R&D Project (10 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

This course runs from September to December and sees students integrated into one or more of the Futuristic Interactive Technologies research group RDI projects.
- The project(s) will be introduced during the opening two weeks of the course;
- In the weeks following the project introduction, student groups are expected to research (under supervision) the problem and present a feasible solution;
- After the proposed solutions have been approved, student groups will draw up a project management plan that will see them through to the end of the course;
- The project plan must include development, implementation and scientific testing of the solution.

- Each group is to produce a draft academic publication based on the work they have researched and completed.

Objective

After completing the course, the student will be able to:
- Identify and utilise suitable networking opportunities to ideate and liaise with various R&D project stakeholders
- Demonstrate where to find appropriate funding instruments for R&D projects
- Prepare the key research plan sections of a project funding application
- Work as part of a TUAS initiated R&D project
- Apply suitable research methods for identifying and defining R&D project objectives
- Independently utilize CDIO principles towards making a research prototype that meets R&D project objectives
- Compile an academic publication that presents the results of an R&D project
- Present research findings and results to a peer audience

Content

The course is divided into several inter-linked phases
- Learning about funding applications and understanding the key parts of a research plan
- Defining a research question from a TUAS initiated R&D project
- Preparing a suitable research protocol to answer the defined research question
- Developing a research prototype
- Collecting data with the prototype
- Writing and presenting the results in a suitable academic format

Materials

Due to the practical nature of this course, there is no prescribed learning material. All necessary documentation and other material toward the successful completion of Advanced Game Technologies will be shared with students throughout the course.

The teacher will share the necessary resources for the academic writing component of the course at the correct timing.

Teaching methods

The R&D Project course is taught by means of:
1. Contact sessions and lectures;
2. Lecturer and TGL engineer guidance during on-site project work;
- This includes code reviews for programmers and asset evaluations for content producers
3. Customer coaching during on-site project work
4. Self-learning and discovery by students

This course is entirely hands-on and students are expected to take initiative for their learning.

Exam schedules

This course has no formal examination

Pedagogic approaches and sustainable development

This course leans on CDIO principles and takes a project-based learning approach.

Student workload

Each student of the R&D Project course are expected to complete 270 hours of work:
Below is a rough indication of the hours for the different work categories - these are purely an indicator and are expected to be different for each group and can change according to group needs:
1. Contact sessions and lectures (35-45 hours)
2. Coaching during on-site work (40-60 hours)
3. Independent work (130-180 hours)
Students are expected to keep individual work logs of their activities related to the various projects. These work logs form part of the course assessment and will be reviewed regularly throughout the course.

Evaluation methods and criteria

The project is evaluated as follows:
GROUP grade...
- Expert evaluation of the development deliverable (H-5);
- Customer evaluation of the development deliverable (H-5);
- Lecturer overall impression of the academic writing and development deliverables (H-5);
The average of these three gives a group grade for each student per project.

INDIVIDUAL student per group grade
Each student will also be measured on their contribution to the group's activities by:
- Self assessment of the contribution made;
- Group member evaluation of the contribution made;
- An overall impression by the course lecturers of the individual work logs and academic writing efforts.
The average of these three gives an individual grade for each student per project.

A detailed breakdown of the assessment criteria will be given during the course introduction.

Failed (0)

All group members will fail the course if no research prototype was developed or the prototype was not testable.
All group members will fail if the course if the academic output does not consist of all the key sections (key sections will be presented in class by the lecturer.
Individuals will fail the course if they do not contribute to the overall group effort (determined by continuous monitoring and a peer evaluation at the conclusion of the course).

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1-2)

These criteria apply on a group level with individual contributions subject to continuous monitoring and a peer evaluation:
- Research of the Problem - Problem is poorly defined or lacks context; minimal background research
- Development of the Solution - Solution is underdeveloped, lacks feasibility or relevance
- Academic Reporting of Results - Report is unclear, lacks structure, or omits key findings

Assessment criteria, good (3-4)

These criteria apply on a group level with individual contributions subject to continuous monitoring and a peer evaluation:
- Research of the Problem - Problem is defined with some context; basic research is evident
- Development of the Solution - Solution is functional and somewhat addresses the problem
- Academic Reporting of Results - Report is structured and communicates results with some clarity

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

These criteria apply on a group level with individual contributions subject to continuous monitoring and a peer evaluation:
- Research of the Problem - Problem is clearly defined with strong context; thorough and relevant background research
- Development of the Solution - Solution is well-developed, innovative, and effectively addresses the problem
- Academic Reporting of Results - Report is well-organized, clearly presents findings with insightful analysis, and follows academic standards

Qualifications

This course consolidates all the practical and theoretical interactive technology software engineering and project management skills you have learned throughout your studies. This course serves to prepare you for a successful final thesis in your last semester of engineering studies.

Further information

Students are also responsible for:
1. Distributing and collecting customer and expert feedback forms for their project evaluations.
2. Filling and returning peer- and self-evaluation forms at the end of the project.

Failure to produce these documents will impact the course grade.
The lecturers will provide the appropriate forms at the time they are required.