2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering

FACULTY OF ENGINEERI NG
B. TECH: DISSERTATION


SUBJECT CODE(S):
PJM402S


SUBJECT GUIDE 2014


PREREQUISITE QUALIFICATION:
National diploma: Engineering: Civil
COURSE CODE: PJM402S
B. Tech: Engineering: Civil
NQF LEVEL: 7
B. Tech Dissertation IV: PJM402S 2

2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering
Table of Contents
Page
A. Organisational component ............................................................................................................. 3
1. Word of welcome ............................................................................................................................. 3
2. General .......................................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Contact information ......................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Time-table ................................................................................................................................ 3
2.3 Web based technologies .................................................................................................................. 3
3. Study materials ................................................................................................................................ 3
4. Subject credits .................................................................................................................................. 4
5. Assessment ...................................................................................................................................... 4
5.1 Assessment policy and regulations .................................................................................................. 4
5.2 Assessment opportunities: administration ..................................................................................... 4
6. Additional information ..................................................................................................................... 4
6.1 Attendence ................................................................................................................................ 4
6.2 Punctuality ................................................................................................................................ 5
6.3 Test dates, venues and topics to be covered ................................................................................... 5
6.4 Invigilation rules for students .......................................................................................................... 5
6.5 Absence during tests/evaluations .................................................................................................... 5
6.6 Class participation ............................................................................................................................ 5
6.7 Dissertation ................................................................................................................................ 5
6.8 Feedback and queries ...................................................................................................................... 6
B. Study component ............................................................................................................................ 6
7. Subject specifications ....................................................................................................................... 6
7.1 Purpose of the subject ..................................................................................................................... 6
7.2 Subject structure .............................................................................................................................. 6
7.3 Learning presumed to be in place .................................................................................................... 6
7.4 Critical cross-field outcomes ............................................................................................................ 7
8. Learner acknowledgement .............................................................................................................. 8
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2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering
A. Organisational component
1. Word of welcome
Welcome to the subject Dissertation IV. In this subject you will be introduced to research methodology
which will enable you to successfully identify a research problem, conduct a literature review, plan the
experimental work, get and interpret results and write all this up in a structured research dissertation.

This will be a fascinating and stimulating journey, which we hope you will enjoy and which will teach you
many new skills. We wish you success.
2. General
2.1 Contact information

Name
Building and
room number
Telephone
number
E-mail address
Consulting
hours
Head of
department
Ms A Kamalie
Bellville, ABC
Building
021 9596650 kamaliea@cput.ac.za
By
appointment
Subject
Lecturer/
coordinator
Prof R Haldenwang
Cape Town
R 3.74 Eng.
021 4603512 haldenwangr@cput.ac.za
By
appointment
Subject
Lecturer
Prof V Fester
Cape Town
R 3.74 Eng.
021 4603760 festerv@cput.ac.za
By
appointment
Subject
Lecturer
Mr A Sutherland
Cape Town
R 3.54 Eng.
021 4603869 sutherlanda@cput.ac.za
By
appointment
Admin
Mrs W Heuvel
Cape Town
R 3.74 Eng.
021 4603309 heuvelw@cput.ac.za Office hours
Secretary
Mr Siya Makaluza
Cape Town
R 3.74 Eng.
021 4603055 makaluzas@cput.ac.za Office hours
2.2 Time-table
Seven blocks of two full days each (i.e. 14 full days) have been scheduled during the academic year for
the Project Management Theory and Dissertation subjects. The Dissertation subject consists of lectures
and a major research project for which supervisors will be appointed either internally or externally.
2.3 Web based technologies
This subject will make extensive use of web based technologies. It is essential to have access to the
internet for this subject. Computers are available in the library, the computer centre and computer
facilities in the Civil Engineering and Survey building.
3. Study materials
The subject requirements range from defining a real engineering problem to conducting and writing up,
in the form of a research dissertation, all the elements of the research project. How to do this will be
taught in lectures and via one-on-one and group discussions during the execution and writing up of the
actual research project. In addition, students will be provided with
Comprehensive notes covering choice of topic, literature review, writing a research proposal and
writing a research dissertation
Copies of all the lectures (MS PowerPoint) to complement the notes
Links to relevant videos and material available on the Internet
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2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering
4. Subject credits
This subject carries a weighting of 1.25 credits. A student should spend at least 200 hours to master the
required skills (including time spent in writing up the proposal, literature review and final dissertation).
Contact time for this subject amounts to approximately 30 hours. This means that a student should
spend a minimum of 7 hours per week, over and above the block weeks, on the subject.

Note: The notional hours include the contact time, as well as the estimated time to be allocated to
conduct the research and write up the dissertation. (This, however, will vary vastly depending on the
complexity of the project).
5. Assessment
5.1 Assessment policy and regulations
Continuous Assessment
In this subject your performance will be assessed throughout each semester by means of various
assessment types. Because of the system of continuous assessment there is no formal exam at the end of
a semester for this subject. All assessments are compulsory. Re-evaluations at the end of the year will
be conducted in line with the re-evaluation policy of CPUT.
Formative Practices
Students are entitled to view all assessments and query marks within the block in which the marks are
released. Students may discuss learning issues resulting from the assessments, with the lecturer, by
making an appointment via email.
Academic Writing
When completing assignments, students must consult the CPUT library website for information on
academic writing and the Harvard method of referencing. Students must at all times guard against
plagiarism, either intentional or un-intentional, and will have to submit their work in Safe Assign on
Blackboard to be checked for plagiarism.
5.2 Assessment opportunities: administration
Final mark
The final mark will be determined by continuous evaluation. The minimum pass requirements are a 50%
final mark AND the handing in of a completed dissertation in the Dissertation subject.
Dissertation IV subject mark allocation:
Written proposal and colloquium presentation 10%
Dissertation 70%
Conference presentation, (paper and poster duly completed) 20%
(Students will not be allowed to present at the conference without having handed in a poster and paper)

A student will be awarded 0% for the dissertation if he/she does not complete the Project Management
subject. Similarly a student will be awarded 0% for Project Management if he/she has not handed in a
completed dissertation.
6. Additional information
6.1 Attendance
Students are advised to attend all lecturers. The attendance of lectures is essential to achieve success in
this subject.

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2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering
6.2 Punctuality
Lecturers reserve the right to exclude any students who arrive late for a lecture session.
6.3 Test dates, venues and topics to be covered
The topics to be covered, duration of assessments/evaluation and the venue may be announced during
lecture/tutorial sessions or alternatively communicated by means of electronic mail.
6.4 Invigilation rules for students
Invigilation rules of CPUT will be implemented at assessments and any form of dishonesty will be severely
dealt with.
6.5 Absence during tests/evaluations
All evaluations are compulsory. If a student does not submit a project on time, a zero (nil) mark will be
assigned. An exception to this rule will be made ONLY where a student is absent as a result of illness AND
a medical certificate is presented in respect of the evaluation missed. Medical certificates should be
delivered to the Departmental Administration staff, Cape Town (Mrs Heuvel or Mr Makaluza). If the
above circumstances apply to a student he/she will be afforded the opportunity of re-submitting the
assignment.
6.6 Class participation
Students should prepare for lectures in advance to ensure that they can properly participate in the
lecture room environment should they be required to do so. It is the responsibility of each student to
regularly check his/her email for instructions and to make sure the lecturer has his/her correct contact
details.
6.7 Dissertation
Each student must register his/her research topic for approval. This will be done electronically.
Communication will be via e-mail. Email address for dissertation is btdissertation@gmail.com
If topic is approved a proposal must be completed on the template provided on the Project
Management and Dissertation website https://sites.google.com/site/pjm400ab/ by the date
given in the programme.
The proposal must be submitted electronically to supervisors in .pdf format by the date given in
the programme, and presented at a colloquium with the aid of a MS PowerPoint presentation.
This is crucial to ensure that the student is on the right track with his/her project. Individual
feedback on the proposal will be given.
The literature review must be submitted electronically to supervisors in .pdf format on the date
provided in the programme. Feedback will be given to each student.
Chapter 3 (experimental procedure) must be submitted electronically to supervisors in .pdf
format on the date given in the programme. Feedback will be given to each student.
The full dissertation must be submitted electronically in .pdf format to supervisors on the date
given in the programme. Final feedback will be given.
The dissertation must be submitted electronically in .pdf format and a hard copy for examination
at the BTech Conference.
As all submissions are electronic no late submission will be accepted unless a medical certificate is
provided.
It is compulsory for each student to attend the conference in October and to orally present
his/her work. To qualify to attend the conference the following are pre-requisites
The dissertation must be submitted on the day of the conference
A paper must have been submitted on the date given in the programme
A poster must be submitted on the day of the conference
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2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering
Dissertations must be submitted, regardless of whether or not they are late, since they can be
used in the case of a student who may qualify for a re-evaluation.

6.8 Feedback and queries
The lecturer will give feedback on topic submissions on-line. Feedback on the proposal and all the other
chapters as set out in Section 6.7 will be given in electronic format on the dates shown in the programme.
Once assessments have been moderated and the marks have been processed, the final marks will be
published, on the date set by the exams office.



B. Study component
7. Subject specifications
7.1 Purpose of the subject
The dissertation module consists of a research project which needs to be managed, from defining a real
engineering problem to conducting all the elements of a research project to solve the problem. It will
conclude with a written dissertation and an oral presentation, a conference paper and poster.
7.2 Subject structure

OUTCOME ASSESSMENT CRITERIA ASSESSMENT METHOD
Written proposal
and literature review
Compiling the proposal and
literature review according to the
guidelines, using the appropriate
template
Continuous assessment
Poster
Visual layout to be clear and
logical; Accurate summary of the
project
Assessed by peers and
supervisors
Short paper
Accurately written summary of
project with recommendations
for further research (submit for
inclusion in conference
proceedings); Completed
according to prescribed
guidelines and template
Reviewed
Presentation
Verbal presentation of project (6
minutes) using MS PowerPoint,
at the annual BTech conference
Assessed by supervisors
Dissertation
Completed according to the
guidelines, using prescribed
template
Assessed by supervisors and
research staff

7.3 Learning presumed to be in place
Pre-requisites
To enrol for this subject the student must have qualified with a ND: Engineering or equivalent
qualification.
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2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering
Co-requisites
The Project Management Theory subject and Dissertation Subject have to be done simultaneously.
7.4 Critical cross-field outcomes
The critical cross-field outcomes include, but are not limited to:
Understanding the nature of the research cycle
Applying this to a real research problem
Acquiring oral and written communication skills
Learning to conduct meetings
Demonstration of the ability and knowledge to plan and execute an actual project, applying
different tools and techniques
the ability to write up a dissertation that clearly reflects all the steps taken in the research cycle
Learning how to orally present the work at a conference
Being able to convey research findings in the form of a conference paper and a poster.
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2014 Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Faculty of Engineering
8. Learner acknowledgement
Please carefully read and sign the acknowledgement below. If you have any comments and/or
disagreements with the study guide, state these in the space provided below. Make a copy of this page
for your own reference and hand in the original during the first class session.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT I HAVE READ THE PJM402S (DISSERTATION IV) SUBJECT GUIDE AND
UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO ABIDE BY ITS CONTENTS



I have read the subject guide for PJM402S (Dissertation IV). I understand the information and my
responsibilities as a student for this subject, and agree to abide by all the requirements and conditions as
laid out in the study guide.



Name & Surname: ................................................................................... (print)

Student Number: .

Signature: . Date: ...............................................


If you have any DISAGREEMENTS whatsoever please list and explain them below:

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