Overview

There are two summative assessments for this module (that is, assessments that count towards your mark), plus one optional formative assessment (that is, one we'll mark at give you feedback on if you like, but which won't contribute to your mark).

The practicals for the module build up into a mini-Geographical Information System (GIS) that reads in data, displays it as an image, and saves data. As we build up this framework in the practicals we'll stop and use it as the foundation for the two assessments.

After the sixth practical you can submit your practical work so far for formative assessment. We'll mark this and give you comments on it so you can get some feedback, including a mark, prior to submitting the first real assessment.

After practical six you should have a framework that will store data and allow us to manipulate it. At this point we'll do Assessment 1, which will be to build a simple image processing tool.

We'll continue to add functionality, and after practical nine we'll set you going on Assessment 2, which will be to build a full computer model or analysis tool. You'll have a couple of weeks of term left in which to plan your application, during which time we'll finish off the framework so you have something that reads, writes, and displays data, to which you'll add either a model or a data analysis tool for the assessment.

Although we have suggestions for the Assessment 2 projects, you are welcome to suggest your own in negotiation with us.

Details (links will appear below when the assessments are released)

Assessment type	Notes	Deadline	% of formal assessment
Practical	1 practical assessed formatively	Wed 9th Nov 2016, 2pm	0.00
Computer Exercise	Independent project (2,000 words equivalent)	Wed 23rd Nov 2016, 2pm	50.00
Computer Exercise	Independent project (2,000 words equivalent)	Wed 11th Jan 2017, 2pm	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)			100.00

Submission will be via the VLE. Please go to the course VLE site and see the "Assessments" link on the left menu.

All code and any ancillary materials will be marked against this Marking Scheme (Word file).

Please note that we take plagiarism and collusion extremely seriously. Coding has specific issues in this area. Please read our plagiarism and collusion guidance. It will be assumed that you understand this when you submit, so please do.

Other important info

Please note that for elements give a word limit, there is no + 10% leeway for word length. Penalties for going over length are outlined in the School’s Code of Practice on Assessment (CoPA).

The VLE time stamp (which will be added to your submission when you upload the electronic version of your proposal) is definitive in terms of monitoring late submissions. Please note that the assessment upload will *not* email you confirmation, so please check you've uploaded ok.

Please add a Marking Consideration 'e-sticker' if necessary when uploading your work. A Marking Consideration "e-sticker" is sent by the School Taught Student Office to all students who are known to have a Specific Learning Difficulty (e.g. dyslexia), or another disability which affects their literacy. These students qualify for marking consideration, and this 'stamp' will identify their work. Disability Services determine eligibility. If you are eligible for Marking Consideration and have not been issued with a stamp, please contact your Taught Student Office as soon as possible.

It is your responsibility to make sure you are aware of the deadline for each piece of work. For work submitted electronically, the time of the submission is logged automatically and compared to the deadline. A late penalty of 5 marks (5 percent of marks available) per 24h period or part thereof after the deadline, begin to accrue from 1 second after the deadline. If your assessed work is over 14 days late, you will receive a mark of zero.

Assessment Return Date to students: We will normally return your coursework within 15 working days as stated in the Code of Practice on Assessment. We will endeavour to avoid delays but will inform you if any should arise.

Re-sit Requirements: If you fail the module, you can register to re-sit the module at the next available opportunity.

You are expected to use the University's version of the Harvard referencing style for your assignments for this module. Guidance on how to include citations within your text and how to reference different types of material using Harvard is provided here.

The above requirement is to ensure consistency across the University. However, for the taught postgraduate MSc degrees in geography, with regard to citations and referencing where there are more than two authors, please use the format (Author, et al., year) when citing a source within your main text. In the reference list, please write out all author surnames and their initials (rather than just the first author, et al. as in the guidance noted above). This is the format of Harvard which is used in journals relevant to our topic areas.

Skills@Library, Royal Literary Fund Fellow and Statistics help: Skills@Library provides academic skills teaching and e-learning support so that students and researchers can effectively find, use, apply and present the information they need. The Royal Literary Fund Fellow provides support for essay and other forms of writing. You are welcome to seek their advice; their details can be found on this webpage. Our numeracy tutor, Rachel Homer, provides help on stats and maths. You can find her contact details on this webpage.