4.2 “I'd like to do that”

Students often devise projects of their own, but with scant idea of what a project represents.

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This bundle aims to retain student enthusiasm while ensuring a student-proposed project has a prospect of academic success.

The way it works Students often propose their own project ideas, and in some places these represent the majority of projects. The ideas may come from previous modules, from previous employment or placements, or other connections ("My Dad's company needs ?"). These ideas are often ill-formed and would not make successful projects?the reasons may be to do with scale, scope, content, divided loyalty or a number of other possible causes. When ideas are over- (or under-) ambitious, it is important to put them back on the rails without losing student motivation for their own imagination.

You have to devise a clear proposal format in which student-originated ideas may be presented, and a protocol for their consideration by the department. This should mirror the local project practice as far as possible in respect of deliverables and, in particular, schedule. The undertaking on the part of the department is to make every effort to mould the proposal into something acceptable for proceeding?for example, by recommending changes to priorities or methods.

The benefits of the exercise can be great since the student is required to think well outside issues such as modules and grades in framing a persuasive proposal. Good things to require in a proposal include:

  • An indication of the student's desired learning outcomes:
"At the end of the project I will be able to ..."
  • A specification of curricular material that the project will exploit:
If there is none, the project may easily be seen to be inappropriate
  • A student estimate of how "hard" the project is:
For example, will it win a First if well acquitted?
  • An indication of staff who might supervise:
This can lead to discussion of what input - technical or academic - the project actually needs, and where this might most suitably be found. For example, for "external" projects, technical help can be sought outside, but there must be a fair way of accounting for such input.
  • Resources, and their costing:
Especially useful if hardware or software not commonly or publicly available is sought

Such points can form the basis of useful negotiation along the lines of "You need to include some ?.", or "If you want a respectable grade, you will need to ?".

It works better when combined with a format which requires intermediate deliverables [see 7.2 Mid-project Report], which allow the project to be regularly checkpointed. It works best with a (potential) supervisor who is prepared to negotiate with the proposer.

It doesn't work if staff are unwilling. This is a real problem for many such proposals, particularly if they originate in a commercial domain removed from local interests. It will also founder if the primary loyalty of the student is not to the academic outcome?that is, if the project is seen primarily as a product generation exercise for some external organisation.

See also: 2.1, Externally-provided (or negotiated) topics

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So: provide an explicit project framework to scaffold student enthusiasm and imagination, and use it as a basis for negotiation and contracting.

This bundle is from the book Computer Science Project Work: Principles & Pragmatics Sally Fincher, Marian Petre & Martyn Clark, Springer Verlag, 2001. It is also available from: http://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/national/EPCOS