The Individual Project is a research project that serves as an exercise for the master’s thesis. As such it serves to give master students who did their bachelor study elsewhere the experience that bachelor students from the UT obtained during their bachelor project.
Students will carry out an internship OR an Individual Project, not both:

• Students from a Dutch professional university will carry out an Individual Project.
• International Students will carry out an internship unless decided otherwise by the admission committee or the programme mentor.

This 10EC version of the Individual Project assumes that students have followed a course in Academic research skills, like 201400279 Academic Research Skills - EE/S&C/INF. This should enable the students to get started faster with their research.
The main objective of the Individual Project for the student is to learn to apply a suitable research methodology under supervision. In relation to the Individual Project, the student is able to:

• use modern methods and tools in research and design to describe, analyse, model, implement, test and document systems in the domain of electrical engineering on a scientific basis;
• assess theoretical and practical issues and substantiate and select appropriate solutions based on literature studies, modules, analyses, simulations and or tests;
• use its knowledge on an academic level of key theories, methods and practices in the Electrical Engineering fields;
• to understand and reflect on theories, methods and practices in the field of electrical engineering;
• use its knowledge of methods for planning, project management, individual & team-based projects;
• work systematically and methodologically;
• handle complex development- and research-oriented situations in study and work context;
• carry out studies and draw valid conclusions on a scientific basis;
• independently function in a disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration;
• communicate academic problems and solutions to peers and non-specialist;
• translate academic knowledge and skills into practical problem solving;
• reflect on the scientific and societal dimensions and implications of their work.

The assignment is performed at one of the research chairs related to the EE program, and under the supervision of one of the staff members.
 
In the Individual Project you will work independently but under some supervision. You will learn by doing. The next overview shows the goals of the Individual Project. It is a list of (intermediate) products that you need to provide. Required practical skills are mentioned in brackets behind every intermediate product.
 
In the Individual Project, the students have proved that they are able to:

• Keep a logbook (document, integrate knowledge and skills, reflect)
• Translate the project proposal into concrete research questions or design specifications including a motivation why this research is important (interpret, work out, make operational, by literature study and practice with instruments/tools)
• Make a research plan (give a picture of the included activities, their intended results, and a time schedule)
• Execute the research plan in a goal-oriented way and, if necessary, adjust the plan in consultation with your supervisor (work goal-oriented, adjust the plan)
• Produce a progress report (justify that you work towards the goals in the right direction)
• Present a clear formulation of the problem, in which the structure of the work and report is expressed, e.g. by means of an introduction, summary, or poster.
• Plan meetings with your supervisor and stick to agreements (communicate)
• Agree on how the assessment will take place and what kind of criteria will be used (communicate, find out what is relevant for obtaining an excellent, good, or just sufficient mark)
• Agree on what will happen if deadlines are missed, the time period expires (communicate)
• Make a - compulsory! - final report (a logical, goal-oriented presentation of the work to a technical-scientific forum).
• Give a - compulsory! - final presentation (an oral presentation using PowerPoint, to other master students from Electrical Engineering and staff members of the chair).

 
It is your own responsibility to achieve the above-mentioned goals. The more initiative you take (asking questions is included here), the better you show that the goals have been obtained. The more guidance you need, the less sure it is that the goals have been obtained. The final mark is based on the quality of the work (the level), the final report, the final presentation and the way you worked, which is reflected in the above-mentioned intermediate products. The intermediate products can be delivered orally or written, as agreed upon by the supervisor and student.
 
The time schedule of the individual research project looks generally like this:
On beforehand: searching websites, talking with staff members.
The beginning of the work: a reading list, a logbook. At ¼: a concrete research project and a feasible research plan. At ½: a progress report. At ¾: a structure of the report and of the problem. At the end: a final report, and a final presentation afterward.
In retrospect: the student receives the final mark and feedback about the results and the way of working (what was good, what can be improved).
 
Assessment
The mark you will earn will be based on your performance during the project, the report and the presentation. The following aspects will be evaluated:
 
50% Scientific quality:

• interpret a possibly general project proposal and translate it to more concrete research questions.
• find and study relevant literature, software and hardware tools, and critically assess their merits.
• work in a systematic way and document your findings as you progress.
• work in correspondence with the level of the elective courses you have followed.
• perform original work that has sufficient depth to be relevant to the research in the chair.

 
20% Organisation, planning, collaboration:

• work independently and goal-oriented under the guidance of a supervisor.
• seek assistance within the research group or elsewhere, if required and beneficial for the project.
• benefit from the guidance of your supervisor by scheduling regular meetings, provide the supervisor with progress reports and initiate topics that will be discussed.
• organize your work by making a project plan, executing it, adjusting it when necessary, handling unexpected developments and finish within the allotted number of credits.

 
30% Communication:

• write a report that motivates your work for a general audience, and communicates the work and its results in a clear, well-structured way to your peers.
• give a presentation with similar qualities to fellow students and members of the chair.