowed. You must therefore use the template provided below.