"A week in the life..." Student Competition

Some of the questions most commonly asked about studying Information and Computing Sciences (ICS) at university are what is it like?, what do you do all day? and how is it different from ICT at School?

There are no simple answers, simply because every student, course and institution will be a bit different. The ICS Subject Centre of the Higher Education Academy would like to see (or hear) what you, as a student, do during an "average" week, how your study time is spent (for example lectures, practicals, researching, etc) - and what you do when your time is your own - such as informal study between classes, club and societies, social life, part time job, friends, family etc. We really want to hear about your experiences, therefore we are offering £250 for the best presentation (Audio and/or visual) produced by a UK student, or group of students, on any theme related to learning and studying in ICS. The runner up will also receive £50. Short-listed and winning entries will be published on the student section of the ICS website (URL). The award is open to anyone studying a subject related to ICS in higher education, at any level, in any university or college in the UK. Joint Submissions are welcomed.

Entries must be able to be viewed and/or listened to online, and will be judged on overall impact, effectiveness of conveying the theme and technical proficiency. (See rules of the competition)

Format of submission...

Entries may consist of, but are not restricted to, one or a combination of the following:

  • Video - Film or animation that can be played on a standard media player, such as WMV, Quicktime, MP4, Flash Animation, AVI or MPEG file (no longer than 10 minutes)
  • Audio - as MP3, WAV or MIDI file (no longer than 10 mins)
  • Blog - (Must be viewable outside of your institution)
  • Picture / photo based (eg Storyboard with captions / description, Images as JPEG or PNG)

How to enter...

Entries must be submitted by post on a CD, DVD, Mini-DV or Flash Memory (memory stick). These will only be returned if accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.

Send your entry to:
ICS Subject Centre
Faculty of Engineering
University of Ulster at Jordanstown
Shore Rd.
Newtownabbey
BT37 0QB.

For Further information please contact Dr Giuseppe Trombino ()

You must download an application form to send with your entry (this includes a copyright declaration form)
Download an application form >>>

You may also download the full competition details and rules
Download full competition details >>>

You can download "A Week in the Life" competition flyer and pass among friends
Download flyer (black and white)

Competition rules...

Submissions for the award:

  • Can be in any kind of web compatible audio or visual format as outlined above.
  • Must address the competition title.
  • Can relate to any aspect or experience of studying or learning any aspect of the ICS curriculum.
  • Should be entertaining and informative to anyone studyingor planning to study Information and Computer Sciences at HE level.
  • Must conform to basic standards of presentation, ie what is seen and/or heard is intended to be seen and/or heard and can be seen and/or heard.
  • Must not use offensive language or images.
  • Must be no more than 10 minutes long
  • Must be original work and must not infringe copyright regulations. All entries must be accompanied by a signed Copyright Declaration Form. Where copyright material is used, evidence of permission and/or right to use the material will need to be produced. Failure to do so will render the submission ineligible.
  • Must be sensitive to personal, cultural and institutional contexts. For example presentations should not intend to expose individuals, departments or institutions to criticism, ridicule or embarrassment. Where the work involves the recording of individuals or groups, recording permission must be obtained either verbally or in writing.
  • Must include the name(s), subject(s), department(s), institution(s), and year(s) of study and contact details of all those who made the presentation
  • Must be accompanied by a short summary (c 200 words) containing the Title, main authors, format and a description of what the piece is about and why it was made, in hardcopy and electronic format. This summary will be published online alongside the work.

The deadline for submissions is Monday 31st March 2008