Individual or group: The home exam essay can be written either individually, or in groups of 2 or 3 students.
Weight: The home exam weighs 40% towards the final mark, on the condition of having at least a pass score on the written exam. Similarly, the written exam weighs 60% on the condition of having at least a pass score on the home exam.
Due date for the home exam: 15.11.2019 at 23:59 (local time zone).
Selection of topic and group: In order to ensure good progress, try to select a topic and group by 11.10.2019. The topic can be chosen from a list of proposed topics or can be specified by the student/group. Students are welcome to suggest their own topic title and to discuss possible topics with the course lecturer if they wish to. The link to the topic/group selection document will be published in the lecture.
General guidelines: The report should be in the style of (technical) report or an academic paper. In particular it should contain full references and citations. Use of the Internet for research material is encouraged but any sources must be referenced and care should be taken to avoid reliance on unmoderated or unrefereed material. If you are unfamiliar with the structure of an academic report, or how to reference material, you can get advice from e.g. University of Essex Academic Writing Guide. Be sure to reference your sources when needed, otherwise you are liable to be accused of plagiarism. As a guideline reports should be between 5000 and 10000 words (approximately 10 - 15 pages). Report structure will vary according to the topic selected but should always contain an introduction and conclusion as part of a logical structure. The language for the report must be English.
Marking criteria:
Reports will be assessed using the following criteria equally weighted:
- Structure and presentation. Use a logical structure, present the material is clear and correct language.
- Scope and depth of content. The scope must be well defined, and the depth of content should be adjusted to how wide or narrow the scope is. If the scope is wide the content is normally shallow, and if the scope is narrow the content goes deep.
- Evidence of independent research and analysis. The presented material needs to show evidence of independent analysis and contribution. This can take many forms. E.g. draw some independent conclusion, or conduct an interview and reflect and analyse on the results.
- Proper use of references. Always reference material used. Both traditional literature and articles as well as web references can be used.
As a general principle, reports consisting only of summaries of references will not gain a high score. To gain a high score, reports should contain some independent thought or analysis, for example in the form of: critical comparisons of systems, critical analysis of existing solutions, critical analysis of previous work or proposals, experimental evidence (such as on a computer network), statistical analysis of data, or interviews with experts or lay persons.
How to submit this Home Exam: Submit a PDF file through Inspera. The cover page must carry the topic title and number and student candidate number(s) for IN3210 H2019. Students working together on the same essay only need to submit one essay, but it doesn't do any harm if all students in the same group (same topic number) submit the same report to Inspera. Do not write student name(s) on the cover page, the Home Exam is anonymous.