Final Project

The Final Project is a compulsory subject in the Informatics Engineering and in both Diplomas. The subject is regulated according to this policy. The policy is the same for all three degrees, except for the differences shown in Italics.

The Project is a final evaluated assignment in the Informatics Engineering and in both Diplomas. Consequently, the student is required to show that he/she is able to apply the knowledge acquired during his/her studies to typical informatics engineering situations, taking into account all the different concrete subject's objectives, which are defined in the School's syllabuses. The Informatics Engineering provides the students with a wide knowledge base and professional skills in software engineering and information systems for organisations, informatics engineering, or industrial information technology; the Diploma in Computer Software, focuses on everything related to technical design, setting up and maintenance of computer systems for organisations; and the Diploma in Computer Systems, focuses on everything related to the introduction, setting up, utilisation and maintenance of computer systems.

In terms of qualitive content, the project must contain the characteristic elements of any engineering project or study, which can be found in the following list:

• Definition of the objectives
• Analysis and feasibility of previous experiences
• Technical development (specification, design, etc.) and experimental results
• Agreement between results and objectives
• Economic analysis and comparison with alternative analyses
  

A distinction must be done between projects that define a particular product, an installation or an industrial process, and those concerned with the construction of the product or prototype itself. In the latter case, the built product is considered, for assessment purposes, as an integral part of the project.

Research studies or projects must be presented in their original form from an organisation or a company in the field of technical engineering. In all cases, economic analysis and comparison with alternative analyses are needed.

The number of Project credits will be 37,5 FIB credits (30 ECTS) for the Informatics Engineering Degree; in the case of the two Diplomas it will always be 22, 5 FIB credits (18 ECTS). Student workload is estimated at 20 hours per credit. Thus, it is possible to complete a 37,5-credit project in one semester (15 weeks) working full time (40 hours per week), and to complete a 22,5-credit project in half semester working full time.

The project can be done in under any of the following three different types:

1. Projects proposed by the departments (information available only in Catalan)
2. Projects developed in companies
3. Projects developed in other universities

Type (a) projects

Type (a) projects are proposed by the departments related to the FIB, on the initiative of either lecturers or students.

Lecturers can make their project proposals public at any time, following the procedure of their departments. However, the School of Informatics disseminates all proposals through a special service. Students interested in a particular proposal should directly contact the professor in charge.

If the initiative comes from the student, he or she should get in contact with a professor of the School of Informatics who might be interested in supervising the project.

Type (b) projects

In type (b) projects, the work is done in a company under the guidance of a person who does not need to be related to the School of Informatics. In this case, the interested student should show the proposal to a FIB lecturer who, if the Department agrees, the lecturer will act as tutor, guaranteeing that the work fulfils the objectives of a project for a Informatics Engineering degree or diploma.

Type (b) projects must be conceived within the framework of the Conventions for Educational Cooperation with companies. For this purpose, it is necessary to submit a proposal for an educational cooperation agreement with credit acknowledgement to the CRUE (University-Enterprise Relations Committee), for them to give their approval.

Type (c) projects

Type (c) projects are done within the framework of student exchange agreements and will be supervised and assessed by lecturers of the student's host institution. In all cases, these project proposals require the approval of the Head of Studies.

In the case of type (a) projects, the work is done under the supervision of a PhD-holding lecturer assigned to the School of Informatics and with at least three years' teaching experience. However, other lecturers at the University, researchers at the Council for Scientific Research ( CSIC), or lecturers or researchers at Spanish or foreign higher education or research institutions are also eligible to be supervisors. In such cases, a lecturer who satisfies the former conditions must act as tutor, guaranteeing that the work fulfils the objectives of a project for the Informatics Engineering.
As indicated above, type (b) and (c) projects are not normally supervised by lecturers of the School of Informatics. Type (b) projects also require a PhD-holding lecturer assigned to the School of Informatics and with at least three years' teaching experience, to act as tutor. In the case of type (c) projects, the lecturer in charge of the student exchange agreement will act as tutor.
The possibility of a project being supervised by two or more people is also admitted. In all cases, at least one of them must satisfy the requirements described above and assume all the responsibilities described to the supervisor of the project.

For all three project types, it is necessary to register by filling the corresponding application form, which must be signed by the project supervisor (or tutor, if this is the case) and by the Head of Department or his delegate. Degree students may register for the project at any time, once they have passed the curricular group of second-cycle compulsory courses; Diploma students may register when they need no more than 81 credits to complete their course. Exceptionally, the Head of Studies may authorise the registration of a project even though these requisites are not satisfied.
In addition to the relevant information, the inscription must include the number of project credits (in the case of the Informatics Engineering) and a brief description of the work to be done. This description will allow the Teaching Committee to periodically supervise the projects being done.

Students may enrol for the project during the registration period of each semester. In order to enrol for the project, students must be registered and must need no more than 81 credits to complete the course (40,5 for those studying one of the Diplomas), including project credits. From project registration to enrolment, no more than two calendar years may pass. The Head of Studies may, as well, authorise exceptions to these requisites.

Type (a) and (b) projects are assessed by a Board of Examiners, appointed by the Dean, which will be formed by:

• The President, a PhD-holding lecturer (professor titulat superior), proposed by the Head of Department (or his/her delegate) of the project supervisor or tutor. The President must belong to a department that is assigned to teach at the School of Informatics.
• A Member, a full-time professor titulat superior assigned to the School of Informatics, who does not belong to the department of the project supervisor or tutor.
• The Project supervisor, or the tutor, who acts as Secretary.

A substitute Member is also appointed, with the same procedure and conditions as the official one. The substitute Member is convened for the project assessment in the event of it being impossible to convene the official Member. The Board of Examiners is appointed and made public no later than a month after the registration for the project. The name of the proposed President will be included in the application for the registration of the project. In the event of a change in the conditions of employment of any member of the Board of Examiners that affects its constitution, the person in question will be substituted.
The project supervisor may ask the Dean for the same board of examiners for more than one project under his or her supervision.
Type (c) projects are assessed at the student's host institution. It is the responsibility of the Head of Studies to adapt the qualification issued at the host institution to the qualification requisites of a project of the School of Informatics.

Students are required to present a report, of five double-spaced pages at most, to the Member and the substitute Member of the Board of Examiners, at least three months before the oral defence of the project (two months for the Diplomas). This report requires the approval of the project supervisor, or tutor, and must be organised in three parts:

• Description of the objectives of the project.
• Description of objectives already achieved.
• Planning of the work to be done to complete the project.

The members of the Board of Examiners may, if they see fit, convene the student to discuss the report and give advice.

The members of the Board of Examiners may refuse to assess the project if the report was not presented before the proper deadline.

Once the project is completed, the student must present a thesis gathering all the work done. The format of this thesis must comply the School's standards. The thesis must include a copy of the developed hardware-software, if there is any. If requested, the Head of Studies may accord exceptions to this last requisite.

The student must deliver four copies of the thesis to the School Office. The content of all the copies of the thesis must be identical. The copies are registered at the School Office and are then delivered to the members of the Board of Examiners, who must have it in their possession for at least a week before the discussion of the project. Together with the thesis copies, there must be a note from the project supervisor (or the tutor) authorising the oral defence of the project.

The President of the Board of Examiners is responsible for determining and informing the School in booking a date for the oral defence of the project, in compliance with the other members of the Board of Examiners. This date must be at least a week after the delivery of the thesis. The School of Informatics will make public the time and place of the oral presentation of all projects.

Each semester, the School of Informatics makes public the deadline for the oral defence of the projects. If it is impossible to convene the Member before this deadline, the President may convene the substitute Member. In no event may the oral defence of the project be carried out without the presence of the President, the Secretary and the Member (or substitute Member). If any member of the Board of Examiners does not appear, the President may convene that member directly within 48 hours without having to inform the School officially.

The oral defence of the project is public. At the end of the oral defence, the members of the Board of Examiners may ask the student about subjects related to his or her work. Graduates can also attend and are allowed to ask questions.

The Board of Examiners determines the mark of the project in a non-public discussion. The project supervisor is invited to this discussion, even in the event of not taking part in it. The mark determined by the Board of Examiners can be:

• A 9.5, 9
• B 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7
• C 6.5, 6, 5.5, 5
• D rejected

If there is no general consensus about the mark, each member of the Board of Examiners will give a mark which will be recorded in the assessment proceedings. The final mark will be calculated as the arithmetic mean of the marks given by each member of the Board of Examiners.

In the event of the Board of Examiners judging that the project merits a distinction (10), the Secretary of the Board of Examiners will indicate the proposal of awarding the distinction in the assessment proceedings, stating the reasons for the proposal. The awarding of distinctions is the responsibility of the Project-Assessment Committee, who analyses and deliberate on proposed distinctions each semester, when the period for the oral defence of projects is over. In the case of proposed distinctions, the mark given by the Board of Examiners is considered as provisional until the decision by the Project Assessment Committee.

Before the oral defence of the project, the School of Informatics provides the Secretary of the Board of Examiners with the assessment certificate. The Secretary must complete it and then return it as soon as possible to the School Office. The Secretary must also return one of the copies of the study, indicating the final mark given by the Board of Examiners and bearing the signatures of the members of the Board of Examiners and of the student.

In the event of the student being unable to complete the project in the semester for which he or she enrolled, the mark will be No Satisfactory and the student must to enrol again for the project. A student cannot enrol for the same project more than twice.

Both the project supervisor and the student can request, through a petition addressed to the Dean, the withdrawal of the project.

The School of Informatics makes the technical and scientific means available at the School accessible to the student and the supervisor for the completion of the project. However, this must not be detrimental to the teaching activity of any course. If the supervisor deems it necessary, the technical and scientific means available at UPC may also be used to carry out part or all of the activities derived from the project.

The student is liable for expenses incurred regarding the necessary documents for the work involved (photocopies, manuals, stationery, etc.), the written presentation of the work (paper, copies, bookbinding) and the perceptive copies, and also for aids for the oral defence (transparencies, slides, etc.).

If, because of the characteristics of the project, expenses for particular material (especially electronic components) are necessary, and the supervisor, within his regular means, cannot meet them, the supervisor can request that the School of Informatics finance these expenses in the framework of the agreement between School and Departments. Exceptionally, when it is judged that the result of the work may have a favourable impact on the teaching activity of the School , it may be proposed that the work be financed through its general budget. In this case, approval is the responsibility of the Dean of the School.

The intellectual property of the project is regulated in the policy approved by the Board of Governors (23.11.93), from which the following paragraphs are taken:

• The co-authors of the work are the student or students who conducted it, together with the lecturer or lecturers who supervised or coordinated them or who actively participated.
• Using the work for teaching within UPC does not require the explicit permission of its authors, although their names must be stated.
• To use the work outside the teaching ambit of UPC, the explicit permission of the authors is needed and their names must be stated in all cases.