Fyp Guidelines v9 May2013

Guidelines for the Implementation of the Final Year Project I & II for Undergraduate Programs

Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Bachelor of Electrical Power Engineering, Bachelor of Computer and Communication Engineering,

Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, Bachelor of Civil Engineering.

Prepared by

College Final Year Project Committee College of Engineering,

Universiti Tenaga Nasional

Version Nine

May 2013

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Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 2

2. Definition of the Final Year Project ................................................................................. 2

3. Aim ............................................................................................................................................... 2

4. Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 2

5. Types of Final Year Projects ............................................................................................... 2

6. Student’s Responsibilities ................................................................................................... 3

7. Assessment ............................................................................................................................... 4

7.1. Assessment Criteria for Project I ................................................................................. 4

7.1.1. Project Proposal ....................................................................................................................... 4

7.1.2. Progress Report 1 .................................................................................................................... 5

7.1.3. Progress Report 2 .................................................................................................................... 5

7.1.4. Logbook ....................................................................................................................................... 6

7.1.5. Oral Presentation 1 ................................................................................................................. 6

7.1.6. Conduct of Task ........................................................................................................................ 7

7.2. Assessment Criteria for Project II................................................................................ 7

7.2.1. Progress Report 3 .................................................................................................................... 7

7.2.2. Logbook ....................................................................................................................................... 7

7.2.3. Oral Presentation 2 ................................................................................................................. 8

7.2.4. Thesis ............................................................................................................................................ 8

7.2.5. Conduct of Task ..................................................................................................................... 10

8. FYP Briefings and Research Methodology Class………………………………………….11

9. Late Submission of Project Proposal, Progress Reports and Thesis…………. 11

9. Conditions for Completion of Project……………………………………………………… 12

10. Project Extension…………………………………………………………………………………...12

11. Similarity Check and Plagiarism……………………………………………………………..12

Appendix 1: Sample Guide for Project Proposal Report ................................................... 14

Appendix 2: Sample Guide for Progress Report ................................................................... 15

Appendix 3: Sample CD Cover ..................................................................................................... 16

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1. Introduction

To inculcate an attitude towards research, life-long learning and critical

thinking, each student will have to embark on a two-semester Final Year

Project (FYP), which consists of part 1 – Project I (FYP1) and part 2 – Project II

(FYP2). Project I is to be taken as a prerequisite to Project II.

2. Definition of the Final Year Project

The Final Year Project (FYP) is an engineering project that is related to the

student’s field of study and must be carried out by the student as partial

fulfillment for the award of the bachelor’s degree.

3. Aim

The aim of the final year project is to enhance the student’s knowledge and

skills in solving problems through engineering based projects.

4. Objectives

Having successfully completed the final year project, students are expected to

have:

(i) The capability to manage and use scientific knowledge to carry out

engineering projects;

(ii) The capability to think objectively, analytically and critically in

identifying and solving problems in a systematic manner;

(iii) The capability to be independent in carrying out and producing

solutions to engineering problems;

(iv) The capability to deliver or present the project findings in oral and

written forms.

5. Types of Final Year Projects

The final year project to be carried out by a student can be in any of the

following natures, encompassing study/research, design/development,

software development or case study.

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The common characteristics of a project are as follows:

(i) A project in the form of a research focuses on the behavior,

phenomena or characteristics of events, processes, designs or

developments. The end product will be in the form of data,

observations and interpretations, which can enhance the student’s

knowledge.

(ii) A design or development project focuses on the design or

development of a product, which fulfills specifications, standards or

technical needs. The end product is a design or product.

(iii) A project in the form of software development focuses on developing

a computer software/program according to fixed specifications. The

end product is a computer software/program.

6. Student’s Responsibilities

Students have to comply with all guidelines stipulated by the College Final

Year Project Committee. Failure in complying with the guidelines and

deadlines may result in a poor grade for the project. The following are some of

the responsibilities of students taking the final year project:

There are no formal lectures associated with the course; hence

students must be independent while conducting the course.

Nonetheless, students (in Project I) are required to attend a ½ day

intense course on Research Methodology, which will be held together

for all departments.

Students are required to check for class notices posted on notice

boards around the College of Engineering and also through their

online student record system as frequent as possible.

Students must enroll as users of Final Year Project. Go to

http://lms.uniten.edu.my/moodle then select College of

Engineering, College of Engineering Common Courses, and Final

Year Project. Periodic updates and materials related to the course

http://lms.uniten.edu.my/moodle

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will be posted here. Enrollment key can be obtained for the

respective FYP coordinators.

On the first week of the semester, students can view titles online

through UNITEN’s student record system.

Students will do selection of titles on the second week of the

semester. The date of title selection will be notified.

Students are required to have regular meetings with their project

supervisors to discuss project progress and any other matters

pertaining to the project. Weekly discussions are highly

recommended.

Students are required to have a logbook. All ideas, methodologies,

literature reviews, discussions and findings pertaining to the project

must be logged into the logbook. The logbook will be evaluated.

Students are required to be aware of all due dates pertaining to the

project.

7. Assessment

Assessment of the final year project will be based on the stages completed in

the research/study or design carried out.

7.1. Assessment Criteria for Project I

The assessment will be based on the six (6) considerations as

follows:

Project Proposal : 15%

Progress Report 1 : 20%


Logbook : 10%

Oral Presentation 1 : 25%

Conduct of Task : 5%

7.1.1. Project Proposal

This assessment is weighted 15% of the final grade and is based

on the following:

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A brief scene setting introduction to the context of the

project;

A clear statement of the project's objectives;

A project plan in some appropriate diagrammatic form

with milestones.

Maximum pages allowed for the report is 3 pages. There is

example in the Appendix 1. Refer to the FYP Calendar for the

deadline.

(The Project Proposal Report must be submitted to the

College Admin Counter at the ground floor by the stipulated

deadline. DO NOT submit to your supervisor).

7.1.2. Progress Report 1


on the following:

Quantity and quality of literature review/ background

study;

Ability to summarize literature review/ background study;

Ability to relate background study to project objectives;

Ability to present a good report (physical setup, language,

tidiness).

The report will be allowed a maximum of 10 pages (excluding

appendices). There is an example of Progress Report in the

Appendix 2. Refer to the FYP Calendar for the deadline.

(The Progress Report must be submitted to the College

Admin Counter at the ground floor by the stipulated




on the following:

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Ability to identify and discuss work procedure, analysis

and approach;

Ability to discuss expected output of project;


tidiness).


appendices). Refer to the FYP Calendar for the deadline.




7.1.4. Logbook


on the following:

Adequacy of the content of the logbook as an acceptably

good preliminary report;

Organization of the logbook;

Tidiness of the logbook.

(The Logbook must be submitted to the supervisor by the

stipulated deadline).

7.1.5. Oral Presentation 1


on the following:

Ability to use presentation tools, appropriate attire and

good time keeping;

Ability to communicate orally (language, fluency and flow

of presentation);

Ability to discuss concisely and briefly about technical

work;

Ability to answer questions with justifications.

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7.1.6. Conduct of Task


on student’s attitude and initiatives towards implementing the

project and frequency of meeting with the supervisor.

7.2. Assessment Criteria for Project II

The assessment will be based on the following six (6)

considerations:


Logbook : 5%

Oral Presentation 2 : 20%

Thesis : 60%

Conduct of Task : 5%

Important Reminder:

Project II is a continuation of Project I.



on the following:

Ability to present and discuss results;


tidiness).


appendices). Refer to the FYP Calendar for the deadline.




7.2.2. Logbook


on the following:

Adequacy of the content of the logbook as an acceptably

good preliminary report;

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Organization of the logbook;

Tidiness of the logbook;

(The Logbook must be submitted to the supervisor by the

stipulated deadline).

7.2.3. Oral Presentation 2


on the following:

Ability to use presentation tools, appropriate attire and

good time keeping;

Ability to communicate orally (language, fluency and flow

of presentation);

Ability to discuss concisely and briefly about technical

work;

Ability to answer questions with justifications.

7.2.4. Thesis

This assessment is weighted 60% of the final grade. The thesis is

a complete report pertaining to the project carried out. It

contains the improved contents of the Project Proposal, Progress

Report 1 – 3 together with discussions, results and findings,

conclusions and recommendations for future work. It is to be

evaluated by a panel of assessors comprising of the supervisor

and an internal examiner from the college.

The contents and format of this full thesis should comply with

the College thesis preparation guidelines. Referencing in the

thesis is also important. Students should refer to their

supervisors for the appropriate referencing style. The thesis

format can be obtained from the following website

http://lms.uniten.edu.my/moodle > College of Engineering >

College of Engineering Common Courses > Final Year Project.

http://lms.uniten.edu.my/moodle

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Student is required to submit a draft of the thesis prior to

the oral presentation. The draft of the thesis is to be

submitted to the College Admin Counter at the ground

floor by the stipulated deadline (refer to FYP calendar). DO

NOT submit to your supervisor.

Student is required to meet the supervisor to collect a

Letter of Approval, maximum two weeks after the draft

thesis due date. The Letter of Approval will be completed

by your supervisor and co-supervisor(s). The supervisor

and co-supervisor(s) would comment and provide

suggestions of modifications/corrections (if any) in the

letter before the submission of hardbound thesis.

The students are required to make necessary corrections to the

thesis, and submit to the College Administration Office by the

stipulated deadline the following items:

TWO (2) copies of hardbound thesis (BLACK cover with

GOLD lettering);

ONE (1) CD containing the softcopy of the thesis and all

materials related to the projects including the project

proposal, progress reports, oral presentation slides,

references, etc. (Cover of CD as in Appendix 3);

Letter of Approval signed and stamped by supervisor and

co-supervisor(s).

Turnitin® Similarity Report

(These deliverables must be submitted to the College Admin

Counter at the ground floor by the stipulated deadline. DO

NOT SUBMIT TO YOUR SUPERVISOR. Submission will be

recorded and failure to comply may result in the hardbound

thesis not accepted for examination).

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The following criteria will be used to assess the hardbound

thesis:

Presentation of Thesis (Total – 10%)

Physical setup, tidiness, neatness of text, diagrams,

graphs and others

Suitability and continuity of chapters

Language and grammar

Compliance to thesis format guidelines

References (Total – 10%)

Reference source (journals, conference papers, books, and

other reliable sources)

Referencing style/format ( refer to your supervisor)

Consistency of referencing style

Technical Work Achievements (Total – 40 %)

Plan and approach by the student towards the problem

Design and construction (hardware/ software)

Results and conclusions of the project

Fulfillment of the objectives of the project with the

solution obtained

Originality of idea, formed from creative and innovative

thinking

7.2.5. Conduct of Task


on student’s attitude and initiatives towards implementing the

project and frequency of meeting with the supervisor.

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8. FYP Briefings and Research Methodology Class

These briefings and class are compulsory for students taking FYP 1 and 2. Marks will be deducted for absenteeism. Please refer to the FYP calendars.

9. Late Submission of Project Proposal, Progress Reports and

Thesis

A student is wholly responsible to submit his/her project proposal,

progress reports, and thesis on time. In order to be fair to the majority

of students who adhere by the deadlines stipulated by the college FYP

committee, late submission penalties will accrue.

If the project proposal or progress report or thesis is due at 4.00 pm

and it is submitted at 4.01 pm, it will be considered as a late

submission.

No exceptions will be made, even for last-minute printing problems.

Therefore, students are advised to allow adequate time for formatting,

printing, binding, and any other potential sources of delay.

The penalty for late submission will be as shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Penalty for late submission of reports

Late Submission/ No. of Working Day

Penalty Accrued

One −20%

Two −25%

Three −30%

Four −35%

Five −50%

The maximum deduction for project proposal or progress report is 50% of the

total marks awarded by the supervisor. Note that weekends and public

holidays are NOT considered in the late submission calculation.

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For a thesis that is submitted after the deadline and within the first five

working days, the penalty accrued will follow Table 1. The reduction is based

on the total marks of the thesis.

Late submission of the thesis is treated by the College as a serious matter.

Therefore, for a late submission of more than five working days, the thesis will

be considered as ‘failed to be submitted’. Failure to submit the thesis will

result in failure of the course.

10. Conditions for Completion of Project

Project 1 is the prerequisite to Project 2.

A student who fails Project 1 (with an E grade) must repeat the subject.

The student may retain the topic of the project, or if the student chooses to

work on a new topic, he/she may do so with prior approval from the

department committee.

Hence, Project 1 and 2 should each be completed within one normal

semester respectively. Proper time and project management is vital.

11. Project Extension

Student can only request for extension of project in the case of emergency or

serious medical reasons with valid official documents. The request has to be

made through respective department FYP coordinators. Extension for project

completion must be made latest by Week 14. The maximum allowable

duration of project extension is one month.

12. Similarity Check and Plagiarism

In order to ensure honesty in academic writing, the student is required to

submit his/her thesis to originality check software known as Turnitin®. The

student can view the details of submission in Turnitin®.

The software will perform an originality check to the submitted work and

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produce a report that can be viewed by you, your supervisor, and the

respective department FYP coordinators.

Student can upload the thesis for originality check starting from the due date

of the draft thesis. Only, the final report generated on the due date of

hardbound thesis shall be considered by the College.

A thesis with less that 50% of similarity as reported by Turnitin® will be

accepted for grading. However, a thesis with 50% or more similarity as

reported by Turnitin® will be reviewed by the College FYP Committee. The

supervisor will be consulted in this matter. If the content of the thesis is

found to be clearly plagiarized, the thesis will not be accepted for grading. The

student will be failed.

The Turnitin Similarity Report is to be submitted together with the

hardbound thesis.

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Appendix 1: Sample Guide for Project Proposal Report

The following is a sample outline that contains vital elements in a student’s project

proposal. Note that all questions for a section may not apply to all students, and should

be used as a general guide only. A guide means that you do not have to follow it 100%.

You can present the report in another manner but please make sure the vital elements

are in your report.

1. Cover Page with Title, Author’s Name, Supervisor’s Name and Date.

2. Problem Definitions / Introduction (1 – 2 paragraphs)

o Summarize the problem

o Describe format / outline of the proposal (sections, etc).

3. Preliminary Background Study (1 – 3 paragraphs)

o What is the history of the problem?

o Why is this problem interesting?

o When and why does the problem occur?

o Is the problem already solved? What is done now?

4. Project Objectives and Scopes (1 paragraph)

o What in general will this project achieve? (Do not delve into details or

timelines).

5. Project Details

o General Work Procedures (1 – 2 paragraphs)

A brief statement of the methodology for the realization of the

project. It could define the general approach to how the project

and its output(s) will be realized

o Implementation issues and Challenges (1 – 2 paragraph)

What will be the most difficult issues and challenges in the

implementation?

What makes your project unique?

o Timeline (1 paragraph – Gantt Chart form)

Provide an estimated timeline of project deliverables and

important dates.

6. Conclusion (1 paragraph)

o Summarize the project including the problem, motivation and proposed

solution (if any).

7. References

o List references used to compile proposal and references that will be used

for project (if already known).

FORMAT – All progress report should be in 12pt. single-spaced Times New Roman.

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Appendix 2: Sample Guide for Progress Report

Progress reports are written in this course to keep the supervisors informed about the

progress of the project in terms of work completed, problems encountered and work

remaining. Even though progress reports are often in the form of a memo, the writer

should be careful to write formal, standard prose. Progress reports represent not only

the writer’s work but the writer’s organizational and communication skills. Below is

proposed outline on writing a progress report. The outline should be taken as a general

guide only.

Heading:

It should contain the following standard elements:

Progress Report #: Indicate what number the report is.

Reporting Period: Identify the time period covered by the report.

Submittal Date: Indicate the date that the report is sent.

Project Name: Indicate the name of the project.

Student Name: Indicate the student’s name.

Supervisor Name: Indicate the supervisor’s name and co-supervisor (if any)

Subject: A clear phrase that focuses on the subject.

Background:

Here, the student gives the reader (supervisor) some background information. Tell the

reader what the project is and clarify its purpose and time scale. If there have been

earlier progress reports, you might make a brief reference to them.

Work Completed:

This section of a progress report explains what work has been done during the reporting

period. You might arrange this section chronologically (following the actual sequence

of the tasks being completed), or you might divide this section into subparts of the

larger project and report on each subpart in sequence. Whatever pattern you use, be

consistent.

Problems:

If the reader is likely to be interested in the glitches you have encountered along the

way, mention the problems you have encountered and explain how you have solved

them. If there are problems you have not yet been able to solve, explain your strategy

for solving them and give tell the reader when you think you will have them solved.

Work Schedule:

Specify the dates of the next segment of time in the project and outline a schedule of

the work you expect to get accomplished during the period. It is often a good idea to

arrange this section by dates, which stand for deadlines. To finish the progress report,

you might add a sentence evaluating your progress thus far.

Appendices: Include relevant appendices if necessary.

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Appendix 3: Sample CD Cover

Fyp Guidelines v9 May2013

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