1) THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE PRIOR LEARNING IN THE PLANNING AND EXECUSISION OF YOUR OWN BRIEF. Knowledge & Understanding

2) THE ABILITY TO SELECT AND USE APPROPRIATE RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN THE FORMULATION OF A SELF-INITIATED BRIEF.
Enquiry & Analysis

3) THE ABILITY TO PRODUCE SOLUTIONS TO ANSWER A RANGE OF PROBLEMS AND TO DEPLOY APPROPRIATE CREATIVE PROCESSES TO SUCCESFULLY REALIZE YOUR OWN BRIEF.
Application &
Problem Solving

4) THE ABILITY TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE AND COMMUNICATE PROGRESS ON YOUR OWN PROJECT WITH THE AIM OF INFORMING, IMPROVING AND DEVELOPING FINAL OUTCOME.
Reflection &
Communication

A PORTFOLIO weighted at 100% assessing all of the learning outcomes, consisting of:

• Successful planning and execution of the brief which must be informed by research. (Learning Outcome 1 and 2)
• Development diary in form of PowerPoint Presentation which critically reflects on the work completed, supporting research and creative solutions. (Learning Outcome 2, 3 and 4)

Final Year Research Project / B is a mentoring programme designed to provide a unique learning experience to every student. Students are supported by academic staff with various skills and expertise. A member of academic team will act as a mentor and will be allocated to a student at the beginning of the semester. Students will have designated 20 minutes meeting slot per week during which they are to meet with their mentor to discuss the progress of their project. This approach allows students to have bespoke 1 on 1 contact time with staff and industry specialist (where applicable) on a weekly basis. Students are expected to form a brief based on their personal preference and interest within the field of mixed reality. The brief should follow university regulations; allow student to answer learning outcomes and stay within the artistic & technical requirements of the industry. Huge emphasis is put into research into upcoming VR/AR, especially experimentation with technology and application; and development of new approaches in VR/AR. Staff will provide individual feedback to each student to help students form their briefs within the first 2 weeks of the semester. Students will then move on to carry out intensive research and to execute brief of their choice. The final output is intended to be industry quality material and to form basis for student’s showreel.

Final Year Research Project / B (FYRP/B) is a direct follow up assignment on Final Year Research Project / A module (FYRP/A). Students are encouraged to develop new VR/AR experience demonstrating new range of the skills to complement skillset used in FYRP/A. However, where possible students can expand upon VR/AR experience developed previously as part of FYRP/A module, but it must include unique new elements. For example, FYRP/A can revolve around new prototype control mechanism whereby FYRP/B looks into any other aspects but not control mechanism, such as HUD, interactive UI, 3D assets, etc.. In this case, students are not allowed to be marked again for the work completed in Final Year Research Project / A module.

The module will be delivered using a combination of lectures and supervised (group) tutorials in a 3-hour period per week. Most of the work will be of a practical nature and students are expected to use their independent study time to consolidate this work.

Scheduled teaching is 3 hours per week over 24 weeks (72 hours per semester).
Self-managed time is 9.5 hours per week over 24 weeks (228 hours per semester).

Scheduled teaching is a designated period when student will meet with staff. There is 20 minutes meeting slot per student per week.

Self-managed time is an independent study period during which students are expected to carry out research, follow instructions and work on the tasks received during scheduled teaching. This is the period when majority of the work for the assignment is completed.

Students will be working on individual projects in a close communication with staff throughout the project. Students will be expected to produce evidence of their achievements at regular intervals such as support sessions. A huge emphasis is placed on research, time management, analysis and self-reflection. In addition, the projects are student-led which allows each student to carry out intensive research into their own subject area. Therefore each student has opportunity to specialize in their chosen field of mixed realities. Each students have opportunity to base their project on particular profession (job description). Due to the wide range of the professions within VR/AR market and type of the projects students will chose, staff is unable to deliver profession focused lecture, demonstration or workshop. However, staff will deliver lectures and workshops on employability and entrepreneurship with help from the careers centre, where possible. As part of the module students are encouraged to contact external body (such as industry artist, indie studios, game or film company, etc.) to discuss their projects and to get second opinion on their project progression. This endeavor can form a source of valuable feedback and also offer new opportunities to students.

Tutor will work with students in group environment to define their workflow and provide help. This will enable student to keep the track of their progress, promote independent thought, ideas and ownership of workload.

Group critiques will be used throughout the module. This will provide students with verbal feedback and guidance in relation to each person’s progress. Students are expected to act upon feedback received from peers and staff team to ensure a smooth development of the project.

Individual to the specifics of the chosen research area.

¿ Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suite
¿ Adobe Creative Suite
¿ Allegorithmic Substance Painter
¿ Unreal Engine
¿ SolidAngle Arnold
¿ Microsoft Office
¿ Autodesk Remake Cloud / Reality Capture or Agisoft Photoscan
¿ Digital SLRs
¿ Nodal Photography Rigs
¿ 360° Photogrammetry stage
¿ Motion Capture Stage
¿ HTC Vive
¿ Digital Academy Forum
¿ Pluralsight
¿ Library
¿ Blackboard