examples

REALISING OPPORTUNITIES ACADEMIC ASSINGMENT SAMPLE STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS AND FEEDBACK 2013

This document contains four samples of Academic Assignments submitted by Realising Opportunities Cohort 3 students, along with the feedback given by the tutor and their final mark. It has been prepared to provide additional guidance/training to support tutors working with Realising Opportunities students. What is important to note about these examples is the quality of the feedback given to students. RO students have commented that they gain a great deal from the process of completing the Academic Assignment and the feedback given by their tutor. We therefore request, that when undertaking your assessment of the work of your students, that you bear this in mind when compiling final marks and comments.

CONTENTS Student Sample A What constitutes racism in a football context and what are its effects? [Mark awarded by tutor: 2.125] Student Sample B How does Hodgkin’s lymphoma affect the lymphatic system and how effective are the treatments? [Mark awarded by tutor: 3.5 ] Student Sample C With the recent announcement that the US has stalled its plans to introduce the SOPA bill, what effect on society will be seen if they were to become successful? [Mark awarded by tutor: 4] Student Sample D Artificial Intelligence: a history, and its application in video games [Mark awarded by tutor: 5]

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COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE A FINAL MARK: 2.125 What constitutes racism in a football context and what are its effects? In this article I will be focusing on the area of racism which is common in everyday life. Many people experience or witness racism taking place, and as a result of racism being in the news recently with a confrontation between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand I will be discussing racism taking place within football. Also trying to answer the question, what constitutes racism in a football context. The issue with racism is all to the discretion of the parties involved and in the manner said as sometimes it can be friendly and harmless but other times it can be personal and deemed to be offensive. The recent case involving Anton Ferdinand and John Terry was highly publicised in the in which John Terry is alleged to of made racist remarks towards Anton Ferdinand in a match at Loftus Road where Queens Park Rangers faced Chelsea Football Club a case with John Terry denies. The problem in many “racism” cases isn’t often what is said but who it is said to, as people react differently to things said. The case has caused controversy with Anton Ferdinand being able to file a witness statement even though he is the prosecutor. The court case held on Friday 13th July 2012 found John Terry not guilty of any wrong doing as the Magistrate said ‘it is impossible to be sure what Chelsea captain said, and it may not have been intended as insult’. Due to the fact this appears to be a case of “your word against mine” and while the magistrate may have his/her opinion on specific events they can only judge on the evidence provided in court[2]. With reference to the Gillingham player Mark McCammon, 33 who filled against his former employers for discrimination during his employment with Gillingham FC, and who won his case in the high courts. [4] You can see that even though certain events like racism happen in football it’s treated like a normal offence and dealt with by the justice system of the United Kingdom. This would of course make Gillingham FC who was found guilty of racial discrimination a less attractive football club as a result and may deter any future black players from signing for the club as a result, of course like any case Gillingham can appeal the decision and may decide to do so which would result in another court case issue. A statement interpreted as racist by another, may have been said without racist intent and a term often used in football is the word ‘banter’. This means words which may have been seen to be lighthearted by one party but cause offence to another. These cases, often, only come to light after the initial incident as it normally takes one particular case, with the victim feeling violated, to press charges then many more cases follow. In particular the close proximity of two high profile cases in the Luis Suarez saga and the John Terry court case falling roughly 2 weeks apart shows that it takes one person to take a stand up to the situation and others follow suit. This therefore causes the problem what laws do you create to prevent racism in football. Many campaigns such as ‘kick it out’ have been started and are supported by high profile black players such as Clarke Carlisle and many professionals of the game once they retire become ambassadors to support various projects and campaigns. To enhance the proximity of the feelings of black players in the premier league the kick it out campaign in which players and clubs show awareness by wearing the T-shirts has been rejected by many black players such as Jason Roberts, who led the revolt, Anton Ferdinand and Victor Anichebe. With Victor Anichebe being quoted as saying ‘Are we really kicking it 2

out? There's a situation that's just happened. I believe in kicking racism out of everything, not just football kick it out of society.’ White players don’t often fulfil these roles and this could be seen to be creating the divide of black against white, with the black players believing they are victims of racism, and taking up particular roles after their playing days to preach to young pupils the importance of racial equality in sport and often sharing personal experiences to the various people they meet on public appearances Clarke Carlisle involved in the show ‘Is football racist’ which was produced after John Terry and Anton Ferdinand’s incident tried to get an answer and give insight to what really happens within football and on the pitch, in the documentary Carlisle ‘discovered how few Indian and Pakistani players have made it into the big leagues’.[4] Racism rows between individual football players can have knock-on effects. One of these is, the deception from the stands of these particular players; shown by the Luis Suarez scandal guilty or not his club still defend him and the fans still cheer for him, even their black fans, is this politically correct? His manager, Kenny Dalgleish at the time, backed Suarez, even though it was seen as wrong because he was racist. Should he be treated differently by his fans? Then there’s the John Terry case, which is still on-going as we head into the new season, that involves Rio Ferdinand and Anton Ferdinand and as a result has caused Rio to be investigated for comments made on the social networking site Twitter about the case, which reinforces my point where does the case end? How will they draw a line under it now seen as they will play against each other this season and an English premiership rule may cause them to shake hands before the game as the entire teams do. Will they shake hands? Another point in question is the involvement of other professionals or well respected members inside the game and journalists all have an opinion on this and journalists will write articles about this case, whilst club managers and even the England manager Roy Hodgson will be asked questions about this during interviews before the game and after the game, it’s extremely difficult for the clubs involved as one wrong answer to a question could be blown out of whole proportions and make the argument and case in question a whole lot worse, and from an international point of view before Euro2012 it begged the question which side was Roy Hodgson on, as the competition got nearer and the time to name squads got closer it was obvious the common pairing of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry just wouldn’t be possible in the centre of defence and even taking the both in the squad to the European championship may be out of the question. In due course Hodgson named his squad and left out Rio Ferdinand for ‘footballing reasons’ since then Ferdinand has posted on Twitter, , to discuss the matter with his followers and has since been quoted saying that he ‘accepts playing for his country may not be a possibility anymore’[1]. The media obviously saw it as Roy Hodgson preferred John Terry and was taking his side but it all boiled down to one racist incident between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand which all blew up and due to Twitter and the media train has continued to steam roll into the papers in the new season. Since the European championships Hodgson has been quoted saying in the Daily Mail ‘he hopes that John Terry will be cleared of allegedly using racially abusive language by an independent regulatory commission and can continue to play for England as the Chelsea captain awaits confirmation of a date for his personal hearing.’ These are comments which can be taken in the wrong way as the media scrutinises everyone involved to sell their papers and therefore comments may be taken out of context but it clearly shows support for John Terry. [1] The topic just goes to show how much influence the media, the managers and the players have not just in the footballing world, but as a whole in relation to society and everything they say and do can be seen by the public due to the media patrolling them, a recent example in fact is Roy Hodgson on a public transport train talking with fellow commuters about his latest England squad.[5] Everyone has 3

an opinion on racism as I’m sure everyone has an opinion on many things in life in general and there are always two sides to every incident and argument that takes place but the implications football has on society in the 21st century is of that importance that if every player unites and reports racism when committed regardless what race to make a stand then the divide that has started to appear in recent years may see everyone come together as one on and off the pitch. Word count: 1485 References: 1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2188443/Roy-Hodgson-risks-FA-furybacking-John-Terry-race-row-Anton-Ferdinand.html 2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/13/john-terry-cleared-anton-ferdinand 3. BBC 3 documentary ‘Is Football Racist‘ 4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-19214911 5. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/roy-hodgson-tells-fans-rio-1358906

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COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE A. Final Assessment: Tutor Feedback Form Notes from your meetings with students should be recorded on the RO Central Database (Details of how to access this database can be found in the Tutor Handbook). Your final assessment should also be recorded on the Database. The information contained on the final feedback form will be given to students with their results. Title of Assignment: What constitutes racism in a football context and what are its effects? University: University of Essex

Skill Area

Knowledge and Understanding

Intellectual Skills

Learning Outcome: Upon successful completion of the Academic Assignment the student will be able to:

Level

Comments

1- 5

1. Demonstrate subject knowledge and understanding of the topic.

2

2. Describe subject knowledge in own words in an appropriate academic style and with a clear and logical structure.

2

3. Explore a range of information making clear links between different materials and ideas so the assignment flows in a coherent way.

2

The student chose a topic in which they have a genuine interest and I feel their enthusiasm is obvious. One issue with the assignment is that the student appears to be so conversant with the cases outlined that they omit important details in description. Similarly, they fail to identify clearly what racism actually is. The assignment moves towards outlining the core features of title but overall it lacks academic credibility as points made are not supported by academic or reputable sources. The student certainly made improvements in this area. However, the assignment lacked a clear structure particularly in terms of paragraphing and organisation of ideas. The assignment was not written in an appropriately academic style throughout, probably in part due to the fact the sources used are not academic themselves. Examples of this are: the overuse of questions in paragraph 6; use of contractions throughout; lack of 'tentative' language (e.g. 'it could be said..') and the choice of 'unacademic' vocabulary and phrases e.g. 'this just goes to show..'. In addition, there are some inaccuracies in terms of spelling, punctuation and use of grammar. This assignment was based around several newspaper texts and a TV programme. The lack of academic support is a weakness of the piece. In addition, the lack of background reading and source texts means the writer was limited in the number of points he could make. More academic reading of the ideas of others can feed the writing process and ultimately make such assignments easier as a result. The assignment did not have a strong line of argument and the reader was required to

5

4. Select and summarise relevant information and reach appropriate conclusions.

Practical Skills (Research 5. Demonstrate an ability to research the Academic Skills) Assignment using a range of appropriate resources.

Transferable Skills

2

2

6. Demonstrate the origin of their ideas by showing referencing skills (examples on www.bham.skills4uni.ac.uk).

2

7. Communicate effectively with tutor in person, by email or by phone and respond positively to advice. 8. Demonstrate use of appropriate ICT skills in the presentation of their Academic Assignment using the guidelines provided.

3

Total Academic Assignment Mark:

make their own connections at times as it was not coherent. However, the student had made efforts to improve this area of their writing which is noted. The main comment with regard to this criterion is that the student has used very few sources and those used are not sufficiently academic. Overall, the student has not been able to select and incorporate the most relevant information available although it could be said they have selected quite well from the sources used. Much more could have been said with regard to the title. The assignment did not really explain what constitutes racism or outline the effects in enough detail or with enough authority. The conclusions drawn are somewhat weak and unsupported. The student has undertaken some research and given the nature of the assignment title, the sources selected were of some value. However, the academic nature of the assignment necessitated reference to further appropriate academic sources. It would have been of benefit to the assignment to have found academic support for some of the key points made. For example, the assertion that comments made can be interpreted as racist or not racist dependent on the listener, is an interesting and valid one but needed to be supported by some form of academic evidence. The student used the footnote referencing style. Most sources were on-line newspaper articles and for these the student chose to just provide the URL. Ideally the date and author ought to have been provided along with the date last accessed. There is reference to a BBC TV programme which is not accurately referenced. There is a lack of precision in the use of referencing with the student placing a number linking to the source at the end of paragraphs rather than at the most relevant point. However, the student has clearly attempted to cite the source of information to which they make reference, which is very positive. The student made contact with me by email when requested and always responded positively to feedback. I felt the student lacked confidence when it came to making contact with me but for the future would like to reassure them that initiating contact with tutors to ask pertinent questions is encouraged.

2

The assignment was quite well-presented in the correct font size but some guidelines were not followed: the student did not provide all required information in the format requested at the beginning of the essay re: name, assignment title, host university and student statement. The line spacing was 1.15 rather than 1.5.

2.125

Summary Comments: The student chose a topic of importance to them and attempted to build the assignment around that enthusiasm. A number of important points are made: how racist comments may be identified by the recipient as such or dismissed as banter; the difficulties involved in prosecuting in such cases; and the 6

role played by the media and major personalities. However, some of these points were not made in such a way that they provided a viable response to the title of the assignment and none were supported or developed through reference to academic sources. Writing academically takes practice and exposure to good models and I feel the student would have found the task here slightly easier if they had sourced, read and made reference to more academic texts rather than only journalistic ones. It is important that the student be aware that they made progress during this process and that they realise that more practice will undoubtedly deliver improvement.

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COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE B FINAL MARK: 3.5 How does Hodgkin’s lymphoma affect the lymphatic system and how effective are the treatments? Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system and there are two types: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Hodgkin’s lymphoma affects 1 in 5 people who have lymphoma and was named after Thomas Hodgkin- the doctor who recognised it first in 1832.1 The main characteristic of Hodgkin lymphoma is the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells which are large binucleated cells. It is known today that Reed-Sternberg cells are a type of white blood cell; a B lymphocyte which has become cancerous.1 4 5 As shown in diagram 1, Reed-Sternberg are larger than normal lymphocytes and contain more nuclei’s. The discovery of what ReedSternberg cells are has aided scientists understanding of the disease and its effects which has enabled enhanced treatments to be developed. The most recent 5-year survival figure of 81% compared to in 1971 when it was just a little over 40% confirms that mortality from HL has been decreasing and this is due to scientists growing understanding of the effects HL has on the lymphatic system.2 3

The lymphatic system is a complex network of organs, nodes and vessels that produce and transport lymph; a watery fluid which distributes immune cells throughout the body and interacts with the blood. The lymphatic system resembles the circulatory system as it circulates a fluid (lymph) around the body, via vessels, to the cardiovascular system, the main difference is that the lymphatic system is one-way.7 The lymphatic vessels transport lymph from lymphoid tissue to the veins of the cardiovascular system and on the way they feed the lymph into the lymphatic nodes where they are filtered and immune cells are added.8 These immune cells are called lymphocytes which help to protect the body from antigens.1 6 Hodgkin’s lymphoma is caused by abnormal B lymphocyte cells which are produced in the bone marrow. B lymphocyte cells become abnormal after undergoing mutations and this becomes a problem when they start to multiply uncontrollably. 7 Diagram 1 shows what happens to the B lymphocyte cells after undergoing change and growing uncontrollably. Hodgkin’s lymphoma usually starts off in a lymph node because it is there that these abnormal lymphocytes are stored and added to the lymph circulating the lymphatic system. This means the cancerous cells can spread to other lymph nodes close to the originally affected lymph node via the lymphatic vessels.

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Once a diagnosis of HL has been confirmed, a number of tests are carried out so doctors can assess the staging of the cancer. Staging the cancer is doctors attempt to describe the cancer in order for an effective treatment programme to be created. Examples of these tests are CT scans, PET scans, bone marrow biopsies, Laparotomy, needle or surgical biopsies and Thoracentesis. A CT (computed tomography) scan produces detailed images of areas inside the body from different angles. A PET (positron emission tomography) scan creates images of organs and tissues within the body. Bone marrow biopsy allows a small amount of marrow to be removed and analysed under a microscope. A laparotomy allows the inside of the abdomen to be checked for disease. A needle or surgical biopsy allows tissue to be removed and examined by a pathologist under a microscope to look for cancerous cells.9 10 All these tests allow doctors to understand the extent of the HL and doctors use these tests to stage the HL into one of four stages. These stages are stage I, which is cancer found in one lymph node, organ or area on the same side of the diaphragm; stage II is cancer found in two or more lymph nodes, organs or areas on the same side of the diaphragm; stage III is cancer that is found in lymph nodes, organs or areas on both sides of the diaphragm; and stage IV is cancer that is found throughout one or more organs and may have spread to lymph nodes near those organs or far away from those organs.9 10 For adult HL, these stages can then be categorised further into four groups: early favourable (stages I and II without risk factors), early unfavourable (stage I or II with at least one risk factor), advanced favourable (stages III and IV with less than three risk factors) and advanced unfavourable (stages III and IV) with more than three risk factors).10 For childhood HL, these stages can also be categorised further into three groups based on the size of the tumour and the presence of “B” symptoms (fever, weight loss or night sweats): low-risk, intermediate-risk and high-risk. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma can be treated in five different ways, one way being a clinical trial. These include Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy, Targeted therapy, Surgery and a clinical trial of High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant.10 Chemotherapy stops the growth of cancer cells using anticancer drugs. These drugs either kill the cells or stop them from dividing. Chemotherapy can either be systemic; the drug is ingested or injected into a vein and enters the bloodstream or it can be regional; the drug is placed directly into an organ. Using more than one anticancer drug is known as combination chemotherapy. Radiation therapy uses radiation; high energy x-rays, to kill cancer cells or to prevent them from growing. Radiation therapy can be external; using a machine outside the body to send the radiation or internal; using radioactive substances that are placed directly into or near the cancer.10 Targeted therapy uses drugs to identify and kill specific cancer cells without harming normal cells. An example of targeted therapy is monoclonal antibody therapy which uses antibodies synthesised in a laboratory from a single type of immune system cells and these antibodies can identify substances on cancer cells. The antibodies can then attach to the substances and kills the cancer cells, stop them from growing or prevent them from spreading. Surgery is the removal of as much of the tumour as possible. High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant uses high doses of chemotherapy and replaces blood-forming cells that are destroyed by the chemotherapy. Stem cells from the patient or a donor are removed from the blood or bone marrow and are frozen then stored. After the chemotherapy is finished the stored stem cells are given back to the patient and they grow into and restore the body’s blood cells.10 Adults with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are treated differently to children with Hodgkin’s lymphoma because factors, such as a child’s future fertility options and the late effects the treatment might have such as premature death, need to be considered when designing a treatment plan.11 12 Adults with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are treated depending on the category of their cancer. Adults with early favourable Hodgkin lymphoma may be treated with combination chemotherapy alone or with radiation therapy or radiation therapy alone. Adults who have early unfavourable HL are likely to be treated with combination chemotherapy alone or with 9

radiation therapy. Adults with advanced favourable HL are treated in the same way as adults with early unfavourable HL. Adults with advanced unfavourable HL are treated with combination chemotherapy or are advised to look into clinical trials of high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant.10 Children with Hodgkin’s lymphoma are also treated depending on the category of their cancer. Children who have low-risk HL are treated with combination chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy and also sometimes surgery. Children with intermediate-risk HL are often treated with combination chemotherapy with radiation therapy. Children who have high-risk HL are usually treated with high-dose combination chemotherapy with radiation and also sometimes targeted therapy is used.10 Each treatment option has their benefits and risks, for example chemotherapy has many possible side effects and combination chemotherapy has an increased likelihood of developing these possible side effects but chemotherapy is an effective way of killing cancerous cells, although it may also kill healthy cells too as it cannot decipher which cells are healthy and which are cancerous.13 Radiation therapy has possible side effects ranging from hair loss to nausea.14 Targeted therapy also has side effects such as skin problems and hair loss.15 Surgery may not be effective as surgeons may not be able to remove the entire tumour. In some cases not all of these treatment options are available such as if an adult’s HL has spread throughout the lymphatic system then surgery wouldn’t be an option. But, as a rise in survival rate shows, the treatments available are getting increasingly effective. To conclude, in my opinion each treatment option is effective in its own way, proven by increases in survival rate, and as scientists’ knowledge of Hodgkin’s lymphoma increases, treatment options are becoming more effective. Word count: 1438 Bibliography 1-Anon., 2011. What is Hodgkin's Lymphoma?. [Online] Available at: http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/hodgkins-lymphoma/about/what-is-hodgkinslymphoma [Accessed October 2012]. 2- Gobbi PG, F. A. P. M. L. A., 2012. Hodgkin Lymphoma. Journal Crit Rev Oncol Hematol, 3 August 2012. 3- Anon., 2008. Cancer Research UK's strategy. [Online] Available at: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/prod_consump/groups/cr_common/@abt/@gen/documents/generalconte nt/cr_043318.pdf [Accessed October 2012]. 4- Anon,. Hodgkin's Lymphoma Types: Lymphocytes & Reed-Sternbreg cells. [online] Available at: http://www.tree.com/health/lymphoma-hodgkins-disease-types.aspx [Accessed October 2012]. 5- Kuppers, R. & Rajewsky, K., 1998. The origin of Hodgkin and Reed/Sternberg cells in Hodgkin's disease. Annual Review of Immunology, Volume 16, pp. 471-493. 6- Anon., 2012. Understanding the lymphatic system. [online] Available at: http://www.lymphomation.org/lymphatic.htm [Accessed October 2012]. 7- Anon,. The lymphatic system. [online] Available at: http://www.gorhams.dk/html/the_lymphatic_system.html [Accessed October 2012]. 10

8- Anon,. 2011. Lymphatic system anatomy. [online] Available at: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1899053-overview [Accessed October 2012]. 9- Anon,. 2007. Stages of Hodgkin's lymphoma. [online] Available at: http://cancer.emedtv.com/hodgkin's-lymphoma/stages-of-hodgkin's-lymphoma-p2.html [Accessed October 2012]. 10- Anon,. 2011. Hodgkin's lymphoma. [online] Available at: http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/lymphoma-hodgkin [Accessed October 2012]. 11- National Cancer Institute., 2012. Late effects of treatment for childhood cancer. [online] Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/lateeffects/HealthProfessional [Accessed October 2012]. 12- National Cancer Institute., 2012. Childhood Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment. [online] Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/childhodgkins/HealthProfessional/page1 13- Anon,. What is combination chemotherapy. [online] Available at: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-combination-chemotherapy.htm [Accessed October 2012]. 14- Anon,. Radiation therapy. [online] Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/radiation-therapy/MY00299/DSECTION=risks [Accessed October 2012]. 15- Anon,. Targeted therapy side effects. [online] Available at: http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/targetedtherapy/targetedtherapy-side-effects [Accessed October 2012]. Diagram 1 [online] Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/childhodgkins/Patient/page1 [Accessed October 2012].

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COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE B Final Assessment: Tutor Feedback Form Notes from your meetings with students should be recorded on the RO Central Database (Details of how to access this database can be found in the Tutor Handbook). Your final assessment should also be recorded on the Database. The information contained on the final feedback form will be given to students with their results. Title of Assignment: How does Hodgkin’s lymphoma affect the lymphatic system and how effective are the treatments? University: King’s College London

Skill Area


Intellectual Skills


Level

Comments

1- 5


4

The student has researched extensively into the topic and has demonstrated a good understanding of the subject. If they had also used more primary literature rather than reviews it would have gained the highest score.


3

The student has shown that they can summarise literature int her own words (with very few grammatical/spelling errors) without compromising academic style. There is a coherent flow in the writing and the reader can easily follow the thought process. They have made it interesting to read and have also made attempts at drawing conclusions for themselves. I would like to encourage them to critically analyse literature even more and find evidences to contradict some findings too without simply accepting the popular opinion.


3

The student attempted to make an unbiased analysis of the various treatments for Hodgkin's Lymphoma and stated the various side effects of each therapy. However to add greater depth to the essay they could have added some data from studies that are published recently highlighting other side effects like arterial stiffness. Additionally while exploring the differences in treatment between children and adults they failed to describe the challenging, novel methods essential in the case of 12

the elderly patients due to added risks of co-morbidity. 4. Select and summarise relevant information and reach appropriate conclusions.

3

The student exhibits the necessary skills to process copious information into concise ideas. They have also made attempts to reach conclusions. However, the lack of a section on novel therapies and drugs leaves the essay and the reader wanting more. There was no mention in the essay about experimental drugs that are being looked into (for example: Rothe A, Sasse S, Goergen H, Eichenauer DA, Lohri A, Jager U, et al. Brentuximab vedotin for relapsed or refractory CD30? hematologic malignancies: the German Hodgkin Study Group experience. Blood. 2012;120(7):1470-2.). They have definitely answered the questions posed in the title but adding a small section on the cutting edge drugs being developed would have given the essay that much needed edge.

Practical Skills (Research 5. Demonstrate an ability to research the Academic Skills) Assignment using a range of appropriate resources.


4

The student has used the internet resources extensively. However, I would like to see them using primary literature more rather than just reviews and websites with anonymous authors. For example, even when they did attempt to reference a primary publication by Gobbi PG et. al., in Journal Crit Rev Oncol Hematol, they only used it for a statistic! If they had delved into this paper a little more and followed up on the references that were used in that paper the essay would have had more depth.

4

The student presents their ideas with clear references. The quality of their references however need to be improved. I cannot stress the importance of demonstrating that primary literature has been researched and not just reviews and website information. To highlight a small error: Gobbi PG, F. A. P. M. L. A., 2012. Hodgkin Lymphoma. Journal Crit Rev Oncol Hematol, 3 August 2012. The date is given in the middle and the end. Also this style of referencing differs from reference 5. It would be sufficient to say that the former reference was an [Epub ahead of print].

Transferable Skills

7. Communicate effectively with tutor in person, by email or by phone and respond positively to advice.

3

The student needs to communicate more with people who are willing and ready to help. Every successful student has to ensure he/she uses the resources at their disposal to the fullest. The student did not make use of the many opportunities that were offered to them to meet/discuss ideas. 13

8. Demonstrate use of appropriate ICT skills in the presentation of their Academic Assignment using the guidelines provided. Total Academic Assignment Mark:

4

ICT skills are satisfactory.

3.5

Summary Comments: The student has demonstrated a good understanding of the subject. They have, through a well written essay answered the questions posed in the title. However adding a small section on the cutting edge drugs being developed would have given the essay that much needed edge. This would have also given the chance to critically analyse current therapies in the conclusion. There is a coherent flow of thought and ideas throughout the essay. The student has clearly shown that they have the all important skills needed to delineate the essential ideas from copious information. The quality of the references need to be improved.

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COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE C FINAL MARK: 4 With the recent announcement that the US has stalled its plans to introduce the SOPA bill, what effect on society will be seen if they were to become successful? SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act, H.R 3261) has had its own share of the limelight recently. To discuss what affect this bill will have on society, not only that of America but that of the whole world, we first need to discuss what the bill is. The aim of SOPA is to allow the American government to protect the property of the American people on the internet from “foreign infringing site”. A “foreign infringing site” is defined as: 

Any site in which its domain-name registration authorities are located outside the US



Any site that so much as “facilitates” the commission of criminal copyright or trademarked material. [1]

This brings up its main opposition as anything that is linked to, or even contains a mention of, copyrighted material can be subjected to immediate closure. The bill gives internet service providers (ISP’s) the power to close any website that has been reported to violate the terms of the bill. The powers given by the bill to combat a “foreign infringing site” include: 

ISPs (and other online service providers that operate caching DNS servers) must take measures designed to “prevent access” to the site (or portion thereof), including measures designed to prevent DNS resolution of the siteʼs domain name



Search Engines must take measures designed to prevent the site (or portion of the site) from being served as a result of a search



Payment Networks must take measures to designed to prevent, prohibit, or suspend transactions between the site and US customers



Advertisement Networks must take measures designed to stop serving advertisements on the site, stop serving advertisements for the site and cease all compensation to or from the site. [2]

The American populace are not the only people who will be affected by this; the entire online world will be affected as this bill can close any website that contains pirated American material even if it is not an American website. This is because any ISP that receives an allegation that a website is “dedicated to the theft of US property”[3] whether or not the site is a US site, will have their payment and advertisement cut off. The bill defines the word “dedicated” if “it offers its service in a manner that... enables or facilitates infringement” or

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“its operator takes or has taken deliberate actions to avoid confirming a high probability of infringing activity on the site. This definition of “dedicated” differs greatly from the everyday definition of dedicated. There has been mass opposition to this bill by the internet community. The community believed that this bill would destroy the freedom of speech and violates the First Amendment [4]. This is due to opponents believing that the introduction of this bill will lead to the censorship of the internet. There have been two cases where the possible effects of SOPA have been observed. They are the shutdown of Megaupload and the extradition of Richard O’Dwyer (The owner of the TVShack.net domain). The first case shows an alternative to SOPA. Megaupload is a website that provides file sharing services. It was later shut down by the FBI. This puts the need for SOPA under question. Why does a country need to create legislation that stops the piracy of its material when it can use the powers it already has to shut them down? America already has the power to shut down these websites so it is unnecessary to introduce SOPA. This case shows how the FBI already seems to have the powers that SOPA would grant them. It could be seen that this is just a way to ensure that the FBI is fully protected in the event that a party protests against this. The owner of the Megaupload case, an Australian citizen, had to be extradited to America to face charges. The FBI has enough power to extradite people from that far afield so why is SOPA needed? Richard O’Dwyer s a UK citizen and the owner of TVShack.net, a website that did not carry any copyrighted material on its domain. Rather, it only linked to a website that had copyrighted material. It is an example of how worldwide SOPA will be. The only connection to the USA is a .net domain that the website has. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has already launched Extradition proceedings against O’Dwyer. ICE has stated that it intends to pursue websites that only have a connection to America because of a .net or .com domain [5]. This shows how widespread the FBI’s power is as TVShack.net only linked to other sites containing copyrighted material. The link to the USA was even more tenuous due to the .net domain. The extents to which the FBI’s powers already extend without SOPA are large enough to affect the worldwide community and are already large enough. With the addition of SOPA these effects are only going to increase. Even if it were to be introduced, the effectiveness of SOPA has been doubted. Edward J. Black, president and CEO of the Computer & Communication Industry Association, wrote in the Huffington Post that "Ironically, it would do little to stop actual pirate websites, which could simply reappear hours later under a different name, if their numeric web addresses aren't public even sooner. Anyone who knows or has that web address would still be able to reach the offending website."[6]. Effectively, if a pirating website is shut down, it will just be brought back under a different name doing the exact same things. This would reduce the effectiveness of SOPA and would lead back to the introduction of yet another bill to combat piracy. It could possibly lead to an 16

attempt to try and control the access to the internet of its citizens. This would lead to another situation like the “great firewall” of China in which the government has complete control of what it’s citizens can access online. Not only has the effectiveness of the bill been doubted. Many technical issues could arise from the introduction of the bill. According to Markham Erickson, head of NetCoalition, which opposes SOPA, the section of the bill that would allow judges to order internet service providers to block access to infringing websites to customers located in the United States would also allow the checking of those customers' IP address, a method known as IP blocking. Erickson has expressed concerns that such an order might require those providers to engage in "deep packet inspection", which involves analyzing all of the content being transmitted to and from the user, raising new privacy concerns [7]. However, with all of this opposition there are some parties that support the bill. Support for this bill mainly comes from companies that rely on their material not being copyrighted. This includes many record labels, film production companies and similar business areas. The supporters rely on the welfare of their products and its copyright to keep their businesses afloat. This is an understandable cause but this cannot overcome the effect that would be felt by society if this bill was introduced. As stated above, any copyrighted material would just reappear under a different name and would still circulate on the internet. In my opinion, the objective of SOPA (The importance and safeguarding of copyrighting) is the right thing to do. However, I disagree with the way that America has decided to deal with it. They are obviously trying to do the right thing but it is the wrong way to do it. An alternative to SOPA could be introduced that doesn’t cause internet censorship. This has already been done by opponents of SOPA. They have proposed the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN). On January 20, 2012, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Smith postponed plans to draft the bill: "The committee remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation ... The House Judiciary Committee will postpone consideration of the legislation until there is wider agreement on a solution."[8]. On January 14 2012, The Obama Administration responded to the petition against SOPA. They stated that, whilst they would not support legislation that would lead to internet censorship or reduced internet privacy, it encouraged “all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond US borders whilst staying true to the principles outlined above in this response” [9]. Three officials from the Obama administration articulated the White House's position on proposed anti-piracy legislation, balancing the need for strong antipiracy measures while respecting both freedom of expression 17

and the way information and ideas are share on the Internet. "While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cyber security risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.” [10]. It is reassuring that the American Government has decided that there is a problem with the draft version of SOPA. It is also reassuring that they have spotted the major flaws in the bill and are hoping to amend it as, without amending, it could lead to a massive oppression of the freedom of speech comparable only to that of the “Great Firewall of China” in which the government of China takes complete control of what its populace can access online. In this report I have explained what the bill actually is, and what effect it would have on society. In conclusion, SOPA is very flawed (It is not technologically possible unless the internet system itself is changed, It will have very limited effectiveness and it will bear a great impact upon the online community.), but with some tweaking it could form the basis of a very good bill that would revolutionize the way that copyright law works. Once again, this bill is not the way that governments should be trying to enforce copyright laws but it is a good idea to protect the work of individuals and keep their assets safe from piracy. Word count: 1715 REFERENCES 1. Sohn, D McDiarmid, D (November 15, 2011) “THE STOP ONLINE PIRACY ACT: SUMMARY, PROBLEMS & IMPLICATIONS” 2. As Above 3. As Above 4. Tribe, Laurence H. (December 6, 2011). "THE "STOP ONLINE PIRACY ACT" (SOPA) VIOLATES THE FIRST AMENDMENT". Scribd. http://www.scribd.com/doc/75153093/Tribe-Legis-Memo-on-SOPA-12-6-11-1 5. Walker, Peter (January 13, 2012). "'Piracy' student loses US extradition battle over copyright infringement". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/jan/13/piracy-studentloses-us-extradition?INTCMP=SRCH 6. Edward J. Black (December 13, 2011). "Internet Users, Free Speech Experts, Petition Against SOPA". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-j-black/stop-online-piracy-actvote_b_1145949.html 7. Declan McCullagh (November 18, 2011). "SOPA's latest threat: IP blocking, privacy-busting packet inspection". Privacy Inc. CNET. http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-57328045-281/sopas-latestthreat-ip-blocking-privacy-busting-packet-inspection/. 18

8. Juliana Gruenwald (August 12, 2011). "Critics of Online-Piracy Bills Release Their Own Draft Legislation". NationalJournal. http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/critics-of-online-piracy-billsrelease-their-own-draft-legislation-20111208. 9. Phillips, Mark (January 14, 2012). "Obama Administration Responds to We the People Petitions on SOPA and Online Piracy". White House Blog. http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/14/obamaadministration-responds-we-people-petitions-sopa-and-online-piracy. 10. White House Explains SOPA/PIPA Position - News - www.GameInformer.com

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COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE C Final Assessment: Tutor Feedback Form Notes from your meetings with students should be recorded on the RO Central Database (Details of how to access this database can be found in the Tutor Handbook). Your final assessment should also be recorded on the Database. The information contained on the final feedback form will be given to students with their results. Title of Assignment: With the recent announcement that the US has stalled its plans to introduce the SOPA bill, what effect on society will be seen if they were to become successful? University: University of Exeter

Skill Area


Intellectual Skills


Level

Comments

1- 5


4

Good knowledge and understanding of the topic. Demonstrates a good understanding of the main provisions of the legislation under consideration and its societal implications. Could have given more details of the provisions of alternative proposals particularly as you are arguing that the legislation should not be adopted. You have kept up to date with and shown a good awareness of recent developments in this topical area.


4

Well structured essay detailing the arguments for and against the legislation in a logical fashion. Could have expanded a bit more on the significance of some of the topical examples that you draw on. Good consideration of the counter-arguments.


4

You draw on a good range of sources for your information making clear links between them. Could have referred to more primary sources such as legislation and case law. Good use of topical examples to illustrate your point.

4. Select and summarise relevant

4

You have discussed and summarised the main information necessary for 20

information and reach appropriate conclusions.

your argument. However, it is important to support the arguments you make with more detailed reasoning. There is evidence of some attempt at critical analysis.

Practical Skills (Research 5. Demonstrate an ability to research the Academic Assignment using a range Skills) of appropriate resources.

4

Good range of sources referenced. Could have considered some case law.


5

Very well referenced.


3

You have responded well to suggestions made in relation to the topic. It would be beneficial to be more proactive when problems arise with the assignment and ensure that you respond to feedback.

8. Demonstrate use of appropriate ICT skills in the presentation of their Academic Assignment using the guidelines provided.

4

Very well presented.

4

Summary Comments: Overall this is a very good assignment which discusses a highly topical and relevant area of law in an interesting way. It is important to be able to think critically about the law and fully develop arguments. There are a number of helpful online resources in relation to this. I would encourage you to build on your success in this assignment as you progress towards university.

Transferable Skills


21

COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE C FINAL MARK: 5 Title of Assignment: Artificial Intelligence: a history, and its application in video games Introduction Artificial Intelligence (AI) in video games is becoming one of AI’s biggest application areas. With the latest games increasingly being accessed through online servers (Gaspareto, Barone and Schneider, 2008), game developers today have a growing interest regarding techniques that would increase the lifespan of their games. In this essay I will be focusing on the history of AI with an overview on its general application, before moving on to examine AI’s application in video games. History of AI AI is a relatively new area, although the subject is influenced by ideas from a number of fields including philosophy, biology, psychology and maths (Nilsson, 2010, p27). Shortly after the invention of powerful digital computers (Nilsson, 2010, p60), Walter Pitts and Warren McCulloch’s effort was the first recognised AI work in 1943 (Negnevitsky, 2005, p5; Russell and Norvig, 2010, p16). Their work was a development to Alan Turing’s idea of binary (Turing, 1950); they proposed that the same can be used to describe the states of a neuron in a neural network – a neuron is either “on” or “off”. This was later proved wrong as experimental findings suggest neurons are non-linear and therefore cannot be defined to have only two fixed states (Negnevitsky, 2005, p5). In the 1950s, Alan Turing published the paper “Computing machinery and intelligence” and within it, he formed the well-known Turing Test (Turing, 1950) after he proposed the question “Can machines think?”. Although, at present, not many AI researchers use this test to determine machine intelligence since it is too simplistic (Shapiro, 1990), which is understandable as thinking alone is only a small part of “intelligence”. It is important to consider other aspects of intelligence before making conclusions with this test. The term AI was not officially coined until 1956 when John McCarthy collaborated with Marvin Minsky, Claude Shannon and others to organise a summer workshop in Dartmouth College (Wersborg, Borgwardt and Diepold, 2009; Ning and Yan, 2010). It signified a key milestone in AI because the event brought together the key researchers in the field. Criteria that defined AI were announced – namely the aim to duplicate selfimprovement and creativity (Russell and Norvig, 2010, p18). A number of successes soon followed, including the first reasoning program the Logic Theorist created by Allen Newell and Herbert Simon, followed by the General Problem Solver. McCarthy then came up with the Advice Taker – a program that was able to acquire new knowledge without being reprogrammed (Russell and Norvig, 2010, pp.18-19). Meanwhile, Minsky was merely interested in making programs work and eventually he (alongside his students) developed the concept of microworlds, which are limited domains of knowledge. 22

Examples of success include SAINT and STUDENT that were able to solve calculus and word algebraic problems respectively. Nevertheless, those positive outlooks of AI soon faded after those existent systems failed to solve larger problems, despite having increased the hardware and memory (Wersborg et al., 2009). A visualisation of why hardware and memory are not the only limitations is outlined in Figure 1. Due to the onset of such limitations, AI funding suffered severe cut backs worldwide (Wersborg et al., 2009).

Fig 1. Algorithms with an exponential efficiency function (green) takes much longer to solve a large problem in comparison to algorithm with a polynomial efficiency function (blue).

In the 1970s, researchers realised the need to narrow the problem area of focus and as a result, expert systems were developed (Russell and Norvig, 2010, p22). DENDRAL (used to analyse chemicals) was the first successful knowledge-intensive system (Russell and Norvig, 2010, p23); MYCIN (disease diagnostic machine) shortly followed and built upon its success. The expert systems were improved by taking into account uncertainty in medical area with “uncertainty factors” (Negnevitsky, 2005, p10), an early approach of Fuzzy Logic (Wersborg et al., 2009). Fuzzy logic is an area omitted in the AI history section in Russell and Norvig’s (2010) book, which is unsurprising, since it is an area ignored in the West as a result of the name’s lighthearted and provocative nature (Negnevitsky, 2005, p15). Nonetheless, it is an area of success in the Far East and this is highlighted in Wakami, Araki and Nomura’s (1993) paper. However, it can be argued that expert systems are not strictly AI, since they do not learn from experience (Negnevitsky, 2005, p12), hence they do not match the “self-improvement” criteria initially proposed. As expert systems only work in narrow domains, they were incapable of solving general, large problems. Realising the importance of self-improvement in AI, researchers began to look in neural networks again with new learning methods. Some of the popular learning methods include the back-propagation method (Russell and Norvig, 2010, p24) and genetic algorithms (Negnevitsky, 2005, p14), inspired by biology’s concept of evolution. The perennial problem of uncertainty, whenever a new system is built (Cs188Videos, 2012a), led to the development of the Bayesian network. It deals with imprecision – similar to Fuzzy Logic – albeit based on conditional probability (Russell and Norvig, 2010, p26). 23

Throughout the history, it is clear the various system designs in AI all have their own strengths and weaknesses (Negnevitsky, 2005, p260). Because of that, there is a shift towards creating hybrid systems in recent AI developments. Hybrid systems aim to overcome individual intelligent systems’ limitations by combining two or more of such systems together (Abraham and Nath, 2000). A synopsis on the application of AI The application area of AI is wide-ranging: it can be seen in a number of fields such as education, finance and medicine. AI techniques used in these fields are predominantly soft computing methods – namely neural networks incorporated with Fuzzy Logic, learning algorithms and other probabilistic approaches. They are considered soft computing since they can have imprecisions and uncertainties in states rather than the traditional, fixed values (Negnevitsky, 2005, pp.259-260). In some cases, the mentioned techniques are also combined with expert systems. This is because of their good ability to clarify matters and theories that require explanations (Negnevitsky, 2005, p261). In education, there is an interest to include AI in the field so that learning can be flexible and adaptive to individual learners’ needs (Wen and Lin, 2008). Currently, one of the main designs to achieve this goal is by manufacturing intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) (Beck, Stern and Haugsjaa, 2005) whereby a student’s knowledge is stored and compared to that of the expert. False knowledge that came from the student is then identified and in turn, this is used to help the ITSs to teach pertinent topics tailored to the specific student. ITSs are an example of an expert system. Since the field of financing closely interlinks with businesses, profitability becomes a main factor and with complex patterns that exist with data such as exchange rates and stock prices, it is desirable for research to focus on artificial neural networks (ANNs) (Li and Ma, 2010), a system capable of learning from data. In addition, their ability to identify non-linear relationships – which can be chaotic – denotes that after several learning cycles, it can predict patterns with good accuracy. Also, due to the chaotic, therefore imprecise, nature of non-linear relationships, learning rate of the ANNs is optimised by incorporating Fuzzy Logic (Mochón, Quintana, Sáez and Isasi, 2007). Similarly, neural networks are used in medicine since diagnosing is “a complex and fuzzy cognitive process” (Gil et al., 2009). Further, the performances of neural networks are improved by comparing results with expert systems, which seems appropriate because their results are reasonably accurate (Gil et al., 2009). The obvious benefit is that patients will have to carry out less painful tests that involve taking samples from patients’ bodies; not only that would reduce cost, but also the size of waiting lists. AI in video games The focus of Game AI slightly differs to other AI applications, as it is merely interested in the mechanical and aesthetic aspects of AI (Ahlquist and Novak, 2008). Good game AI mainly concerns with 24

optimising the game agents’ level of intelligence and ability, so that the game is neither impossible to defeat nor too easy for the players. Otherwise, players may get frustrated and lose interest of the game (Bourg and Seemann, 2004). Game AI techniques can be divided into two types (Bourg and Seemann, 2004, p3): deterministic, where the behaviour of non-player characters (NPCs) are “specified and predictable”; indeterministic, where NPCs’ behaviour is unpredictable and adapted to provide a challenge for specific players by recognising their tactics using a learning algorithm. Although, indeterministic methods have not been used broadly – their unpredictability means it is difficult for developers to debug errors. Nonetheless, in the current competitive market, developers are beginning to look at indeterministic methods again to increase their game’s lifespan (Bourg and Seemann, 2004, p3). Whilst it sounds a reasonable philosophy for server games, where they are accessed by using Internet connection, it is questionable that console games would want to do the same, as they tend to release a new version annually. If the first game version is already at the pinnacle, it is likely that fewer players will invest in subsequent versions. However, similar patterns of movement in games means a player can soon predict them (Millington, 2006, p813) and successively beats the computer easily. Customisable options for altering difficulty are usually included to ensure players remain interested until the release of the next game version (Millington, 2006, p814). Within the aforementioned game AI techniques, they can be divided further into four areas: strategy, decision-making and movement (Millington, 2006, p9) and pathfinding. Decision-making and pathfinding in Game AI One of the common decision-making technique used is the A* pathfinding algorithm (Champandard, 2004). The details of how it works are illustrated in Figure 2 (Bourg and Seemann, 2004, pp.127-134). It is an efficient algorithm since it employs heuristics, a technique that estimates the distance to the final destination at any given point. Accordingly, it would not systematically search for all possible moves that otherwise would take a long time to even decide on its first move. However it can be demanding of processing power, since it takes many CPU cycles before a path is decided (Bourg and Seemann, 2004, p127).

25

Since this node has the lowest score, it is picked as the next search point. Nodes adjacent to it that have not been labelled are now on the open list. As this node has now been searched, it goes on the “close list”. Nodes adjacent to the starting node are put on the “open list”. Next, these nodes are given three values: n is the distance of the node from the starting node; h is an estimate of distance from the final destination (Player); s is the score - the sum of n and h.

Fig 2. How the A* algorithm works. (Even though they a that is the actual term used in AI and graph studies in m

The diagram has been adapted from a textbook written The search process is repeated until by O’Reilly, Farnham in 2004. The title is AI for game de the NPC reaches the Player. In the page 127-134. All annotations are written in my own w case where multiple nodes share the same score, it means any of them can be searched – the order does not matter.

Strategy and movement in Game AI

The scoring concept from A* algorithm ties in nicely for applying AI to the strategy and in turn, the movement aspects in games, as techniques such as “terrain cost” (Bourg and Seemann, 2004, pp.141, 146148) can be applied. The “terrain cost” technique works by adding values to nodes that are either dangerous or contain obstacles. “Influence mapping” works the same way, albeit to a mobile threat. Both techniques established threats from using a learning algorithm (Bourg and Seemann, 2004, p148). Further explanation can be found in Figure 3.

The presence of the hill (an obstacle) increases the node’s “terrain cost”. This encourages the NPC to take a longer path, which is still quicker than attempting to overcome the hill.

The computer has learned that this is where they are killed the most by the player. As a result, the “terrain cost” here has increased substantially. This alarms the NPC to stay away from the node unless there are no other options. In this way, the computer would appear “intelligent”, as the player’s kill rate will gradually decrease the more they have used this node.

26

Fig 3. Elaboration on the techniques of adding “terrain cost” due to the presence of obstacles and how that works with “influence mapping”. The diagram has been adapted from a textbook written by David M. Bourg and Glenn Seemann, published by O’Reilly, Farnham in 2004. The title is AI for game developers. The original diagrams can be found on pages 141 and 146-148. All annotations are written in my own words. In driving games, tactical AI is used in conjunction with pathfinding AI to drive either a swarm of cars or a single one that aims to chase the player (Millington, 2006, p806). The tactical AI assists pathfinding and movement by working out a player’s escape routes (the NPC cars target destinations) that need to be blocked. The NPC cars then reach these target destinations, using the subtlest paths possible in order to avoid giving their game plan away. Sports games show similar uses of tactical AI – the range of probable positions where a player will be, determined by their current position, are identified. Since many sports games involve usage of a ball (Millington, 2006, p813), the analysis faces the additional challenge of predicting where the ball will move.

Conclusion AI’s originated from ideas from a variety of fields and was formally recognised as a subject after the summer conference led by John McCarthy in 1956. Soon after, AI has gone through cycles of successes and failures due to ambitious forecasts. For instance, whilst expert systems are accurate in solving problems of specific domains, the time and human resources required to build them severely counterbalance their benefits. Currently, AI researches mainly focus on soft computing techniques such as neural networks and where possible, they are combined with other techniques to form hybrid systems. Despite that hybrid systems minimise each technique’s limitations, transcribing speech to text with complete accuracy remains to be a challenge in AI (Cs188videos, 2012b). The challenge here is deciding the right combinations of text (with similar linguistic sound) to transcribe that fit the context. In order to do that, general knowledge of the world is required (Russell and Norvig, 2010, p21). The only differences in AI is its goal; this is showcased in game AI, where it is only interested in mechanising behaviours that appear intelligent so the game playing experience is enhanced. As recent games see an increasing trend towards online server games, the latest approaches begin to look at indeterministic methods again, as game developers attempt to increase the lifespan of their games. Word count: 1995 References Abraham, A. and Nath, B. (2000) Hybrid intelligent systems design: A review of a decade of research. Australia: Monash University.

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Ahlquist, J.B. and Novak, J. (2008) Game development essentials: Game artificial intelligence. Clifton Park, New York: Thompson Delmar Learning.

Beck, J., Stern, M. and Haugsjaa, E. (2005) Applications of AI in Education [pdf] Available at: http://www.info2.uqam.ca/~nkambou_r/DIC9340/seances/seance1/aiedBeckMia.pdf [Accessed 04 August 2012].

Bourg, D.M. and Seemann, G. (2004) AI for game developers. Farnham: O’Reilly.

Champandard, A.J. (2004) AI game development: synthetic creatures with learning and reactive behaviors. Indianapolis: New Riders.

Cs188videos (2012a) Lecture 1 Segment 5 A (Short) History of AI. [Video online] Available at: http://youtu.be/rlBjhD1oGQg [Accessed 02 October 2012].

Cs188videos (2012b) Lecture 1 Segment 8 What can AI do Language. [Video online] Available at: http://youtu.be/ujo-D25FINs [Accessed 22 October 2012].

Gaspareto, O.B., Barone, D.A.C. and Schneider, A.M. (2008) Neural Networks Applied to Speed Cheating Detection in Online Computer Games. Jinan, 18-20 October 2008. Port Alegre: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

Gil et al. (2009) Application of artificial neural networks in the diagnosis of urological dysfunctions. Expert Systems with Applications, 36 (3/2), pp.5754-5760.

Li, Y. and Ma, W. (2010) Applications of Artificial Neural Networks in Financial Economics: A Survey. Hangzhou, China 29-31 October 2010. Shijiazhuang: Shijiazhuang Railway University.

Millington, I. (2006) Artificial Intelligence for games. Boston: Morgan Kaufmann.

Mochón, A., Quintana, D., Sáez, Y. and Isasi, P. (2007) Soft computing techniques applied to finance. Applied Intelligence, 29 (2), pp.111-115.

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Negnevitsky, M. (2005) Artificial Intelligence: A guide to Intelligent Systems (2nd ed.). United Kingdom: AddisonWesley.

Nilsson, N.J. (2010) The Quest for Artificial Intelligence: a history of ideas and achievements. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Ning, S. and Yan, M. (2010) Discussion on Research and Development of Artificial Intelligence. Chengdu, China 9-11 July 2010. China: Chongqing Normal University. Russell, S. and Norvig, P. (2010) Artificial Intelligence: A modern approach (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

Shapiro, S.C. (1990) Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence. New York: Wiley.

Turing, A.M. (1950) Computing Machinery and Intelligence. MIND, 49, pp.433-460.

Wakami, N., Araki, S. and Nomura, H. (1993) Recent applications of Fuzzy Logic to home appliances. Maui, HI 15-19 November 1993. Osaka: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd.

Wen, D. and Lin, F. (2008) Ways and Means of Employing AI Technology in E-Learning Systems. Santander, Cantabria 1-5 July 2008. Athabasca, Canada: Athabasca University.

Wersborg, I.S.G., Borgwardt, F. and Diepold, K. (2009) Real-time cognitive technical systems, a learning material processing system, social and future aspects. Tokyo, Japan 23-25 November 2009. Munich: Tech. Univ. Munchen.

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COHORT 3 STUDENT SAMPLE D Final Assessment: Tutor Feedback Form Notes from your meetings with students should be recorded on the RO Central Database (Details of how to access this database can be found in the Tutor Handbook). Your final assessment should also be recorded on the Database. The information contained on the final feedback form will be given to students with their results. Title of Assignment: Title of Assignment: Artificial Intelligence: a history, and its application in video games University: Newcastle University

Skill Area


Intellectual Skills


Level

Comments

1- 5


5

The student demonstrates a comprehensive breadth and depth of understanding in artificial intelligence. They convey appropriate historical information motivating AI as a field of research, as well as an account of its application in video games, including economic and technical aspects.


5

The essay is fluent and well structured. The student makes use of an appropriate academic writing style throughout.


5

The student has undertaken a thorough investigation into the area of Artificial Intelligence, its history, key application areas, and importance in video games. There is evidence of critical evaluation of sources and the essay has a strong grounding in the literature.

4. Select and summarise relevant information and reach appropriate conclusions.

5

The essay has a good conclusion, summarising the content of the essay and reiterating the author's belief that Artificial Intelligence is important generally and in relation to video gaming. The student's conclusions are 30

well-justified and cited. Practical Skills (Research 5. Demonstrate an ability to research the Academic Assignment using a range Skills) of appropriate resources.

5

The essay demonstrates a considered approach to research and selection of resources, with numerous credible sources used to back-up arguments. The student has made good use of a wide range of sources including books, conference and journal articles and reputable online sources.


5

The student's essay is very well referenced, with in-text citations used comprehensively throughout the essay and sources displayed in a consistent format in his references section.


5

The student acknowledged and implemented all suggested amendments and changes, while maintaining their own clear vision of how they felt the essay should be structured. The student showed great determination and willingness to perfect the essay, providing a number of additional draft versions of the essay for feedback.

8. Demonstrate use of appropriate ICT skills in the presentation of their Academic Assignment using the guidelines provided.

5

The student displays excellent ICT skills in the preparation of a well presented document. Document reviews and tracked changes were used effectively during the essay drafting process, and graphics and diagramming packages are used to good effect. A minor formatting issue with one floating text box was not present during the final drafting stage and may have been introduced during the submission process.

5

Summary Comments: The student has worked incredibly hard in the preparation of his essay for Realising Opportunities. They have demonstrated great research ability, producing an essay which would not be out of place among many Undergraduate essays.

Transferable Skills


31