MA4XA: Fourth Year Project

Module code: MA4XA

Module provider: Mathematics and Statistics; School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences

Credits: 40

Level: Level 4 (Undergraduate Masters)

When you'll be taught: Full year

Module convenor: Dr Nick Biggs, email: n.r.t.biggs@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE MA3PRO OR TAKE ST3PR OR TAKE MA3PPR OR TAKE MA3PAL (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module offers students the opportunity to work independently, with limited supervision, on an area of mathematics of their choice and present their findings orally and in the form of a dissertation. It will allow students to demonstrate their ability to develop a coherent account of a topic in mathematics and to allow students to develop their skills in the written and oral presentation of mathematics. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Study and research an extended mathematical topic independently;
2. Make an appropriate selection of material and present it coherently;
3. Write a report on a substantial topic in mathematics;
4. Present their work and defend it orally;
5. Use the library and other information resources to discover information.

Module content

A topic supported by a research paper or a portion of a book will be chosen. The project work consists of necessary background reading, after which the student will write a word-processed dissertation on the work itself. The work in the project must not simply consist of extract from books and/or papers, but must have been substantially re-worked by the student into a coherent piece of mathematics and will usually include original material in the form of examples or illustrations of the work. The work will be presented orally and defended. 

Over the summer most of the work will be background reading and project planning, which will form the basis of a project plan report submitted at the beginning of the Autumn Semester. In the Autumn and Spring Semesters the main work and writing of the dissertation will occur. An oral presentation/viva will be held towards the end of the Spring Semester. 

Each student is allocated to a supervisor, whom they will meet to discuss progress. The independence displayed by the student in carrying out the project and any originality will be taken into account in the assessment. The oral presentation/viva will be used to gauge the student’s understanding of the topic and its context. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Independent study with limited supervision. 

Study hours

At least 21 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs