• Offered for Year: 2023/24

• Module Leader(s): Dr Carlton Shepherd
• Lecturer: Professor Shishir Nagaraja

• Owning School: Computing
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Aims

The module aims to provide students with a range of possible research approaches and the types of research projects. It will aid students in formulating valid research questions appropriate to a domain of interest within the area of computer science and evaluating the relationship between questions, methodology and methods. It will serve to prepare the students for working on individual research projects.

The module will also aid students in reflecting on the experience of applying the techniques taught in preceding modules to the safety, security and resilience analysis and development of a computing system. The students will work in groups to address sophisticated issues in cyber security such as building a secure system catering for the various stages, including literature review, software design, implementation, presentation of design and demonstration of the implemented system. The students will have access to technical guidance from faculty members but will essentially work as a small independent team under their own initiative.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module is structured in several phases:

Material on research methods will include:
• Introduction to research methods in computer science
• Identifying research questions and hypotheses - comparative analysis
• Research framework, research problems and conducting literature reviews
• Experimental design methods
• Approaches to analysis and drawing valid conclusions
• Quantitative & Qualitative research methods
• Quantitative & Qualitative data collection and analysis
• Writing up and presenting research
• Ethical issues

Students will also work in groups on research topics chosen by module leaders. Groups work together, forming reading circles to collaboratively produce a literature review. Groups will then begin work on the software development exercise. Development will involve research, requirements elicitation, modelling and safety analysis which may involve information flow modelling, protocol design, deductive or inductive fault analysis. Selection of appropriate development methods and tools will be done by each group. Each group will then present their work, which should include a risk assessment of the proposed solution.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lecture materials and online sessions will be used to introduce the learning material and for demonstrating the key concepts by example. Students are expected to follow-up lectures within a few days by re-reading and annotating lecture notes to aid deep learning. Students aiming for 1st class marks are expected to widen their knowledge beyond the content of lecture notes through background reading.

Project meetings both formal and informal, will provide team members with the opportunity to follow progress and address team issues. These meetings can be held online or in person.

Students gain knowledge in research skills from lecture materials and working together on the literature review and reading circle. Students gain experience in development of a significant software project from the student-led activities and project work.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Formative Assessments

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The literature review provides an opportunity to assess practical research, communication and collaboration skills in a realistic environment. Students will assess each other's contribution to the literature review.
The group work is used to award a mark to each group. The individual report is used to moderate individual weightings allocated by the group, to award a final mark to each group member.

Reading Lists

• CSC8208's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• CSC8208's Timetable