This presentation provides an outline of undergraduate research from the Department of Computer Science, University of Guyana

2. History of DoCS & FYP
Management Philosophy
Management Mechanisms
FYP Course Structure
What does it all mean?
Challenges

3. • Commenced 1991
• FYP (1991 – 2002)
• Development Project (Create software system)
• Research
• 2002 – Present
• Research Oriented

4. • Moved from:
• Projects based  research oriented
• Close system  More Open system
• One-on-One  Group based management

5. •One-on-One  Group based management
• Team of coordinators - appointed by department at
beginning of semester; manage all admin elements
• Multiple supervisors (Primary, Secondary) – assigned based
on interest and topic expertise, mutual agreement
• Multiple assessors (Primary, 1 Other) – all staff for
individual activities, supervisor + 1 other for final thesis
• Open presentations at every stage of Project
• Open feedback and review at every stage

6. •Transparency
•Fairness
•Consistency
•Minimize controversy
•More Feedback/Help
•Shared Ownership

7. • Used to be a 1 semester course (we found no course outline)
• As of 2015  2 semesters
• Semester 1 – Proposal
• Semester 2 – Research Project/Thesis
• Why this shift?
•Separate project idea development/proposal from implementation/evaluation
•More time to think/work
•No more August submissions/grading 

8. Semester 1 - Proposal
•CSE 4100 - Undergraduate Computer Science Research Project (Proposal) ;
2 Credits
•Learning Outcomes:
•By the end of this course students will be able to:
• Describe the research process.
• Critically analyse and review published literature in a chosen subject area
• Document a detailed literature review in a chosen area of computer science
• Prepare and present a detailed project proposal
•Topics (Each Major topic presented by an identified ‘lead/expert’)
• Student experience, Research Process
• Proposal: Research Problem, Literature Review, Analysis, Evaluation and
Hypothesis Testing, Research Questions, Objectives and Goals, Thesis
Statements
• Methodology
• Research Ethics
• Technical Writing
• Presentation of Proposal

9. Semester 1 - Proposal
•CSE 4100 - Undergraduate Computer Science Research Project (Proposal) ;
2 Credits
•Method of Teaching:
• Research Topic Seminars 3 x 13 = 39 hrs.
• Meeting with Supervisors 2 x 13 = 26 hrs.
•Assessment: Continuous assessment to evaluate students’ learning.
• Project Proposal Presentation (20%)
• Written Project Proposal (70%)
• Supervisor Interaction/Engagement (10%)

10. Semester 2 – Project
•CSE 4200 - Undergraduate Computer Science Research Project
(Thesis); 4 credits
•Learning Outcomes:
•By the end of this course students will be able to:
• Describe the research process
• Develop their scientific mindset through an inquisitive, reflective and
constructively critical attitude in which decisions are substantiated and
discussed
• Implement the small-scale research design that was proposed in CSI 4100,
conduct analyses and effectively communicate findings
• Provide a creative and scientific contribution to the development of their field
of study
• Prepare and present aa detailed Thesis and Poster

11. Semester 2 – Project
•CSE 4200 - Undergraduate Computer Science Research Project
(Thesis); 4 credits
•Topics (Each Major topic presented by an identified ‘lead/expert’)
•Evaluation and Testing Methods
• Evaluation methods, choosing an evaluation method, evaluating prototypes,
user testing
• Analysis, Evaluation, Hypothesis Testing
• Analysis, Evaluation and Hypothesis Testing I
• Measurement and Scaling Techniques
• Sampling Design
• Methods of Data Collection
• Instrument Development and Administration
• Methodology Presentation
• Artefact Presentation
• Final Presentation

12. Semester 2 – Project
•CSE 4200 - Undergraduate Computer Science Research Project
(Thesis); 4 credits
•Method of Teaching:
• Research Topic Seminars 3 x 13 = 39 hrs.
• Meeting with Supervisors 2 x 13 = 26 hrs.
•Assessment: Continuous assessment to evaluate students’ learning.
• Methodology 20%
• Artefact Presentation 15%
• Thesis 40%
• Poster 10%
• Final Presentation 15%
Total = 100%

13. • Need Research to say …
• Outcomes/Success
• Presentation and Publication
• Seminars, Conferences, Journals
• Graduate Studies based on Research
• Work Placement

14. •Research direction
•Level of research – what’s acceptable for UGR; how
much is too much or not enough?
•Assessment differences
•Support - Not always able to supervise every project
adequately – interests and capacity

15. •Coordination and Supervision need time
•Time to adequately supervise - ½ hour / student /
week not enough for supervision
•Time to manage research activities - Voluntary
Coordination/Management
•Slow movement to publication (of publishable
quality papers)