Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2025-2026
Module COMP51915: Professional Skills
Department: Computer Science
COMP51915:
Professional Skills
| Type |
Tied |
Level |
5 |
Credits |
15 |
Availability |
Available in 2025/2026 |
Module Cap |
None. |
| Tied to |
G5T109 |
| Tied to |
G5T209 |
| Tied to |
G5T309 |
| Tied to |
G5T509 |
| Tied to |
G5T809 |
Prerequisites
- Programming skills in Python. Basic C programming skills.
Corequisites
Excluded Combination of Modules
Aims
- Provide training in collaborative large-scale code development.
- Provide training in essential subject-specific project management, collaboration techniques and version control.
- Provide training in essential wider professional skills: entrepreneurship, intellectual property, etc.
- Provide transferable skills training: communicating novel ideas in science, and reflecting on ethical issues around data as well as research in a broader sense.
Content
- Training on common tools for agile, collaborative code development including build systems and CI.
- Software development and usage workshops.
- Entrepreneuership, Research Ethics (Intellectual Property, e.g.), Academic Writing, Basic Project Planning and Timetabling.
- Communicating Science, Philosophy and Ethics of Data Sciences.
Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this module, students should have:
- an understanding and critical reflection of legal and ethical principles underpinning the application of computational methods and data science in economical and societal context
- fundamental entrepreneurial/project management and implementation skills
- By the end of this module, students should have:
- technical skills in using build systems, CI and common tools for collaborative code development
- competent management of software projects, understanding of versioning and techniques for quality control
- Mature research on industrial scale
- Responsible research
- Productive research
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to
the learning outcomes of the module
- Workshop 1 (Week 5, Term 1): Agile and Responsible Code Development, Collaborative Working
- Workshop 2 (Week 10, Term 1): Project Management
- Workshop 3 (Week 5, Term 2): Communicating Science and Research Ethics
- Workshop 4 (Week 10, Term 2): Structured Innovation
- The assignment element of the coursework component consists of a coding exercise with accompanying report.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity |
Number |
Frequency |
Duration |
Total/Hours |
|
| Workshops |
12 |
2 consecutive days in each of week 5 and 10 of term 1, and week 5 and 10 of term 2. |
10 hours per week |
40 |
|
| Preparation and Reading |
|
|
|
110 |
|
| Total |
|
|
|
150 |
|
Summative Assessment
| Component: Coursework |
Component Weighting: 100% |
| Element |
Length / duration |
Element Weighting |
Resit Opportunity |
| Assignment |
|
25% |
|
| Report |
|
25% |
|
| Poster |
|
25% |
|
| Presentation |
|
25% |
|
The successful participation in professional and transferable skills training as well as the entrepeneurial training will be assessed formatively through individual and/or group presentations. Alternatively, the lecturer may ask for a short essay. They are indirectly assessed (project planning, presentation and communication skills, source code handling) with formative feedback by each individual coursework.
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University
