By Jacqueline Grima

Information and Communication students from Manchester Metropolitan University gathered this week to display the projects they have been working hard on during their second year.

Jill Griffiths, Principal Lecturer from the Department of Languages, Information and Communications said, “The students were asked to develop and run a project from initial idea to completion around the theme ‘A Student’s Guide to Manchester’. They all started from the same point with the same brief.”

She added, “They have worked really well together and have produced some really nice projects.”

Working in teams, the students produced posters and websites to display at the event, all designed from scratch. Many of the teams, such as The Mancs, led by Abbie Read and Super Nova led by Rowshonara Shabnaj, focussed on a variety things to do in the city, the Super Nova team targeting their project particularly at international students.

Alex Clapperton, Super Nova Web Developer said, “All the categories that we have focussed on were things that we thought international students would find interesting. We wanted to create a website that had everything in one place rather than just concentrating on places to eat or shopping.”

24 Hours in Manchester, led by Project Manager Marc Benmeli and his Deputy Tanvir Ali, explored a variety of activities to do throughout a whole day in the city. Marc said, “The way we’ve done it is to divide the day into eight time periods with a choice of three activities in each period that we chose according to different budgets. Some of the activities are free and we have included background info as well as a map.”

The team circulated questionnaires to find out what students in the city might be interested in. Tanvir said, “When we did our research, we found that budget was a really important feature.”

Some of the projects focussed on entertainment in the city as well as Manchester’s night life. Team Teebayyayy, called their project Something for the Weekend, Project Manager Michelle Rabaya saying, “Our project is based around entertainment in Manchester. We wanted to target students who are new to the city and look at where they might like to go.”

Similarly, project Updog, developed by the Simple Developments team focussed on Manchester’s night life. Project Manager Daniel Poyser said, “We wanted to develop a guide for students about night life in Manchester that not only focussed on good places to go but that also gave information about money management and staying safe.”

Asked about his experience of leading the project, Daniel added, “It’s given me a great opportunity to experience being a Project Manager.”

The Student Express project also looked at entertainment, their project designed to give information on sports, music and film-related activities in the city. Project Manager Adam Heath explained, “We also made a chart for every single day with information about what is happening on that day. We have included information about films coming out along with times and prices.”

He added, “At the minute, the website is designed for desktop only but, in the future, we will be looking into whether there might be a demand for a version for smartphones.”

The Munchies team created a project with a different angle, focussing on designing a series of delicious recipes that can easily be put together on a student budget. Recipes created by the team include 15-minute lamb curry and chocolate caramel ravioli. On the website, the team have included photographs of their creations as well as some helpful video tutorials that demonstrate how each dish can be cooked. Team member Abdul Basit said, “This idea is different from everyone else’s. We think we have chosen a unique market.”

 All the projects were assessed by Jill on the day and will count towards the students’ final grade. Skills acquired during the project, which the students have been working on since the beginning of the academic year, include project management, research, web development and working to strict deadlines as part of a small team.