Presentations and Assessment FAQs

(See also Project FAQs)

In addition to careful study of the assessment criteria, students might find the following answers to student queries useful:

Q) I was wondering about the presentation at the end of the project, is this just a presentation and no report?

A) Yes, no report is required, although the marker needs a copy of the presentation and any related material the student want to use. This should be submitted all in one big zip file, uploaded to blackboard, along with any project code and resources. A copy of everything on CD should also be submitted to the Student Support Office, before 4.00 on the deadline.

In the presentation, you're marked on:

• Summary discussion of project production 5% (which means a brief discussion about how you put the project together)
• Evaluation of working project, including user testing 10% (which is discussing your usability findings and evaluating the project, what could be improved in future developments, and what have you already improved based on user feedback?)

Q) How do we show our usability testing, and the changes we made to the project from the proposal. Do we just stick it all on a PowerPoint?

A) That's up to you. A PowerPoint is generally useful, you can show it on a laptop, and you can use a handout if you like, that's optional. The main purpose of the demonstation is for me and/or Jules to see the working product, and be able to mark it. It's a chance for you to show it, working and explain it at the same time.

Q) How much time should I give to each area in my demonstration./presentation?

You have 25 minutes for the presentation, so you might want to spend roughly 5-10 demoing the application, 5 minutes explaining how it was put together, 10-15 evaluating the project and describing user testing/suggested improvements (you can also justify any changes made from the original proposal at some point, if you feel it necessary).

Q) How should we include our references if there's no written report?

A) Put all you references at the end of the PowerPoint. If you like, you can also include a document (Word or whatever) with the project that contains an explanation of the project. It's not an essay, but I do need to know if any of the code you've used etc. is not your own. It's ok to use other people's code, you just need to make clear which parts are your own work (and the bits that are your own work need to be substantial).

Q) Would it be best to have it printed out for you to read as well as on the PowerPoint?

A) Personally, I don't like wasting paper, so a digital version uploaded to Blackboard of everything, in a nice Zip file (you can put it all in a Zip with your project code and resources) is what I'd prefer. Instructions for this will follow, but basically you upload the whole lot to Blackboard as a Zip file, and on the CD version which should also be submitted to the Student Support Office.

Q) How do we demonstrate our projects, do we do it on the emulators or on our own phones, or what?

A) This will depend on the project - whether you have gotten it on a phone or have stuck to working in an emulator environment. It's "cool" if we can see it on an actual phone, but if rather than putting effort into getting it working on an actual phone, you've put your effort into designing a better site for an emulator, you can still get good marks. It is not compulsory to see it on an actual phone, but a nice thing to be able to do.

I will have a laptop with several emulators available on it, you can bring your own laptop or phones with you if you like. Please let me know as soon as possible about any software requirements you have. Don't assume I have particular versions of software available.

Project FAQs

Q) I have found some code on the Internet or in a book. It does exactly what I want it to do - am I allowed to use it in my project?

A) You can use non original code, providing you clearly reference those parts that are non original. Also you must produce a significant amount of original work. At the very least you must add to modify borrowed code significantly to "make it your own", whilst keeping clear references to non-original code, which you should volunteer in your presentation.

Q) For the 2nd project, does it have to be something completely different or can I extend project 1?

A) It is ok to extend and develop the first project for project 2 - it is also acceptable to do something completely different. Your decision is strategic on two levels - 1 will it help you learn something new and useful to you, and 2, will it help you get good marks?

If you do develop the same project, the areas in which it has developed must be significant and carry as much work, ideally, as was associated with the first project. I must be able to clearly identify what is 'new' in order to mark it.

Q) For the 1st project I did a WAP site and now want to create a quiz for it, like a game. What software do you think is best to do this, or could i still use XHTML MP/ WAP 2.0?

A) You can use XHTML MP, but you will need some kind of scripting, or server side processing in order to process results and the like. PHP is one technology you could use for this part, but if you have a preference for another method, feel free to research this.

Q) I want to change my project from exactly what I said I was doing in my project spec - is it ok to do this?

A) Yes, if you have a good reason, this is ok, for example, if after investigation you found you couldn't implement some aspect, or if you got a better idea that you really wanted to work on. However, you do it at your own risk! You must also briefly justify this decision in your presentation.

Also, if you initially decided you were going to use one technology, e.g. WML, and you later found another technology, e.g. XHTML MP, was more appropriate for you project, this is a good reason to change from the spec.

(Note: This is only something you can do in a learning environment though. In a work-place context, you would of course pretty much have to stick with the initial specification, in negotiation with your client.)