Teesside University International Study Centre Study Group TUISC - Assessment Brief - Digital Futures Summative Assessment Title of the assignment: Digital Futures Research Report International Foundation Year - Computing, Engineering, & Programme: Science Assessment type ECA Academic Year: 2023-2024 (ICA/ECA): Module Title: Digital Futures Module Code: Summative Report: Assignment Format & Maximum Word Count: 2000-word written report on research project 100% Weighting: Submission Date/Time and Location/Method: Feedback date: Tutor/s Marking: Cameron Dowse/ Mike Jaques Resubmission Date: Detailed Brief for Individual/Group Assessment Purpose of the assignment: This assignment will assess students' ability to report on the findings of their research, as well as provide context for their findings, reflect on the process, and adequately reference their work. Context of the assignment: Students will need work individually to write a report of no longer than 2000 words (+10%) (excluding references and any title / cover page), writing about their research question of their choice within the realms of Digital technology. The report will be split into six sections: ● Introduction • Literature Review • Analysis and Discussion • Conclusions • Self-Evaluation • References The report will include a title page, and each section will need a subtitle. Introduction This section will require the students to introduce the report, briefly explaining what the report will be about and introducing the project question, as well as detailing the Teesside University International Study Centre Study Group structure of the report. It should be clearly stated in this section what the aims of the project are. This section will be worth around 5% of the total mark and should be around 100 words. Literature Review This section requires students to write a literature review that will provide valuable background information on their project question as well as provide justification for their research. For this section, the students will need to begin by explaining information that will provide the reader with the necessary information to help them to understand the background of the project. The literature review should also include a justification for the project. This should explain why the research project is useful and worthwhile. This could include reasons like filling a gap in current research, creating a new process or idea based on existing research, performing a new critical analysis of existing research, or building on new research. Students should be able to say why their research project is worthwhile, providing an explanation of what the intended contribution of their research is. This section should be around 600 words and will be worth 25% of the total mark for this assessment. • Analysis and Discussion For this section, students will detail the findings of their project and outline the research that justifies / supports those findings. This section will expand on the background foundational concepts introduced in the literature review section. This is where most of the critical analysis of data will take place, and where students will need to explain the reasoning behind their main conclusions / outcomes. As such, there should be a critical discussion about what the findings imply, and how they relate to the existing literature. Students should also discuss the questions raised by their project for future research that could build on their research. There should also be some critical analysis of the limitations on the students' research as part of this, including why those limits existed and how they could be overcome in future. This section should be around 600 words and will be worth 30% of the total mark for this assignment. • Conclusions Here, students should summarise each of the main conclusions of their project, and briefly explain each one. It would be useful in this section for the students to relate their conclusions to their project aims and original research question. This section should be around 200 words long and is worth around 10% of the mark for this assessment. Teesside University International Study Centre Study Group Self-Evaluation In this section, students will look back on their project and perform a critical analysis on the skills they developed and the challenges they faced. In their evaluation, students will have to discuss skills they developed over the course of this module. These skills should be stated, as well as an explanation of why the skill is important and how the student developed it over the course of the project. Students should also evaluate what went well and what went less well over the course of their project. Students should discuss at least one aspect of their project that went well, explaining why it went well and how that experience will benefit them in the future. They should also discuss one aspect of their project that went less well, explaining why it went less well, how they overcame the challenges involved, and how that experience will be beneficial to them in the future. This section should be around 500 words and will be worth 25% of the total mark for this assessment. • References Finally, the report should end with a list of references for any sources the student used when writing their report. Students should note that anywhere where they have taken information from another source, they should cite that source with a reference. Students should use the IEEE referencing system when doing so. Students are reminded that academic misconduct (in forms including, but not limited to plagiarism, collusion, and contract cheating / purchase commissioning) will not be tolerated in any of their assessments. Students' ability to adequately provide proper references for their work will be worth 5% of the total mark for this assessment. Assessment Criteria Learning Outcomes: Personal and Transferable Skills Construct reasoned argument, evaluate relevant information, and exercise critical judgement on innovative technology. Learning Outcomes: Research, Knowledge and Cognitive Skills Apply concepts theories and methods used in the study of digital innovation to the analysis of ideas, practices, and issues. Develop an understanding of the relative and appropriate contribution that digital innovation can make in the work environment. Learning Outcomes: Professional Skills Display appropriate knowledge and understanding of historical and contemporary issues within digital innovation. Teesside University International Study Centre Study Group Display appropriate knowledge and understanding of historical and contemporary issues within innovation. Feedback/Marking Criteria for this assignment (Rubric) The report will be marked out of 100, with marks given according to the below rubric: Criterion: Introduction Literature Review >80% Report gives a clear, in-depth explanation of the purpose of their report and project aims. Report outlines 80%-60% Report explains the purpose of their report and project aims, but some things may be unclear. The report's structure is the report's structure in outlined. detail. demonstrates a Report Report demonstrates an excellent good background knowledge of the theory surrounding the chosen project question. Excellent justification of the project is provided, including a detailed explanation of contribution the research is making. Justification of project is based on and related strongly to existing research. The connections between this project and existing research are explained clearly in the report. background knowledge of the theory surrounding the chosen project question. Good justification of the project is provided, including some explanation of contribution the project is making, which may be lacking in detail. Justification of project is based on and related to existing research. Connections between this project and existing research are explained in the report, but this lacks clarity. 60%-40% Report gives partial, unclear explanation of report's purpose. Aims may be unclear or missing Outline of report's structure is vague. Report describes background knowledge of the theory surrounding the chosen project question, although this lacks clarity/ detail. Limited justification of the project is provided, and explanation of contribution the project is making may be limited. Basis of project on existing research is unclear. Connections between this project and existing research are limited. <40% Report gives little to no explanation of report's purpose. Aims may be unclear or missing. Outline of the report's structure is mostly / entirely missing. Weighting 5% Report contains 25% very limited description of the theory surrounding the chosen project question. Limited justification of the project is provided, and explanation of contribution the project is making may be limited. Basis of project on existing research is unclear. Connections between this project and existing research are limited. Analysis and Discussion Report presents results/findings appropriately, clearly, and in- depth. Report demonstrates an excellent, detailed understanding of how analysis was carried out and the results/ findings were obtained. Reasoning/ analysis displays a high level of Report generally presents results / findings appropriately, however there may be a few places where clarity and depth are lacking. Report demonstrates an understanding of how analysis was carried out and the results / findings were obtained. Report presents results/ findings, but clarity and depth are generally lacking. Report demonstrates a limited understanding of how analysis was carried out and the results / findings were obtained. Reasoning/ analysis displays some critical Report presents results findings, 30% in a basic way that is unclear. Report demonstrates very limited/no understanding of how analysis was carried out and the results / findings were obtained. Criticality is absent from reasoning/ analysis. Teesside University International Study Centre Study Group Conclusions Evaluation Referencing critical analysis throughout. Findings are related well to sources. Report explains at least 3 conclusions from the project. Conclusions are related to project aims. Explanation of each conclusion and its relation to the project question is clear. Student critically analyses multiple skills covered over the course of the project, analysing each one in terms of its current and future usefulness. Student explains in detail at least 1 aspect of their project that went well, along with critical analysis of how it went well and how it will be beneficial to them in the long- term. Student explains in detail at least 1 aspect of their research project that went less well, along with an explanation of how the challenges involved were overcome and a critical analysis of how to improve in the future. Report supplies a wide range of reliable, relevant references supporting Reasoning/ analysis displays a good level of critical analysis but there may be some places where criticality is lacking. Findings are generally related to sources although there may some gaps/ errors. Report explains up to 3 conclusions from the project. Conclusions are generally, but not all related to project aims. Explanation of each conclusion and its relation to the project question is present but may sometimes be unclear. Student analyses at least 1 skill covered over the course of the project, analysing each one in terms of its current and future usefulness. Student explains 1 aspect of their project that went well, along with an analysis of how it went well and how it will be beneficial to them in the long-term. Student explains at least 1 aspect of their research project that went less well, along with an explanation of how the challenges involved were overcome and an analysis of how to improve in the future. Criticality in the above analyses may be limited. Report supplies a range of references supporting claims. Findings are not analysis, but related to sources. criticality is generally lacking. Findings are often not related to sources. Report states up to 3 conclusions from the project. Conclusions are generally not related to project aims. Explanation of each conclusion and its relation to the project question is unclear. Student analyses 1 skill covered over the course of the project, with limited analysis of its current and future usefulness. Student describes 1 aspect of their project that went well, with limited analysis of how it will be beneficial to them in the long-term. Student describes 1 aspect of their research project that went less well, with limited explanation of how the challenges involved were overcome or an analysis of how to improve in the future. Criticality in the above analyses is largely absent. Report states less than 3 conclusions from the project. Conclusions are not related to project aims. Explanation of each conclusion and its relation to the project question is missing. Student analyses up to 1 skill covered over the course of the project, with little to no analysis in terms of its current and future usefulness. Student states 1 aspect of their studies that went well. Student states 1 aspect of their studies that could be improved upon. Criticality is absent. 10% 25% References are very limited, not relevant, and are from unreliable sources. 5%