There are no poor quality final year dissertation reports in computing

As  I mark the software development final year projects as a second marker, I feel disappointed at what I have seen:

1. No referencing; and when there is referencing, it is not in harvard referencing format.
2. Reference list mainly provides url links on related resources. The final year project reports did not use proper references
3. Very often, there are only systems diagrams, narratives are too brief and, very often, missing.
4. The  main methodology to use is Systems Development Life Cycle, not more advanced methodologies studied in the Degree programme.
5. Even for those who have attempted to use proper methodologies and references, the line of reasoning is not clear and the writing skill remains very weak.
6. Literature review is very brief and, often, makes up of 1-2 pages of lecture notes.
7. It is too vague for students to just say that they are the project manager or systems analyst of the software project, because, they do not say clearly in their dissertation reports whether they are employees of the client system or consultants, in which case, who employed them, etc...
8. Too much systems diagrams/ documentation content is provided in the core report; much of them should be located in the appendix of the dissertation reports.

There is no such thing called very low quality of dissertation reports; there are always dissertation reports with lower quality. The university is not a wild chicken university; there are many wild chicken around... [Based on my knowledge of some of these students, I think some of the defects of some of the reports would be addressed if their supervisor(s) sufficiently remind them beforehand. Apparently, there are some students, ie the diehards, who will not do the projects properly even if they are provided with proper advices.]

I also want to be kind in my marking of dissertation reports... but, it is clear that, the quality of many of these systems development reports for this Degree programme, is way below Degree standard..

Just when one feel disappointed with the quality of the reports, there are reports that are poorer in quality. Thus, there is no poor quality report(s), there are always poorer quality final year systems development dissertation reports...


NB: the Computing Sccience Degree students in this centre appear to believe that, just by constructing a software application of reasonable complexity will entitle them to earn a good mark in final year dissertation project on software development/ software engineering. They appear not to understand that they need to demonstrate report writing skill, literature review skill, skill in employing information systems methodologies, and intellectual/ evaluative skill.


Some examples of dissertation report defects