| Module Code | CS7092 |
| Module Name | Dissertation |
| ECTS Weighting [1] | 30 ECTS |
| Semester Taught | Semester 2 |
| Module Coordinator/s | Assigned Supervisor |
Module Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the project, the students will be able to:
- Derive, apply and adapt solutions from the discipline specific knowledge gained in lectures and coursework, to a real world problem solving context;
- Critically reflect on a number of pieces of written research as part of an independent enquiry and investigation into a practical computer science research problem, application or topic;
- Assess and criticise information, methods and results for a defined computer science purpose;
- Identify and formulate technical problems in such a manner as to make them amenable to solution;
- Design a system, component or process to meet a specified research goal;
- Analyse and interpret results from experiments conducted during the course of the design process in order to modify improve or explain the functionality of the system, component or process being created;
- Communicate effectively in technical and scientific writing, and to present scientific/technical concisely to a technical audience that may not be expert in the specific domain of the presentation;
- Formulate the design of systems in terms of a schedule of intermediate goals that manifest in subsystems;
- Manage workflow and task scheduling within the constraints of resources and time given specific design goals and deadlines;
- use industry standard hardware and/or software tools and codes of practice for all aspects of design including analysis and presentation;
- Examine and discuss the impact of the project design or theme on people and the environment.
Module Content
This research dissertation is undertaken individually by students, supervised closely by a staff member. The subject matter and the goals of the dissertation will be proposed by supervisor and/or student and will generally involve:
- Research into a specific topic (or topics) which the student has no or little prior experience;
- The design of a solution/system to address a particular problem;
- The development of that solution/system;
- The evaluation of the solution/system.
Followed by a demonstration and presentation to at least the project supervisor and a second examiner. The main evaluation is based on an extensive dissertation produced by the student.
The research project described in the dissertation is expected to contribute in some fashion to the development of knowledge in the area of Computer Science or related disciplines by, for example, extending existing knowledge, applying existing knowledge in a novel manner or in a novel domain, or by combining existing knowledge in a novel fashion.
Projects on offer and the timeline/deadlines are available on the Student Projects page.
Teaching and Learning Methods
Individual supervision.
Assessment Details
| Assessment Component | Brief Description | Learning Outcomes Addressed | % of Total | Week Set | Week Due |
| Written Dissertation | Written Dissertation | 100% | N/A | N/A |
Reassessment Details
N/A
Contact Hours and Indicative Student Workload
| Independent Study (outside scheduled contact hours), broken down by: | 700 hours |
| Dissertation research and writing | 700 hours |
| Total Hours | 700 hours |
Recommended Reading
- There is an excellent guide called “Dissertation Writing, A Practical Guide” by Keith Johnston, intended for Masters in Education (M. Ed.) students, but well worth a read.
- You can get more information about the layout of a thesis from the College’s Thesis Submission Guidelines. Note that not all the sections apply to the MCS; for instance, the section on the Dean’s Grace and Submission Deadlines does not apply.
Module Pre-requisites
Prerequisite modules: N/A
Other/alternative non-module prerequisites: e.g. programming languages, specified topics, etc. This information will be particularly relevant for visiting students or students taking this module as an approved module (if applicable).
Module Co-requisites
N/A
Module Website
https://www.scss.tcd.ie/undergraduate/computer-science/y5/dissertation.php