Integrated Design Project 1A - 2024-2025
Assignment 1 - Report writing
Introduction
The aim of this assignment is to develop your skills in searching for information and writing a concise report. It is worth 20% of the overall module mark.
Learning outcomes
As a result of undertaking this assignment you should be able to:
• search for information using different databases.
• write a concise report.
• correctly reference any material used.
Assignment Question
Discuss the operation, strengths and limitations of solar power as a method of electricity generation. How might this contribute to meeting both energy needs and climate change targets?
Requirements
Generative AI use acknowledgement: All students are required to complete the Compulsory Appendix section whether they have used generative AI or not (further details are included below).
Please note:
• The format of your document must be .doc, .docx or .pdf. University computers cannot open .pages files. If you do not use .doc, .docx or .pdf then you will be awarded zero for this assignment.
• The report must be written in your own words. Remember that your report will undergo a Turnitin similarity check when you upload your report for submission. Do not copy and paste or use text directly from other sources (unless this is a direct quotation, with a reference) as this will be detected in the Turnitin check and will reflect on your Turnitin score. If you are unsure with regards to this, then do ask for clarification.
• Your report must be written in an acceptable standard of English. Spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, sentence construction, and textual coherence must all meet this standard.
• Your report may be failed if there is a poor standard of written English, making it difficult to understand the points being made or weaknesses of writing that are so frequent or serious that they impede communication.
The assignment should:
• be word processed in Arial, Aptos, Calibri or Times New Roman in size 11 .
• have left and right margins of 2.5 cm
• have top and bottom margins of 2 cm
• be a maximum of SEVEN pages (excluding the appendix) in length with the following:
o 1 page - title page, including your name, student ID number, degree programme and the name of your personal tutor.
o 1 page University of Birmingham Assessment and Feedback Student Template (see below).
o 1 page - an executive summary of no more than 150 words.
o 2 pages maximum - main text, divided into suitable sections (e.g. introduction, conclusions, etc.). You may include images, tables or figures, but these must be clearly legible and within the two-page limit.
o 1 page: If you have used ChatGPT (or any other Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) based platform/algorithm) to research any aspect of your report, it is compulsory to acknowledge this in a suitable section (e.g. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)). In this section you should compare the generated text obtained from ChatGPT with your own drafted text. Include a summary of 5 advantages and
5 limitations identified as a result of your comparison. Note that the limitations of using Generative AI include inaccuracy and misrepresentation; potential for biased ideas; potential for the inclusion of plagiarised or copyright content; and uncertainty of ownership of intellectual property.
A suggested format for this section if you have used Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) includes:
1. Do a search in ChatGPT and generate a maximum of 300 words from it.
2. Copy and paste this generated text into the Appendix section only of the report (further details are included below). Do not copy and paste ChatGPT generated text into the main section of your report.
3. In the main section of the report, compare and contrast your own written text with that generated by ChatGPT by providing 5 advantages of ChatGPT and 5 limitations.
If you have not used Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) then you do not need to complete this section of the report (so your report will become six pages long). All students need to complete the Compulsory Appendix section and select the appropriate statement provided in the template whether you have used Generative Artifical Intelligence (AI) or not.
o 1 page – references (for this page you are permitted to use single line spacing and a smaller font size if necessary). Sources of material can include journal articles and books, but NOT any web sites. Useful tools for searching for information can be found at Findit@Bham.
You should ensure that your reference section is completed in a professional manner. A style. guide can be found at: https://www.annales- geophysicae.net/submission.html#references
Alternatively, rather than using author names in the text, you can use numbers for the references (please see examples from the taught sessions). These methods of referencing are called Havard and Vancouver respectively. Details can be found at:
https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/student/libraries/referencing/icite/index.aspx
Generative AI
All students are required to include a compulsory appendix section (this does not form. part of the seven-page limit). Please note, if you do not include this section, your assignment will not be marked): In addition, you are also required to include an acknowledgement statement relating to your use of generative AI at the end of your report in an Appendix section after the referencing section as follows:
• Where you have used generative AI to support an assessment you must acknowledge its use. A failure to appropriately reference externally sourced, non-original work can result in academic misconduct as per the University’s Code of Practice on Academic Integrity. You should name the tool and how it was used by including the appropriate statement at the end of your submission in an Appendix section:
o No content generated by AI tools has been presented as my own work.
o I acknowledge the use of [insert AI system(s) and link] to generate materials for background research and self-study in the drafting of this assessment.
o I acknowledge the use of [insert AI system(s) and link] to generate materials that were included within my final assessment in modified form. The following were initially generated by AI: <Bullet point list and explain the modifications you have made>.
• In addition, if you acknowledge the use of generative AI as stated in the section above, you must also include the following:
o You must describe how the information or material was generated (including the prompts you used with the generative AI tool), what the resulting output was and how the output was then changed by you. A failure to appropriately reference externally sourced, non-original work can result in academic misconduct as per the University’s Code of Practice on Academic Integrity. You should use the following style. of wording, depending on the nature of use:
o The following prompts were input into [AI system]: <Bullet point list the prompt(s)>.
o The output obtained was: <Copy and paste the output generated by the AI tool>.
o The output was changed by me in the following ways: <Bullet point list and explain the actions you have taken>.
University of Birmingham Assessment and Feedback Student Template
Section One
Reflecting on the feedback that I have received on previous assessments, the following issues/topics have been identified as areas for improvement: (add 3 bullet points). NB – for first year students in the firstterm, this may refer to assessments in their previous institution, or verbal feedback given in a teaching session.
Section Two
In this assignment, I have attempted to act on previous feedback in the following ways (3 bullet points).
Section Three
Feedback on the following aspects of this assignment (i.e. content/style/approach) would be particularly helpful to me: (3 bullet points).
Submission details
The assignment should be submitted through Canvas as a single PDF file. The deadline for submission is 12:00 pm (noon) on Monday 4th November 2024. Any work submitted late will receive a penalty of 5 percentage points per working day (so, if your work would have been awarded 75 % but was submitted two days late, then the mark awarded would become 65 %) .
If you are unclear about any aspect of electronic submission, you should seek advice well in advance of the assignment deadline. Remember to check the file you have submitted after submission to ensure that it is correct.
Advice on how to write an answer which is awarded a high grade
The question is deliberately short and vague. You will encounter questions of this style. when working in industry, research or academia in your future career. However, in this assessment, we want to provide you with additional guidance regarding how to best answer this question.
• Structure of the report: You should use clear headings and present the material in a logical order. Your report should begin with an executive summary, giving an overview of the material covered. A good executive summary could be read by a policy maker instead of reading the entire report. The remainder of the report provides the detailed information that supports and justifies what is stated in the executive summary.
• Content: Make sure that you discuss climate change targets, sustainable development goals, how this method of power generation works, and strengths and limitations of this method of power generation. Any quantitative information which you can add to the report would be advantageous.
• Clarity and concision: Ensure that the report is clear, concise and free from errors. I advise you to proofread your report aloud prior to submission. Simple sentence structures are often better than complicated ones. Make sure that technical terms are clearly explained. Think would this report be clear to someone who is reading it in a hurry.
• References: Draw on material beyond that covered in the taught sessions. Use books and journals. Critically evaluate this material. Ensure that referencing is done to professional standards.
Frequently asked questions
The two-page main text limit is very restrictive. Why have you set this limit? Whether you work in industry, research or academia, you will frequently need to bid for contracts. This is often a two-stage process, and the first stage involves an outline bid which is very restricted in length. Writing in such a concise manner is a difficult skill to acquire, and so we have set this limit so that you can learn how to write in a concise manner.
Is it possible to address all the points mentioned in ‘Advice on how to write an answer which is awarded a high grade’ within the two-page limit? Yes. It is very difficult to do so, but it is possible. It is more difficult to write a two-page report than a ten-page report. Writing concisely is a key skill for an engineer.
What happens if I exceed the two-page limit?A penalty of one percentage point per line will be applied (so if your grade would have been 75 % and you have gone over by 10 lines, then it will become 65 %). This sounds harsh but professional reports which exceed a page limit are often rejected without being read.
I am concerned that Word may reformat my report and cause me to exceed the two-page limit. If this is a concern, then please convert your document to a .pdf prior to submission.