Skills you will develop:

Research, referencing, comparison/analysis, reflection and presentation skills are all important when it comes to university level study. Much of your time will be spent doing your own research as well as doing a range of learning and assessment activities like giving presentations, writing essays or reports and contributing to group projects.  The independent study project is a great way to develop these skills and you can write about what you learned as part of your UCAS application, demonstrating your ability to undertake independent work and show your level of interest in the subject you choose. 

Project topic options:

1. Project: Random Number Generation: Exploring the use of random number generation in computing:  

Procedurally Generated Games: Levels, maps, and content designed dynamically using algorithms. 

Other Applications: Simulations, cryptography, randomized testing. 

History: Early uses in statistical simulations, such as the Monte Carlo method.

2. Project: Machine Vision: Applications of computer vision technology.

Image Processing: Filters and tools used in software like Photoshop. 

Object Recognition: Identifying objects in images (e.g., face detection). 

Object Tracking: Following objects in motion (used in film motion capture and astronomy). 

3. Project: Pattern Recognition: The science of finding patterns and similarities in data. 

 Fuzzy Matching: Useful for spelling corrections and search engine suggestions. 

Applications: Machine learning, handwriting recognition, fraud detection.

4. Project: Graphical Processing Units (GPUs): Understanding GPUs and their transformative impact on computing.  

Technical Explanation: GPUs handle parallel processing for graphics rendering. 

Applications: Training large AI models, scientific 

simulations. 

Market Trends: NVIDIA’s stock surged due to demand for AI and gaming hardware. 

5. Project: Hashing Algorithms: Essential tools for secure computing.

Storing Passwords: Hash functions securely store user credentials. 

Data Access: Hashing provides efficient lookups in data structures like hash tables. 

6. Project: Large Language Models: The rise and ethical considerations of AI-driven 

communication. 

ChatGPT and Similar Models: AI tools that generate human like text. 

Ethical Considerations: Bias in training data, hallucination risks, misinformation. 

7. Project: Autonomous Cars: The state of self-driving vehicle technology. 

Current Technology: Levels of autonomy and sensor technologies. 

Trust Issues: Concerns over safety, reliability, and decision making transparency. 

8. Project: RSA Encryption: Understanding secure communication with RSA encryption: 

Private and Public Keys: How secure data transmission works. 

Prime Number Factorization: The core challenge that ensures security. 

Due: 24th November 2025

How to submit: Email your project to brookesengage@brookes.ac.uk

Check out our Technology, Design and Environment courses to discover the opportunities available to you. If you have any questions about any of the courses, or how to decide what to study, remember to take a look at our virtual Information, Advice and Guidance pages, or chat to your mentor on Brightside - they went through the same process not long ago!