Spatial IT Project

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

Students intending to enrol in this subject must have found a project supervisor at the time of enrolment. The supervisor must have agreed to supervise.

In addition, the subject coordinator must be informed by email about the enrolment and the name of the supervisor.

400 hours

Enrolment in the Spatial specialisation of the Master of Information Technology, with completion of 50 points of GEOM subjects at graduate level.

Students should negotiate a project topic with a project supervisor well before the start of each semester. Students should then prepare a proposal to present their case to enrol to the subject and also to document the project timeline and details.

Students need to obtain the approval of the degree coordinator on their proposal by the first week of the semester to be able to enrol to this subject.

Students cannot enrol in and gain credit for this subject and:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

AIM

This subject involves the in-depth investigation of a significant problem related to Spatial IT. The subject also provides students with skills and knowledge for analysing and solving problems, and enhanced written and oral communication skills. The subject is fundamentally a research-based project, giving a capstone experience and piece of scholarship to students.

INDICATIVE CONTENT

The student will develop a research question in spatial information technology and an appropriate research methodology for investigating the question. After approval by the supervisor(s) the student will apply this methodology, analyse results, and report in a thesis.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILO)

On completion of this subject the student is expected to:

1. Ability to apply knowledge of science and engineering fundamentals
2. Ability to undertake problem identification, formulation, and solution
3. Ability to conduct an engineering project
4. Capacity for creativity and innovation
5. Capacity for lifelong learning and professional development.

• One 800 - 1000 word project proposal (10%) due at the end of week 1, requiring 25 - 30 hours of work. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) 1, 2, 4 and 5 are addressed in this proposal
• One 20 minute presentation (10%) including answering audience questions, of the project or demonstration of a working system, due in week 12. Requires 25 - 30 hours of work. ILOs 2, 3, and 5 are addressed in this assessment
• One 8,000 - 10,000 word project report (80%) due in the second week of the examination period. Requires approximately 200 hours of work. ILOs 1, 2, and 3 are addressed in this report.

None

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject students should:

• Be able to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution
• Have a capacity for independent critical thought, rational inquiry and self-directed learning
• Have a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship
• Be able to present work in written form
• Be able to present work orally and answer questions about it.

LEARNING AND TEACHING METHODS

The subject is guided by weekly progress meetings with the supervisor(s). While the components of the project are relatively constant (research idea, literature review, theoretical framework, experiment, analysis, discussion and reporting) the student is urged to develop early a time plan to manage their progress according to their individual research problem. The time plan is used in supervisor meetings to reflect on progress and potentially provide guidance.

The thesis has in many cases the form of a scientific paper, such that in cases of outstanding and scientifically original work the thesis can also be submitted for publication.

INDICATIVE KEY LEARNING RESOURCES

As an individual research project it is up to the student to identify required resources (typically access to the scientific literature as provided electronically through the University library). Computing resources are provided by the University. The skills for doing a research project were developed in the pre-requisite subject.

CAREERS / INDUSTRY LINKS

Typically this is an academic research project, oriented along scientific literature and aiming to produce a scientific outcome.