Introduction to 6047CEM

Dr Ian Cornelius

Hello

Hello (1)

Welcome!

Welcome to Cyber Security Project
Module Team:
- Dr Ian Cornelius, ab6459@coventry.ac.uk
- Mr Terry Richards, ac6860@coventry.ac.uk

About the Module

About the Module (1)

What is this module about?

Introduces you to the individual project for your final year
Provide you information on:
- what is a research project
- the purpose of a project proposal
- the importance of the ethics application
- how would you go about writing an academic/research report
- the correct process of referencing using APA

The purpose of this module is to introduce you to the individual project that you will be writing as part of your undergraduate course. During the time on this module, we shall cover a collection of topics that are relating to research and project management. Some of the topics we shall cover in this module are the following:

what is a research project?
the importance of an ethics application
how would you go about writing an academic/research report?
locating and sourcing appropriate conferences to aid in publication of your work
the art of critiquing and discussing research and academic papers
how to go about critically analysing your data

I appreciate that some of these concepts may already have been taught in a previous modules on this course. However, it is a requirement and important that we revisit these concepts and ensure they are embedded in you to ensure you meet the outcomes of this module.

About the Module (2)

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, a student should be able to:
1. Devise a research question, in conjunction with a personal project supervisor, and select and plan an appropriate primary method to address the question.
2. Conduct a substantial piece of primary research work (including, but not limited to, an application development, a model or simulation, a business case, or observational or interactional method) in order to address the initial research question.
3. Conduct such secondary research as to establish the context, need, scope and audience for the project.
4. Reflect and account for the management of the project, showing consideration for the social, legal, professional and ethical dimensions of the work undertaken.
5. Present findings of the research in the form of a project report, utilising appropriate academic methods of reporting and citation.

By the end of this module you should be able to do the following:

1. Devise a research question, in conjunction with a personal project supervisor, and select and plan an appropriate
   primary method to address the question.
2. Conduct a substantial piece of primary research work (including, but not limited to, an application development,
   a model or simulation, a business case, or observational or interactional method) in order to address the initial
   research question.
3. Conduct such secondary research as to establish the context, need, scope and audience for the project.
4. Reflect and account for the management of the project, showing consideration for the social, legal, professional
   and ethical dimensions of the work undertaken.
5. Present findings of the research in the form of a project report, utilising appropriate academic methods of
   reporting and citation.

About the Module (3)

Module Delivery

Delivery via two methodologies:
1. online lecture videos
2. on campus lecture and support sessions

Online Lectures

Lectures will be made available online in the form of a video
- released weekly on the Friday at 08:00
Each week a new topic will be introduced, where I will:
- discuss the topic
The videos will go into more detail, therefore it is in your best interest to also watch them!

On Campus Lecture and Support Session

Lecture/support sessions will be held weekly on-campus
- check your timetable for room location(s) and time(s)
Each week a new lecture topic will be delivered
- not all of them, there is too much content to cover
- this is for the first six weeks
The latter half of the semester is for support
- talk to Terry and I about your project and get our insights

The module is delivered in the form of two different methods: an online lecture video and an on-campus lecture/support session.

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The lectures for this module are pre-recorded and will be made available online via the Aula and GitHub platform. They will be released on the Friday before the official week starts, at 8am. For example, the lectures for week two will be released on the Friday of week one at 8am. The online lecture videos will go into more detail than what I can cover in the lectures. Therefore, you will want to ensure you are watching these videos, and attending the on campus sessions, as this will be your opportunity to ask questions.

Each week, in the lectures, students will be introduced to a new topic or a family of topics, whereby the concept will be introduced and discussed.

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The on-campus sessions has been split into two parts. The first six weeks of the semester will revolve around a lecture and question and answer session. The topic discussed in the lecture will be one of the videos that are published on Aula. Therefore, you will need to ensure you are watching the lecture videos provided online to ensure you are getting all the possible information necessary for this module.

I could have easily split this material across the full twelve weeks, but some of the content would be delivered later than I would prefer and could jeopardise your learning and ability to complete the assessment to a good standard. Therefore, to ensure that students can do their best, I have designed the module so that all content is release within the first six weeks.

The second half of the semester (the last six weeks) will revolve around additional assessment support. Be mindful that this is not a replacement to the supervisor process. You must still be engaging and meeting weekly/bi-weekly with your supervisor. These support sessions are to ensure students are on the correct path, and if they have any questions that their supervisor is unable to answer.

About the Module (4)

Lecture Schedule

Week	Lecture	Week	Lecture
1	Introduction to the Module	2	Writing a Project Proposal
	What is a Research Project?		Project Ethics and the Application Process
3	Designing and Planning your Research	4	Writing a Dissertation Report
	Managing your Research Project		Referencing in your Dissertation Report
5	Finding and Reviewing Academic Papers	6	Writing your Methodology Chapter
			Collecting and Analysing your Data
7	Support Session	8	Support Session
9	Support Session	10	Support Session
11	Support Session	12	No Lectures/Support Sessions Scheduled

On the screen is an overview of the planned lectures across the coming ten weeks. I will not go through each week, but this gives you an idea on the sort of topics you can be expected to be taught across the next eleven weeks.

There will be no lectures from week seven onwards. Instead, these sessions will be support sessions, whereby you can discuss your project with the module leader and get additional support. It is import to note that attendance will be monitored from this week onwards, therefore, you will want to ensure you are registering your attendance using the TouchPoints in the room.

About the Module (5)

Module Content

Content is accessible via two platforms:
1. Aula
2. GitHub

Aula

6047CEM on Aula
Lectures and assessments
- Content will be released weekly
Submission links for coursework
No Access?
- Contact: cmd.reg.ees@coventry.ac.uk

GitHub

6047CEM on GitHub
Lectures, and assessments
- Content will be released weekly
Mobile friendly
Considered to be the most up-to date version of the module

The content for this module will be delivered via two platforms: Aula and GitHub pages. If you are not aware already, Aula is our community-led learning platform. Within the module space, you will be asked to interact with fellow peers and module staff by posting your questions in the community section.

There is no such thing as a silly question; it is almost guaranteed that if your thinking of a question, someone else is also thinking about it too. Therefore, I would recommend posting any questions you may have with the module material on this page. If there is a question, that may be relating to the coursework; then you can e-mail the module leader.

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Aula will also be used for disseminating lecture videos and slides, along with assignment briefs and submission links. The content on this platform will be released in a weekly manner. If you are unable to access Aula, I would encourage you to contact the Faculty Registry team as soon as possible. However, in the meantime - you can access the module content on GitHub Pages.

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Which leads me onto… GitHub Pages. This is where all relating content such as lecture slides and assignment briefs will be hosted. It is mobile friendly, therefore, you will be able to access content remotely on your mobile devices; and it is also considered to be the most up-to-date version of this module.

There may be instances where IT Services will perform maintenance across their servers, which in turn may affect the module page hosted GitHub. If this happens, I will make an announcement on Aula; and upload lecture slides for that week.

Module Assessment

Module Assessment (1)

How will you be assessed?

There are two parts for this module:
1. a project proposal
2. a write-up on the entire project (the project report)
Both components will test you on the knowledge learnt during the module

Project Proposal

Learning Outcomes Assessed: 1
Release Date: Check Aula
Submission Date: Check Aula
Weighting: 10 credits
Submission via Aula using TurnItIn

Project Report

Learning Outcomes Assessed: 2, 3, 4, and 5
Release Date: Check Aula
Submission Date: Check Aula
Weighting: 20 credits
Submission via Aula using TurnItIn

The most important aspect of this module, and the one that students fear the most is the assessments. There are two pieces of assessment for this module: a project proposal and a write-up on the entire project, essentially the project report. Both of these components will test the knowledge you have acquired during the time spent on this module and course.

Due to the assessment being entirely based upon your own project idea, there may be some elements or theory that has not been taught and is required to complete the assessment. This is where some self-guided study is required to ensure you know enough of the concept to implement a solution. Your supervisors will signpost you to some literature online and/or books where you can seek this knowledge, but you may also want to explore other avenues to aid in your understanding of the topic.

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The first piece of assessment for this module is the project proposal. Students must obtain a minimum of 40% in order to pass this assessment.

The purpose of the proposal is to summarise the ideologies of your project in a concise form. You will want to provide an overview of the projects topic area/domain and what the problem is. This will then lead you into developing a research question for your project that you are going to answer. To ensure you get to your end-goal and answer you question, you will need to provide a set of aims and objectives, along with a primary research plan.

Do not worry just yet what this means, as we shall discuss more about the project proposal next week, and there are some handy tips provided in the proposal template (which can be found in the assessment brief).

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The second piece of assessment for this module is the project report. Students must obtain a minimum of 40% in order to pass this assessment.

The purpose of the report is to provide a write-up on the entire project, discussing the reviewed literature, the methodology of the project, the results and analysis and conclusion. This is only a small snippet of what should be included, and you will find out more information when the assessment brief is released.

Remember that you will have only one chance to submit your work for both the project proposal and report. Therefore, before clicking the submission button review the document you are submitting. Is it the correct file? Is it the correct version etc. The module team (consisting of your supervisors and myself) are not required to delete your submission if you have submitted the incorrect version/file. Once you have submitted your document, that will count as your submission.

Module Assessment (2)

Coursework Submission Guidelines

Two templates are provided:
- LaTeX: View Here
- Microsoft Word: Download Here
You must adhere to the structure of these templates
- unless told otherwise by your supervisor
Submissions will be accepted in either docx or pdf
Artefacts developed to be uploaded to:
- Coventry University Git for source-code (use the 6047CEM organisation)
- OneDrive for audio and video

To aid you in you submission and write-up for the project proposal and report a template is provided. Students are encouraged to follow these templates and guidelines as it will ensure you do your best. However, there may be some chapters/sections that your supervisor will be expecting, and as such you will want to ensure you include these in your report. Remember, the supervisor is the one who will be marking your report - so it is within your best interest to do what they say.

The report is offered in two formats, LaTeX and Microsoft Word. You can pick whichever template you will be most comfortable working with. Additional marks will not be awarded for those deciding to use LaTeX. The LaTeX template is provided as an addition for those who are contemplating writing their report in this format. However, it is not an expectation, and is not in the marking criteria.

When it comes to submitting your report, it will be in either a docx or pdf format. No other format will be accepted. If you have any artefacts that are required for the marking process, you will want to ensure you are using the necessary tool/software. For example, if you have source-code you will want to upload this to the Coventry University Git service. Any audio or video files should be uploaded to Microsoft OneDrive. If you are uploading artefacts to Git or OneDrive, you must ensure that your supervisor (and myself) have read/write access. This will ensure that I can share the files with internal and external moderators if requested.

Module Assessment (3)

Project Supervisors

Allocated in Semester One
View the allocation list here
Not made contact with your supervisor?
- Drop them an e-mail after this session (or during)!
Supervisors are there to offer support and guidance
- remember that they are marking your dissertation project
- take their feedback on board and into consideration when making changes
Expertise may be sought from other staff members using their DLC office hours
Need a meeting with the module leader: Book Here
- only to be used for extenuating circumstances/module problems

The supervisor for your project will already have been allocated in semester one. Your supervisor will be your main point of contact during the time you spend working on your research project. You can seek expertise from other staff members by using their office hours in the DLC. Keep in mind that office hours are not just for this course, but it is to support all students across the faculty and school, and as such they may not be available to discuss at each opportunity.

You may contact other staff members for support and advice, but they are not beholden to providing you support if they are busy with other teaching commitments, or other project students. Therefore, do not be upset if they are unable to offer you support. You can check their office hours using the website linked on the screen; this will take you to the Digital Literacy Centre website, whereby all staff across the faculty will have hours of support.

You can book meetings with myself using my booking form that is linked on the screen. These sessions are a first-come and first-served basis. Keep in mind that my time is also shared across other modules and students, and as such, it can sometimes fill up quickly. The lead time in which you can book a meeting with me is one week in advanced, and up to two days before. Alternatively, you can seek support from me in the support sessions from week six to week eleven.

Ideally, you should be meeting with your supervisor every two weeks or weekly if you require them. The nature/progress of these meetings will be dependant upon you and what you bring to the meeting. If you would like your supervisor to review a draft version of a chapter, then I would recommend reaching out to them and sending a copy before your meeting. However, do be mindful that us academics are busy, and therefore some lead time to review your work would be necessary. Sending the document one day before the meeting is poor practice, and will only lead to an upset supervisor. Try and give them a couple of days notice, so they can make time to review your work.

Support for the Module

Support for the Module (1)

How can you get support?

There are two methods of support for this module:
1. Digital Literacy Centre (DLC)
2. a fifteen-minute session with the module leader
These are additional to the on campus lab sessions
- your primary support will be in the on campus lab sessions

Digital Literacy Centre (DLC)

Support sessions provided by the faculty
Covers not just this module, but other modules and programming languages
Held daily in room EC1-24
- check the timetable to see when the room is staffed
More information:
- DLC Website

15-Minute Session with Module Leader

Support sessions provided by the module leader
Covers just this module and only the C++ programming language
Time-limited, first-come-first-served basis
- a module leaders time is shared amongst different modules and year groups
More information:
- Booking Website

Finally, the last thing I wish to discuss is support.

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However, if any student is struggling and requires additional support, or there are concepts of the dissertation that they are struggling with, then the Faculty offers a support centre known as the Digital Literacy Centre, it may often refer to this as the DLC. Here, students will be able to get support from other academics across the faculty in regard to a multitude of different topics. However, do keep in mind that some academics in the DLC will not be supporting (or be actively engaging) with this module. Therefore, they will only be able to provide generic support.

For more information on the DLC, visit the link on the lecture slides. This will be updated frequently when staff are available in the room, alongside the skills and types of support that can be offered by each staff member.

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Alternatively, you may want to book an individual session with the module leader for fifteen minutes. In this session, students can bring their concerns, and I can do my best to try and support you within the time-limit. If you require a longer session for support, then you can visit me at the DLC during my hours of support. These hours of availability will be published on the DLC page.

To book a fifteen-minute session with myself, you can visit the link on the lecture slides. This will take you to my personalised booking page, and you will have two options to select: one for a Microsoft Teams session or another for an on campus, face-to-face session. Students must ensure they are using their Coventry University e-mail account when making the booking. As a meeting invitation will be sent with the online meeting link, or the room for an on campus session.

Goodbye

Goodbye (1)

Questions and Support

Questions? Post them in the Community Page on Aula
Additional Support? Visit the Module Support Page
Contact Details:
- Dr Ian Cornelius, ab6459@coventry.ac.uk
- Mr Terry Richards, ac6860@coventry.ac.uk