Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
flexibility in the final project chosen. Two criteria have been used in choosing the suggested
research area. First, it should not require too much prior technical knowledge, because the
group may contain students with a range of backgrounds and because the time constraints
(see Table 2) mean the project must be achievable in three to four months. The second criterion
is that the project should be within the instructor's area of expertise, so that good guidance
can be provided, problems can be identified early, and the chances of publishing the results
can be maximized.
Students then undertake a preliminary literature review prior to finalizing the research
topic. This reinforces their information-seeking skills and enables them to make an informed
choice of project. It also lays the foundation for making decisions about research design.
In Stages 3 to 7, the instructor participates as a member of the research group. The group
next decides on the final research topic and the research questions to be answered. If
appropriate to the kinds of research questions, hypotheses are also formulated. While all
participants must accept roughly the same set of research questions, there is some scope for
individualization and variations on how they are presented. Similarly, there is some scope for
variation in hypotheses, so each student can “maintain” their own set.
In the next stage, the research design is planned. As only one project is carried out at
a time, all group members must accept the chosen research design. The work is then divided
(e.g., two participants may be primarily responsible for questionnaire design, two may
Table 2. Outline of possible submissions that provide opportunities for feedback
1.
Problem formulation — submit end of Week 3
1.1
Problem statement (two pages) — including a brief review of the literature relevant
to the problem and an explicit statement of the research question(s) to be answered
1.2
Statement of hypotheses (and model if appropriate), along with reference to any
supporting literature
1.3
Annotated bibliography of at least five relevant references
2.
Research design — submit end of Week 6
2.1
Description of the research design
2.2
Explanation of why this design was chosen
3.
Final submission — submit Week 15
3.1
Problem statement
3.2
Brief review of the literature relevant to the problem
3.3
Statement of research question
3.4
Statement of hypotheses (and model if appropriate)
3.5
Description of the research design, including an explanation of why this design was
chosen
3.6
Presentation of results
3.7
Discussion of results
3.8
References
