CM50305: Interdisciplinary thesis formulation report
[Page last updated: 04 August 2021]
| Academic Year: | 2021/2 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Computer Science |
| Credits: | 30 [equivalent to 60 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 600 |
| Level: | Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | CW 80%, OR 20% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | |
| Aims: | The aim of this unit is to train students in:
* problem formulation; * assessment of the suitability of research methods and computational techniques for finding solutions to a given problem; * consideration of the implications and impact in the context of artificial intelligence and our society; * identification of research to address gaps in current methodology; planning a substantial research project; * writing a research proposal; * creation of a data management plan for the data that will be generated as part of their project; * consider ethical implications of the proposed research and gain ethical approval for the proposed work. |
| Learning Outcomes: | * Students should be able to formulate concise research problems from an informally presented challenge. * Students should be able to test a methodology on selected aspects of a problem and identify areas of theory or implementation that need further development. * Students should be able to write a research proposal, including a critical review of related work, and a realistic but challenging programme of planned work. * Students should be able to create a data management plan for data that will be generated by and/or used in their project. * Students should be able to gain ethical approval of proposed work. |
| Skills: | Problem formulation (F/A)
* Planning research to solve a problem (F/A) * Critical thinking (F/A) * Interdisciplinary thinking (F/A) * Develop a coherent line of argument on key theoretical questions in artificial intelligence/social science/engineering, both orally and in writing (F/A) * Use appropriate evidence and standards of logic and argumentation to support arguments (F/A) * Use appropriate standards of referencing, citations and presentation (F/A) * Data stewardship (F/A) * Interacting with stakeholders (F) * Understanding ethical implications of research (F/A) |
| Content: | Each student will create a research proposal for tackling an interdisciplinary research question. The question may initially be presented by a participant, e.g. scientist or industrialist from a partner organisation, at an AI Challenge day or may be originated by the student.
The two criteria for the problem presented are normally that it must have non-academic relevance and implications, and it must fit within the ART-AI remit of having interdisciplinary implications. This process starts with conversations to elicit the nature of the problem and what aspects of it are feasible to address. Relevant literature is studied, and potential methods are explored. If an industrial or academic partner is involved, on-site visits are encouraged where relevant to this process. The aim here is not to solve the problem but rather to define a plan for research that will ultimately lead to a solution. Exploratory work and experimental tests/prototypes/studies on selected aspects of the problem will be carried out in order to assess the applicability of existing methodology: if shortcomings are identified, extensions of the underlying theory and methods to deal with these issues should be included in the research proposal. The output from this unit will be a Thesis Formulation Report describing a possible PhD research project. This report will provide background to the problem, a literature review, and a discussion of the academic and broader impacts of the proposed research. Initial development of methods and introductory experiments may be exhibited in detail. The report will also include a data management plan and a completed ethics check-list and if necessary evidence of approval from an ethics committee. Prior to this unit, the student is expected to assemble an interdisciplinary supervisory team and members of this team will monitor preparation of the report. The director of training will oversee the process of assembling this supervisory team. As suggested by the unit title, it is anticipated that students will pursue the research project defined in their Thesis Formulation Report when they continue to the next stage of the ART-AI doctoral training programme. |
| Programme availability: |
CM50305 is Compulsory on the following programmes:Department of Computer Science
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Notes:
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