1 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Example Assessment Form for AI MSc thesis

Graduate School of Natural Sciences

**This form serves as an example to print and discuss during/after the graduation
presentation. Please do not send paper or scanned copies of this form to the coordinator or
student administration.**

Student

First and last name

Student number

Telephone

Email address

Name of master’s programme

AINM

Research Project

Project title

Course Code INFOMAI2

Number of EC 30
2 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Assessment of the project process

Not Applicable

Insufficient

Very Good
Sufficient

Excellent
Good
independence in execution of the project
independence in writing the report/proposal
planning and meeting deadlines
communication
integrity and responsibility
critical and reflective attitude
Grade

Explanation
3 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Assessment of the project presentation

Not Applicable

Insufficient

Very Good
Sufficient

Excellent
Good
structure
context
content
quality of slides/media
presentation skills
suitability for audience
ability to cope with questions

Grade

Explanation
4 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Assessment of the project report (thesis)

Not Applicable

Insufficient

Very Good
Sufficient

Excellent
Good
structure and clarity of presentation
discussion of related work and context
completeness and correctness of arguments
English usage
general appearance (layout, figures and tables, etcetera)
Grade

Explanation
5 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Assessment of the project results

Not Applicable

Insufficient

Very Good
Sufficient

Excellent
Good
quality of the results
quantity of the results
difficulty of the project
Grade

Explanation
6 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Grades
For projects registered after 31 August 2017 only.
For earlier projects, please fill out the previous section and leave this section blank

a: Grade for project process

b: Grade for presentation

c: Grade for report

d: Grade for results

For NS-MO552M/NS-EX552M/NS-TP552M: Final grade = 0.3a + 0.2b + 0.3c +0.2d

For WISM106: Final grade = 0.3a + 0.2b + 0.25c + 0.25d
For all other courses: Final grade = 0.3a +0.1b + 0.3c +0.3d

Final grade The final grade must be computed from the grades a,b,c, and d according to the formula above.
(for reference only: the grades
a,b,c, and d will be recorded
in OSIRIS and OSIRIS will
automatically compute the
final grade.)

Experts
If internal or external experts have been consulted, please note them here

Name and title

Affiliation

Email address

Name and title

Affiliation

Email address
7 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Explanation of Assessment Form

Research projects are judged on four criteria: results, report, presentation and process. For each of
these criteria there are several sub criteria, which are scored on the following scale:

Not Applicable
Insufficient
Sufficient
Good
Very Good
Excellent

Note: Students are expected to be able to do good work when they reach the phase of doing a master
thesis project, and the score “good” thus represents what can expected from a normal student; it does
not imply above-average results.

Please fill out the form completely, and also write a brief explanation for each of the four criteria. This
explanation should state the main strong points and/or the points that can be improved; it need not
discuss all sub criteria.

The scores and the overall performance with respect to each of the criteria together determine the final
grade for the graduation project.
8 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Rubrics

Process
Criteria Insufficient Sufficient-Good Very Good-Excellent

Independence in
execution

• No input and little • Proposes new valid • "Owns" the project.

commitment to the directions of research • Proposes new relevant
project based on previous directions of research
results.
• Student has original,
• Has creative ideas. creative ideas.
• Depends on supervisor • Provides correct analysis • Provides correct
for correct interpretation of results analysis and
interpretation of results. at later stages of the interpretation of
project. results from the start
of the project.
• Recognises
implications.
• Fails to place research • Discussion in the light of • Stays on top of recent
into perspective. (recent) literature. literature.

• Fails to master • Masters required • Has excellent technical

techniques and tools techniques and tools. skills.
related to the project. • Applies techniques • Finds and masters new
• Fails to apply techniques independently. technical approaches.
independently. • Improves existing
procedures.
• Many feedback sessions • Regular feedback • Consults experts
are required. sessions were needed. outside the group in
• Minimal improvement • Feedback led to consultation with
based on feedback. reasonable supervisor.
improvements. • Finds relevant new
literature.
• Designs large parts of
the project.
• Excellent response to
feedback.
Independence in
writing
9 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

• Relies on supervisor's • Takes initiative (initially) • Contains creative

instructions only. after stimulation. elements.
• Content superficially • Part of ideas/content • Content is provided
handled; depth is conceived independently.
lacking. independently. • The amount of
• Many feedback sessions • Regular feedback feedback needed was
are required. sessions needed. minimal.
• Minimal improvement • Feedback led to • Response to feedback
based on feedback. reasonable yielded excellent
improvements. improvements.
Planning and meeting
deadlines

• Fails to meet deadlines. • Meets most deadlines. • Sets own deadlines and
• Fails to keep • Keeps appointments. adheres to them.
appointments. • Schedules
appointments when
necessary.
Communication

• Hardly participates in • Participates in • Is critical during

discussions. discussions. discussions.
• Is messy or unprepared • Comes prepared for • Occasionally leading in
for meetings. meetings discussion.
• Sometimes uses the • Is well prepared for
time available to solve meetings and uses the
simple issues that could time available well
have been done alone.
Integrity and
responsibility

• Invalid analysis. • Analysis is correct. • Analysis is correct and

insightful.

• Thinks he/she is the only • Takes (needs of) • Knows when to ask
worker in the group. colleagues into account. questions.
• Communicates with • Makes positive
colleagues, e.g. to share contributions to the
equipment, knowledge. group.
• Accepts,
communicates and
learns from own
failures.
• Data manipulated or left • Accurate, reliable and
out.** trustworthy.
10 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

• Shows awareness of
confidentiality of
information.

Critical and reflective

attitude

• Self-reflection is absent. • Shows self-reflection • Critical attitude is

• Critical attitude is and has critical attitude based on intellectual
absent. towards (published) depth and profundity.
research.
• Loses motivation when • Looks for different • Perseveres, but knows
research fail(s). approaches until result when to stop.
is obtained.

Presentation
Criteria Insufficient Sufficient-Good Very Good-Excellent

Structure

• Research question • Research question clear • Research question is

absent, unclear or lacks and focused. motivated and clearly
focus. • Line of thought mostly stated
• Relation between clear. • Audience is guided
different parts of through the parts of
presentation is unclear the presentation
• The line of thought is • The line of thought is
unclear. easy to follow and
supported by the
structure.
Content

• Poor explanation of • Good explanation of • Excellent mastery of

results. results. subject.
• Discussion lacks • Valid discussion. • Clear concise
essential issues. • Some important claims explanation of results.
• References for claims are not referenced. • Critical in depth
are missing. discussion.
• Poor choice of main • Key claims are
points to present referenced.
• Made a good choice of
what to present and
what to leave out.
11 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Quality of
slides/media

• Slides contain too much • Slides require • Informative and well

or too little details, are explanation. thought slides.
hard to read or too • Proficient use of the • Very good use of the
cluttered. chosen means of chosen means of
• Poor use of the chosen presentation presentation
means of presentation.
Presentation skills

• Limited eye contact with • Regular eye contact with • Captures the audience.
audience. the audience. • Body language is
• Body language is • Body language is constructive /
annoying/distracting. adequate. effective.
• Incapable of continuing • Errors have only little • Continues in an
adequately after an impact on the presenter. adequate manner after
error. errors.
• Speaks either too fast or • Acceptable pace. • Good pace.
too slow. • Reasonable proficiency • Fluent in English.
• Insufficient English. in English.
• Too long/too short (+/- • Adequate time schedule
25%) (+/- 10%)
Suitability for the
audience

• Loses attention of the • Gets attention of the • Maintains constant

audience. audience. attention of the
• Too difficult/easy for • Compatible with audience.
audience. audience • Pitched at the correct
level
Ability to cope with
questions

• Inadequate answers to • Can answer most of the • Correct answers to

raised questions. questions raised. questions raised
• Inadequate response to • Adequate response to • Can value
critique. critique. critique/suggestions.
Context

• little or no motivation or • Relevance is clear for the • Area of research is

contextualization of the immediate area or introduced and
research question research. research
(Relevance unclear) question/results are
12 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

put in good context

within the broad area.

Report/Proposal
Criteria Insufficient Sufficient-Good Very Good-Excellent

Structure and clarity

• Incomplete or • Adequate overview of • Complete concise

inaccurate overview of relevant literature. overview of relevant
literature. literature
• Research question • Research question well • Substantiated research
absent or lacks focus. defined and focused. question with clear
• Relevance research • Relevance of research focus.
question unclear. question clarified. • Research question has
the potential to
contribute useful new
knowledge to the field.
• The line of thought is • Line of thought mostly • The line of thought is
unclear. clear. easy to follow and
• Text is badly structured. • Structure supports supported by the
legibility of text. structure.
Discussion of related
work

• Fails to place research • Places research topic in • Places research topic in

topic in context. context within the context within the
immediate area. area.
Referral is insufficient, Referral is complete and (Key) references have
inconsistent, incomplete correct. been found
or incorrect.** independently.
Correct application of a
References cannot be single referencing system.
retrieved.
References can be traced.

Completeness and
correctness of
arguments
13 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

• Many claims and • Feedback led to • All claims and

conclusions remain reasonable conclusions are well
unsubstantiated improvements. substantiated
• Limitations and caveats • Limitation and
are not indicated weaknesses of
• Limitations and caveats methods are clearly
are not indicated stated
• Minimal improvement • Response to feedback
based on feedback. yielded excellent
improvements.
• Critical attitude is absent • Shows critical attitude • Critical attitude is
or is not well founded. towards (published) based on intellectual
research. depth and profundity.
• Data manipulated or left • Accurate, reliable and
out. ** trustworthy.
English usage

• Style too wordy or too • Grammar and style • Grammar and style
concise. enable understanding of support legibility of the
• Disturbing spelling or the information. document.
grammar mistakes. • No errors present • Writing flows smoothly.
detected by
spellcheckers.

General appearance

• No discernible • Decently organised. • Well organised.

organization. • Is readable. • Pleasant to the eye.
• Looks messy. • Useful layout. • the layout helps to
• The layout is poorly • Text is mostly structured discern the structure of
related to the structure according to standards the text.
of the text. in the field. • Text is structured
• Text structure does not according to standards
adhere to conventions in in the field.
the field.
14 Example Assessment form AI Thesis

Results (aspects that go into the thesis)

Criteria Insufficient Sufficient-Good Very Good-Excellent

Quality of results

• Trivial or flawed • Correct and supported • Contains creative

• Invalid analysis. • Analysis is correct elements
• Results are of added
value to the community
and innovative
• Analysis is correct and
insightful
Quantity of results

Less than the expected  Corresponds to the More than the expected
and agreed upon expected and agreed and agreed upon
workload upon workload workload

Difficulty of the topic

Scope and depth of Scope and depth of

Scope and depth of
required knowledge and required knowledge and
required knowledge and
skills is less than that of skills is higher than that
skills is that of an
an average master of an average master
average master student
student student