BSc Data Science Project

Aims

The main aims of the project are to offer students the opportunity to:

• Develop a systematic understanding and critical awareness of an agreed problem in the area of data science.
• Plan and execute a major piece of programming work appropriate to the BSc programme.
• Critically present existing approaches in the problem area, position their own approach within the area and evaluate their contribution.

Gain experience in communicating complex ideas/concepts and approaches/techniques to others by writing a comprehensive, self-contained report.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module a student will be expected to be able to:

Subject Specific:

• a knowledge of programming (S1),
• software engineering (S4),
• knowledge of data science tools, techniques and applications (S6),
• an appreciation of research topics related to data science (S7).

Intellectual:

• to develop designs for information systems (I3),
• the ability to analyse data using appropriate methods (I5),
• to plan and carry out a project with a focus on data science spanning several months (I6),
• to perform abstract thinking and to exhibit abstraction skills (I7).

Practical:

• the ability to write programs in appropriate programming languages (P1),
• to create and document a design using an appropriate modelling language (P2),
• to use a coherent information system development process (P3)
• to use tools to analyse data (P4).

Personal and Social:

• to demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems (PS1),
• to act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level (PS2),
• to conduct a critical appraisal of material synthesised from research papers (PS3),
• to communicate conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences (PS4),
• to deal with complex issues systematically and creatively (PS5),
• to advance further their knowledge, skills and understanding (PS6).

Syllabus

The main part of this module will be completed by the student on their own. There is a small taught component of the module in which students are acquainted with:

• How to formulate the objectives and aims of a BSc project.
• How to write a project proposal.
• How to organise and plan the project.
• How to undertake a literature review.
• How to write a project report.

Timetables

Indicative timetables can be found in the handbooks available on programme pages. Personalised teaching timetables for students are available via My Birkbeck.

• Timetable for the week ahead
• Timetable of all modules
• Term dates and holiday closing

Assessment

• Written Project proposal (10% of total grade): 1500 words (+/- 10%)
• Project Portfolio (90% of total grade): A significant and original piece of software that demonstrates design competence and technical prowess. Plus a 7000-10000 word (+/- 10%) report.