RE4T002 - Dissertation 01 May 2020 - 31 Aug 2026 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: RE4T002
Module Title: Dissertation
Faculty: Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science
Faculty Group: Research and Innovation
Faculty Sub Group: Sustainable Environment Research Centre
Module Leader: James Reed
Module Team: Sandra Esteves, Stephen Carr, Tim Patterson, Christian Laycock, Jon Maddy, Jaime Massanet-Nicolau
First Intended Intake: SEP 2020 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 60 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100175 - energy engineering
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 May 2020
Valid To 31 Aug 2026

Module Aims

To provide students with the opportunity to intensively study a relevant topic of choice and develop as part of a community of practice.

To develop task planning, investigative, research and report writing skills.

To provide the opportunity for students to integrate knowledge and skills developed in previous modules and apply them to novel and complex situations.

To develop communication and presentation skills.

Content Summary

The project involves the student in detailed research and technical report writing about a specific subject area. The students will be encouraged to explore their own interests in a manner appropriate for Masters’ study. However, the students will be required to remain in regular contact with their academic supervisor(s) over the course of the dissertation period. As part of this process if they so choose, students can work within SERC. The students will undertake an extensive literature search and review in the chosen subject area.

Students are expected to be able to demonstrate a range of cognitive, intellectual and research skills together with science and technology knowledge related to the areas covered by the six taught modules. The project should normally emphasise the various interfaces with nature and society and analysis of the benefits and impacts on the environment, economy and societies.

Important aspects of the module will include:

· Selection of a suitable area for research through: verbal dialogue with lecturers and organisations concerned, background reading into chosen area, a feasibility study (where applicable) and initial project proposal.

· The identification of sources of assistance and carrying out the work.

· The results of the investigation written up and presented as a technical report in journal article format, which would normally include an introduction, literature review, methodology, presentation of results, discussions, conclusions and references.

· The results of the investigation orally presented.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 33
Project supervision 9
Independent Study 549
Formative Assessment - Scheduled 9
Total Hours Selected 600

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Demonstrate the ability and skills for rigorous academic writing by producing a dissertation (proposal, thesis, and presentation) relevant to the aims of the course.
LO2 Demonstrate a high competence for research based study involving collection and critical analysis of either published data or data generated from the student's own investigation, and make appropriate recommendations with clear and well-argued conclusions.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Research Plan / Proposal / Project/ Log 1 Research proposal 0 1800 10 No 40
Synchronous Online Oral Assessment Presentation (Synchronous Online) 1 Presentation 15 N/A 10 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Dissertation / Major Project 1 Written Dissertation 0 14400 80 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Research Plan / Proposal / Project/ Log 1
Presentation (Synchronous Online) 1
Dissertation / Major Project 1

Reading List

Zerubavel, E., 1999. The clockwork muse; a practical guide to writing theses, dissertations and books. London: Harvard University Press.

Swetnam, S. G., 1997. Writing your dissertation; how to plan, prepare and present your work successfully. Oxford: How to Books. Watson, G., 1987. Writing a thesis: a guide to long essays and dissertations. London: Longman.

Rugg, G. and Petre, M., (2007), A gentle guide to research methods, Open University Press, Maidenhead. ISBN: 0335219276 (pbk)

Fink, A., (20019), Conducting research literature reviews : from the Internet to paper, 5th Edition, Sage Publications ltd.

Glatthorn, A., 1998. Writing the winning dissertation: a step-by-step guide. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Rudestam, K. E. and Newton, R. R., (2007), Surviving your dissertation : a comprehensive guide to content and process, 3rd Edition, SAGE Publications, Los Angeles. ISBN: 1412916798 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Field, A,. (2017) Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics., 5th ed. SAGE Publications Ltd