Mathematics Level 3 Projects
Handbook
2023-24
MATH3001 Project in Mathematics
1 Introduction
This handbook is intended for use by students and staff involved in Mathematics level 3 projects. It should contain all the information that they need regarding the relevant modules.
Level 3 projects are opportunities for a student to study a topic in mathematics and develop their research skills, including writing reports and giving presentations.
MATH3001The projects will be supervised in groups of 4 to 6 students, with one supervisor and one assessor attached to each group. The projects will run over both semesters. Supervisor will meet with students as a group, to set tasks and discuss various aspects of the work. Occasional individual meetings may be arranged at the discretion of supervisor. Total contact hours for the whole duration of the project will be about 10 hours, including interim and final presentations. Some unsupervised student meetings may also be arranged.
Assessment will be based on the report submitted at the end of week 8 of Semester 2, Friday 22 March 2024, and an oral presentation, including questioning. Oral presentations will take place at the end of Semester 2, in week 12, on Tuesday 14 May 2024.
The amount of work required for project modules depends on the number of credits. MATH3001 is a twenty-credit module, and the standard University rules imply that such a module involves 200 hours of student work.
These notes are intended as guidance, and should be read in conjunction with the relevant module description in the University Catalogue http://webprod1.leeds.ac.uk/catalogue/modulesearch.asp?T=S&L=UG.
One aim of project work is that students should enjoy an opportunity to study independently and hence should be allowed a certain amount of leeway how they do the project. This is best done by agreement between students and supervisors and so although these notes contain certain rules (e.g., supervisors should meet students in Weeks 2-3 of Semester 1 and provide a written outline of the project), it is important that both parties feel able to negotiate between themselves an appropriate course of action in most instances. A key aim is that students should be given the opportunity to show their strengths.
Students should realise that this project module is very different from any previous module taken by them as it will require their independent work on open-ended questions, where there might be no definitive answer or solution.
2 Allocation of projects
The process of allocating the projects begins informally before the academic year begins, with the list of the offered projects published to students in early September before term starts. In Induction Week, before teaching starts in the Autumn term, students will be asked to list 8 projects in their order of preference. Final allocation is done by the module coordinator based on students’ choices and demand. Where a team of supervisors is involved, it is possible to run two groups working in parallel on the same project.
It is the responsibility of the module coordinator to ensure that each student has been allocated a project by the end of Week 2 of the academic year. The ideal situation is one in which all projects are allocated by the end of Week 2. Students should be aware that it is very difficult to change supervisors once the module has started and this will be done in exceptional cases only, and only if the circumstances allow that. No changes of project are allowed after Week 4.
An appropriate assessor should be agreed by the end of Week 5 of the academic year.
3 Supervision
At the start of semester 1, there will be four lectures for all students enrolled on the project. The first lecture will give an overview of the module and the assessment process. The second lecture will be on academic integrity. The third on note taking and referencing and on library skills. The fourth lecture will be about the structure of the report and include a look at examples of previous years.
In Weeks 2-3 of the academic year, the supervisor will meet with their group and provide the students with an outline of the topic, together with some some initial tasks and appropriate reading such as textbooks and/or articles. In subsequent meetings the progress will be discussed and additional tasks set. Students may also have their own suggestions and choose to study particular aspects of the topic in greater detail.
Staff supervision will be limited to 8–10 contact hours over the project for the entire group, allowing group supervision meeting approximately every two weeks, each lasting for 1 hour. Some unsupervised group meetings could also be planned, focusing on some particular aspect of the project – for example, students could be directed to read and discuss a particular section of a book or paper, or be asked to discuss or practice group presentation.
Some supervisory group meetings can be replaced by individual meetings so that, for example, a one-hour group meeting is replaced by 10-15 minute long meetings with each student. The choice of supervision arrangements will be up to the supervisor.
Attending supervisory meetings by the students is compulsory; as past practice shows, there is a clear correlation between attendance and the achieved grade for the module.
Supervisors are required to keep a log of each meeting by making brief notes about the attendance and the discussions that took place.
4 Advice to students on tackling the project
You are expected to draw up detailed notes on the topic, profusely illustrated with examples.This should be aimed at a reader with a good mathematical background, who however may not be familiar with the particular topic of your research. Therefore, start with an introduction giving an overview of the topic and an outline of your work. The length of the project report should be between 20-25 pages (including the contents page and bibliography but excluding the title page and appendices). The final format of the report will depend on the subject area and topic chosen. One common format is that the completed set of notes should be, as near as possible, the sort of notes and examples a student would be expected to collect during a lecture course. This can involve paraphrasing material from a textbook, and solving problems in textbooks to which the answers are not provided. However, there are other formats. For example, a project may involve analysing data and/or writing computer code. Supervisor can give additional, project-specific advice to students in regards to what is expected of their project report. For typesetting, LaTeX is recommended but other formats such as Word are also allowed.Students are ultimately responsible for their projects; supervisors give guidance and advice. The final report should be in your own words rather than a regurgitation of someone else’s work. All work must be submitted with a statement of academic integrity. Furthermore, all submitted work will be uploaded to a plagiarism detection system.
How to write a good project
(i). Lots of advice on writing mathematics can be found in Chapters 3 and 4 of Kevin Houston’s book, How to Think Like a Mathematician. For example, write in sentences, explain notation, and when you give a definition, give an example (or two).
(ii). Give answers to challenging questions. Assessors are more likely to be impressed by your solution to harder exercises.
(iii). Give your own examples after definitions.
(iv). Generalize results.
(v). Deviate from the standard text. Do not just follow the definition, theorem, proof sequence given in a particular textbook, but work out what is important about what you want to say.
(vi). Collect from a variety of sources. What is the point of just rewriting every sentence from the standard text book?
(vii). Use consistent notation. Different books use different notation. If you replace the notation in the correct places, then you demonstrate understanding.
(viii). Explain what you have added. For example, “Smith (1990) only sketches a proof that every grundle is rationally elliptic. The detailed proof is given below.” Another example is “The proof by Jones (2017) is incomplete as she asks the reader at two points why a statement is true. A complete proof is given here.”
(ix). If you have to take something verbatim from a source, then quote the source and demonstrate that you understand it by giving a pertinent discussion or a good example.
(x). Make sure the account is clear (e.g., terms in theorems are defined) and logical (e.g., the defini- tions come before the theorem).
(xi). When analyzing data in Statistics, take care to describe exactly what statistical methods are
being used and how they enhance the understanding and interpretation of the data.
(xii). Use appendices, for example for original source code of numerical work.
If a student is unable to submit the work, for whatever reason, then they should contact their supervisor or the module coordinator as soon as possible. Reports which are submitted later than two weeks after the due date will not be read and assessed, except for the cases when an extension has been granted.Students are reminded that information on special circumstances can be found on the School of Mathematics website.
The final project report should include a summary (typically, in the introductory section) describing the scope of the work and the main results, indicating the main sources used.
Pages and sections should be numbered for easy reference and the title page should contain student name, student number, module code and title, title of project, supervisor and the date of submission.
The report should include a contents page and a full bibliography, indicating all the books, articles or websites used. The length of the project report should be between 20-25 pages (including the contents page and bibliography but excluding the title page and appendices). The report should also contain 1-2 paragraphs on ethical aspects, as explained in the powerpoint presentation by Graham Bex-Priestley. These paragraphs do not count towards the page limit.
Recall that, in the text, if a lemma or theorem is taken from some source, there must be an indication of the source, and whether it has been significantly expanded or adapted. Apart from short statements, students should not copy directly from sources, and everything must be expressed in the student’s own words, except where explicitly stated. Students whose work is too closely based on their sources will have marks deducted.
Note also that spelling/typos will be taken into account when marking the report. (new from 2022).
Summary
(i). Title page: Name, number, module, title, supervisor, date.
(ii). Academic integrity form.
(iii). Contents page.
(iv). Introduction, outlining the topic and giving summary of work.
(v). Numbered pages (and sections).
(vi). Bibliography of sources used.
(vii). Upload the report to Minerva (submission page will be announced later).
Duties of supervisor and assessor after submission
After submission of the report, the supervisor will send the report to the assessor.
The project will be marked by the assessor and the supervisor independently; the relevant sections of the assessment form should contain preliminary marks given by them based on the report before the oral presentation and questioning. The final marks for each student should be agreed between the supervisor and the assessor after the oral presentation and questioning have taken place.
7 Oral Presentation
Each group of students will be required to give a presentation in Week 12 of Semester 2, Tuesday 14 May 2024, counting for 10% of the module mark. It should last about 15 minutes, and involve a contribution from each group member towards a coherent group presentation.Therefore, some teamwork is required here.A presentation mark will be awarded, with 50% based on the group performance, and 50% based on the individual contribution. Module coordinator will inform students in good time of the date and place of the presentations.
The group presentations will be organised into sessions, with several groups present and which will be open for other students and staff to attend. Thus the focus of the presentations will be on communi- cating the findings of the project to fellow students, and it should be aimed at them as the audience. Questions will be encouraged, particularly from other students.
During the group presentation, students will be asked to assess individual presentations and contribution by their group peers. The results of peer assessment should be collected by the supervisor and taken into account when finalising the module marks.
There are two main aims to the presentation:
(i). Students should demonstrate that they understand and have mastered the material.
(ii). Students should demonstrate their presentation skills.
(iii). Individual contributions for students should combine in a coherent group presentation.
Students can make the presentation in any format they like, eg OHP slides, PowerPoint, black/white board, video, flip-chart, etc.
Students should inform the module coordinator at least one week ahead of time of their requirements for the presentation. It cannot be assumed that the room for the presentation will contain a computer with every possible computer program. Students are advised to bring electronic files on a memory stick as occasionally wi-fi connections etc do not work.
In addition to the group presentation, each student will have an individual 10–15 minute feedback and questioning meeting with the supervisor and assessor, where verbal feedback on the report should be provided and some questioning will take place. This interview will strongly influence the mark for understanding for the project report. The interviews should be organised by the supervisor; normally they take place during weeks 10-11 of semester 2.
After all projects have been assessed, the module coordinators can moderate marks taking into consid- eration fairness and consistency. The module coordinator is responsible for the final module marks.
Advice to students on presentations
• The presentation will pass by quicker than you think so plan carefully.
• Cover some part of the material in depth rather than all parts superficially.
• A good example is worth a thousand words.
• Latex reports can be quickly turned into a ‘Powerpoint’ type presentation by using the Latex package Beamer. (Google ‘Latex beamer’.)
• Practise in front of friends and family, even those that have no understanding of mathematics. This will give you confidence and you will be less nervous. It also allows you to judge the timing.
• Imagine that the presentation is for a job interview or a pitch to a client.
• Does it look professional?
8 Post-Assessment and feedback
The supervisors are ultimately responsible for filling out the assessment and feedback forms and return- ing them to the module coordinator.
After the presentation and questioning the feedback form (without the marks) should be sent by the supervisor to each student within a good time.
The supervisor is also responsible for entering the marks for each student into Minerva.
Assessors and supervisors should be aware that the assessment documentation written by them may be made available to the student and the external examiner.
The module coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all marks are collected, moderated, and sub- mitted to the Mathematics Taught Student Office by the relevant University deadlines.They are responsible for collecting the assessment and feedback forms from the supervisors and ensuring that they are ready for the external examiners.
9 Responsibilities
Module Coordinator
(i). Ensure that websites and Minerva sites have material relevant to the new academic year before it begins. To include:
(a) This handbook.
(b) Academic integrity forms.
(c) Assessment pro-forma.
(ii). Matching of supervisors and students by end of Week 2 of academic year.
(iii). Assign assessors by end of Week 5.
(iv). Check for problems in Week 4 by emailing students and supervisors.
(v). To send email reminders to students and supervisors regarding deadlines.
(vi). Organize final presentations.
(vii). Ask students for their presentation requirements.
(viii). Ensure fairness and consistency in the assessment process. Moderate marks if necessary.
(ix). Prepare marks and projects for external examiner.
Supervisor
(i). To meet with students in Week 2-3 of semester 1 to provide project outline and set initial tasks.
(ii). Organise regular supervisory meetings for discussing progress and setting additional tasks. Provide advice and support within the limits of the allocated time.
(iii). To report any concerns regarding student work (such as absences or low participation) to module coordinator in good time.
(iv). Organise interim presentations in Week 10-11 of semester 1.
(v). To provide feedback to students on the quality of their interim report in good time (normally, in the first supervisory meeting in Semester 2).
(vi). To send the final report to the assessor.
(vii). To read the final reports in good time.
(viii). Complete the the relevant sections of the assessment form before the presentation. Finalize it after presentation and questioning.
(ix). Organize individual questioning session.
(x). Agree marks for each student with the assessor and enter the marks into Minerva.
(xi). Send written feedback to student after presentation and questioning within a good time.
(xii). Return copies of the reports and completed assessment and feedback forms to the project coor- dinator within a good time.
Assessor
(i). To read the final reports in good time.
(ii). Complete the relevant sections of the assessment form before the presentation.
(iii). Attend group presentation and individual questioning session.
(iv). Agree marks for each student with the supervisor.
Student
(i). Attend supervision meetings.
(ii). To be aware of deadlines.
(iii). Submit work by deadlines.
(iv). Not plagiarize.
(v). Ensure to be registered for the module in good time. Read and reply to e-mails.
(vi). Communicate their needs for presentation (such as Powerpoint, Blackboard) to module coordi- nator at least one week before the presentation.