Special Project
About Special Project
The Special Project is one of the graduation requirements for IBPI students, and consists of Special Project (I) and (II), which are 6 credits in total. In Special Project, students will have to focus on writing a code or create a hardware design under the guidance of an advisor from the departments under the College of Informatics. The project's topic is not limited to any theme, but the main focus has to be related to informatics.
The benefits of doing Special Project is that students have the flexibility on managing their time to study or do the project. They will also have the chance to be a Principal investigator (PI) after applying for the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Research Grant for University Students. Once the submitted proposal approved, the student will be granted NTD6,000 per month (NTD48,000 in 8 months) and a maximum of NTD20,000 to purchase expendables, books and miscellaneous items related to the project. For more information about the research grant, click here or contact Ms. Fan (Ext. 2283) at gayyfann@saturn.yzu.edu.tw.
Requirements
The prerequisite for taking the special project is that students must pass the CPE Exam. Students who would like to do the Special Project (as known as Independent Studies) can find an advisor from the departments under the College of Informatics. Once they have agreed to be the student's advisor, they should sign the Independent Studies form and submit to the IBPI secretary at R70201 as soon as possible. These students will be assigned Special Project (I) in the next semester, and Special Project (II) will be added to the student in the following semester. Additionally, two students can form a group and do the same project under the same advisor.
Aside from completing their project, students must also complete two tasks:
Present their work at the Special Project Exhibition
The Special Project Exhibition consists of oral and poster presentation. Students must present their research and findings as well as demonstrating the code / hardware design. Award will be given to presenters who are the most popular or has the highest score.
For the second task, students should also accomplish one of the following items:
Apply for NSTC Research Grant for University Students
Students can come up with a project proposal and apply for grant from the NSTC. The advisor will help with the application and reviewing the proposal to ensure a high success chance to be approved.
Participate in (inter)national competitions
Students can join a competition related to their project. However, competitions joined before getting assigned Special Project doesn't count. Students can also join a competition with team members from other university as well.
Submit a paper to a journal or conference
Submitting a research paper requires dedicated work and will be reviewed by experts. Students are encouraged to submit a paper to Informatics-related journal or conference if they are pursuing an academic career.
Important note: Not getting approved by the NSTC, not winning the competition, or not getting accepted for paper publication still qualifies as completing the Special Project requirement.
Assessment and final step
The score for Special Project is given by the advisor based on student's participation and dedication to their project. If a student is joining a Special Project Exhibition, the score will be decided by the exhibition judges after reviewing their oral and poster presentation, which is averaged by the number of judges available.
After completing all the task, student must submit the YZU IBPI Special Project Checklist to the secretary before leaving the school (graduation verification by IBPI department). However, students are advised to let their advisor sign the checklist first after every task has been fulfilled.
Q&A
- Q: When can I begin the Special Project?
A: Once a professor has agreed to be your advisor, you can start planning and doing the Special Project. The course will be assigned to you starting from Year 3.
- Q: I have started doing the Special Project, but can I change my advisor?
A: Please fill up the IBPI Special Project Request Form and discuss with your current advisor regarding the change.
- Q: Can I take both Special Project and Internship?
A: Currently, student can either complete the Special Project or choose to do Internship. Although students are allowed to do internship, but students cannot do both Special Project and Internship on the same semester.
- Q: I have started doing the Special Project, but I wish to quit and do Internship instead. What will happen to my Special Project score?
A: If you would like to switch to do Internship after starting the Special Project, you should withdraw from the Special Project by applying in the Portal within the announced period. If you have completed Special Project (I) and wanted to do Internship in the next, the credits earned from Special Project (I) will not be counted towards your graduation requirement credits. Likewise, the advisor must approve of your decision first. Do not abandon the Special Project when you are unsure whether a company will offer you an internship opportunity, because you cannot choose to do the Special Project again. If you have finally decided, please submit the IBPI Special Project Request Form to the IBPI secretary.