CIVL4023: Honours Thesis B (2013 - Semester 1)
| Unit: | CIVL4023: Honours Thesis B (6 CP) |
| Mode: | Normal-Day |
| On Offer: | Yes |
| Level: | Honours |
| Faculty/School: | Civil Engineering |
| Unit Coordinator/s: |
Dr Shen, Luming
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| Session options: | Semester 1, Semester 2 |
| Versions for this Unit: | |
| Site(s) for this Unit: |
http://learn-on-line.ce.usyd.edu.au/ |
| Campus: | Camperdown/Darlington |
| Pre-Requisites: | 30 credits of 3rd year units of study and successful completion of CIVL4022 - Honours Thesis A. |
| Brief Handbook Description: | Honours Thesis provides an opportunity for students to conduct original research. Students will generally work in groups, although planning and writing of the thesis will be done individually; i.e., a separate thesis must be submitted by each student. Only in exceptional circumstances and by approval of Thesis course coordinator and the relevant academic supervisor concerned will a student be permitted to undertake a project individually. Honours Thesis is a major task and is to be conducted with work spread over most of the year, in two successive Units of Study of 6 credits points each, Honours Thesis A (CIVL4022) and Honours Thesis B (CIVL4023). This particular unit of study, which must be preceded by or be conducted concurrently with CIVL4022 Honours Thesis A, should cover the second half of the work required for a complete "final year" thesis project. In particular, it should include completion of all components of the research or investigation project planned but not undertaken or completed in CIVL4022 Honours Thesis A. |
| Assumed Knowledge: | None. |
| Timetable: | CIVL4023 Timetable | |||||||||||||||
| Time Commitment: |
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| T&L Activities: | Meeting: Weekly meetings with supervisor are required, unless otherwise agreed. |
Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.
| Attribute Development Method | Attribute Developed |
| Formulating an original problem. Identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement. | Design (Level 4) |
| Developing in-depth knowledge of a specialist area in civil engieering. | Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4) |
| Training in scientific/engineering research and investigation practices, in preparation for potential postgraduate study or advanced consultancy work. Conducting a literature review. Investigation of an original problem using various research methods. Developing initiative in sourcing ideas, data and knowledge from self and others. | Information Seeking (Level 3) |
| Experience and training in the preparation of a high quality formal report, with emphasis on corretness, quality & succinctness. | Communication (Level 4) |
| Experience working in a small team, including allocation of tasks, resolution of priorities. Time management training on an extended project, working to a series of deadlines. | Project Management and Teamwork (Level 3) |
For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table.
Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.
Design (Level 4)
1. Ability to formulate and plan a personal research project
2. Originality, ingenuity and initiative in dealing with critical research issues.
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4)
3. In-depth knowledge of a specialised area within the discipline
Maths/Science Methods and Tools (Level 3)
4. Ability to formulate an appropriate method for investigating a specific research question
5. Ability to analyse data, draw appropriate conclusions and present those conclusions in context, with due consideration of methods and assumptions involved.
Communication (Level 4)
6. Ability to document and report research work undertaken in a format appropriate for academic literature with correct referencing.
7. Ability to deliver a research presentation that is clear, confident and engaging to an academic audience.
| Assessment Methods: |
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| Assessment Description: |
Thesis: Final Thesis (Thesis B). Two hard-bound copies of the Thesis should be submitted for marking to the school administration office by end of Week 13, Semester 2. Statement identifying the specific contributions of the student and others must be included. Maximum length is 50 pages (including tables, figures and references, but not appendices). The Thesis must contain a page stating the specific contributions of the student and that of others involved. While the thesis project work is conducted in groups, the final thesis itself musts be written and submitted individually. Students should closely consult Thesis Guidelines handout and Thesis Marking Sheet for content and formatting requirements. Progress Report: Research Plan & Progress Report (Thesis A). A Research Plan and Progress Report of around 15 pages is required from each student. Should include problem/task specification, literature survey, proposed methodology, expected outcomes, progress in first semester and proposed timeline. Participation: Management of Research Project (Thesis B). Thesis projects are undertaken in groups but marking of project management component is based on individual contributions. Presentation/Seminar: Oral Presentation and Poster (Thesis B). Each student will be required to participate in a group presentation and contribute to a group poster on the group`s thesis research. Group presentations will be approximately 15-20 minutes duration, scheduled in parallel sessions according to field of specialisation. Poster should be printed on an A1 page and summarise the groups`s research work, including the main conclusions. Participation in presentations and submission of posters is compulsory. Failure to deliver a scheduled seminar or submit a poster will result in a fail grade for the thesis units. |
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| Grading: |
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| Faculty Policies & Procedures: | Academic Honesty in Coursework. All students must submit a cover sheet for all assessment work that declares that the work is original and not plagiarised from the work of others. Coursework assessment and examination policy. The faculty policy is to use standards based assessment for units where grades are returned and criteria based assessment for Pass/Fail only units. Norm referenced assessment will only be used in exceptional circumstances and its use will need to be justified to the Undergraduate Studies Committee. Special consideration for illness or misadventure may be considered when an assessment component is severely affected. This policy gives the details of the information that is required to be submitted along with the appropriate procedures and forms. Special Arrangements for Examination and Assessment. In exceptional circumstances alternate arrangements for exams or assessment can be made. However concessions for outside work arrangements, holidays and travel, sporting and entertainment events will not normally be given. Student Appeals against Academic Decisions. Students have the right to appeal any academic decision made by a school or the faculty. The appeal must follow the appropriate procedure so that a fair hearing is obtained. Note that policies regarding assessment submission, penalties and assessment feedback depend upon the individual unit of study. Details of these policies, where applicable, will be found above with other assessment details in this unit outline. All university policies can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/policy Various request forms for the Faculty of Engineering and IT can be found at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/forms/ |
| Recommended Reference/s: |
Note: References are provided for guidance purposes only. Students are advised to consult these books in the university library. Purchase is not required.
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| Online Course Content: | http://learn-on-line.ce.usyd.edu.au/ |
Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp
| Week | Description |
| Week 1 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 2 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 3 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 4 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 5 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 6 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 7 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 8 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 9 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 10 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 11 | Thesis project work. |
| Week 12 | Thesis project work. Oral presentation and poster sessions. |
| Assessment Due: Presentation/Seminar | |
| Week 13 | Thesis project work. Final Thesis due. |
| Assessment Due: Thesis | |
| Previous Semester | Assessment Due: Progress Report |
Course Relations
The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.
Course Goals
This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:
| Attribute | Practiced | Assessed |
| Project Management and Teamwork (Level 3) | Yes | 0% |
| Design (Level 4) | Yes | 37.5% |
| Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 4) | Yes | 20% |
| Maths/Science Methods and Tools (Level 3) | No | 22.5% |
| Information Seeking (Level 3) | Yes | 0% |
| Communication (Level 4) | Yes | 20% |
| Professional Conduct (Level 2) | No | 0% |
These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.
