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Monash University

FIT5143 IT research methods - Semester 1, 2015

The aim of this unit is to prepare Master of Philosophy students in the Faculty of IT to conduct research across the range of IT disciplines, including computer science, software engineering, information systems and information management.

It also provides PhD students with a foundation for their studies in FIT6021 Advanced IT research methods if they have not taken an equivalent unit in their previous studies.

It introduces students to major research philosophies and paradigms, the principles of research design, research ethics, research methods and techniques of data collection and analysis appropriate to IT research and their disciplines, and IT research in research and industry settings.

Skills developed and knowledge acquired from this unit will prepare students to conduct and communicate their own research, as well as to be knowledgeable and critical interpreters of others' research.

Mode of Delivery

  • Clayton (Day)
  • Malaysia (Day)

Workload Requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

  • Two 2-hour workshops

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

  • A minimum of 8 hours independent study per week for completing lab and project work, private study and revision.

See also Unit timetable information

Unit Relationships

Prohibitions

FIT4005, FIT5125, FIT5185, FIT5190

Prerequisites

Only students in PhD and MPhil research programs are eligible to enrol into this unit.

Chief Examiner

Campus Lecturer

Clayton

Professor David Green

Consultation hours: By appointment

Dr Noriaki Sato

Consultation hours: TBA

Associate Professor Graeme Johanson

Consultation hours: TBA

Malaysia

Dr Anuja Dharmaratne

Consultation hours: TBA

Your feedback to Us

Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through the Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey. The University’s student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

For more information on Monash’s educational strategy, see:

www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/ and on student evaluations, see: www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

Previous Student Evaluations of this Unit

No changes have been made for this semester.

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp

Academic Overview

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  • identify and explain major research philosophies and paradigms;
  • design rigorous and ethical Masters-level research projects and develop project proposals;
  • evaluate and select research methods and techniques of data collection and analysis appropriate to particular research designs, projects and disciplines;
  • conduct ethical research;
  • communicate research findings in written and oral form in research and industry settings;
  • critically review research literature, research design and reported findings.

Unit Schedule

Week Activities Assessment
0   No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0
1 Module 1 - THE NATURE OF RESEARCH - Major research paradigms and philosophies; Introductory examples and exercises Exercises in class, Portfolio of practical work (Assignment 1) due Weekly (each workshop)
2 Module 2 - RESEARCH PROJECT DESIGN - The context of research; Structure of a project; Formulating research questions; Applying paradigms; Planning a path from question to result; Issues in research (ethics, IP, copyright etc) Exercises in class
3 Module 3 - RESEARCH LITERATURE - How to conduct a literature search; How to prepare a literature review Exercises in class
4 Module 4 - RESEARCH PROPOSALS - Structure and content of a research proposal Exercises in class
5 Module 5 - COMMUNICATION OF RESEARCH - Research publishing; Types of outputs; Academic writing (including literature reviews); Oral communication Exercises in class
6 Module 6 - NATURE OF EVIDENCE - Introduction to data collection and analysis; Use of online resources Exercises in class
7 Module 7 - Quantitative data analysis 1 - Introduction to probability statistics Exercises in class || Assignment 2
8 Elective Modules - OPTION (a) Evidence- experimental design II OPTION (b) Qualitative data collection and analysis Exercises in class
9 Elective Modules - OPTION (a) Quantitative data analysis 2 (Introduction to probability statistics 2) || OPTION (b) Design Science Research - in conjunction with FIT4007 Exercises in class
10 Elective Modules - OPTION (a) Quantitative data analysis 3 (Correlation and regression || OPTION (b) Design Science Research II - in conjunction with FIT4007 Exercises in class
11 Elective Modules - OPTION (a) Algorithms and evaluation || OPTION (b) Action Research I - in conjunction with FIT4007 Exercises in class
12 Elective Modules - OPTION (a) Simulation || OPTION (b) Action Research I - in conjunction with FIT4007 Exercises in class || Assignment 1 finishes this week, Assignment 3 presentation
  SWOT VAC No formal assessment is undertaken in SWOT VAC. Assignment 3 due week 14
  Examination period LINK to Assessment Policy: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/
academic/education/assessment/
assessment-in-coursework-policy.html

*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your learning system.

Teaching Approach

Workshops
This teaching and learning approach provides facilitated learning, practical exploration and peer learning.
Each module willl include lecture and lab based exercises.

Assessment Summary

In-semester assessment: 100%

Students will develop a portfolio of work linked to the workshops. It might include: critical reviews of research literature, design and findings; research proposals' workshop presentations; mini-research projects, practical exercises and quizzes relating to research design, methods and techniques; reflective blogs relating to the relevance of the workshops to their research thesis or project.

Assessment Task Value Due Date
Assignment 1 - Portfolio of practical work 40% Weekly until week 12. Work from each module to be submitted by 5pm Friday of the week in which the module runs.
Assignment 2 - Critical analysis of published material 20% Week 7, Friday 5pm
Assignment 3 - Mini-research project 40% Presentation in Week 12, Project due Week 14, Friday 5pm

Assessment Requirements

Assessment Policy

Assessment Tasks

Participation

Full participation in the tutorials and labs is expected and will be formally assessed via Assignment 1, in which students submit a portfolio of their practical work.

Working in groups is encouraged, both during practical classes, and in the project assignment. The aim is both to facilitate learning and to expose students to team research, which is a common feature of most modern research. When working in groups, each member is expected to participate fully and contribute to the work of the group. As part of the assessment, each student will be required to name and acknowledge their collaborators, to submit a statement about group management and contribution.

  • Assessment task 1
    Title:
    Assignment 1 - Portfolio of practical work
    Description:
    This assignment consists of practical work submitted by students at the end of each workshop. Students will carry out exercises based on the topic of each workshop.
    Weighting:
    40%
    Criteria for assessment:

    In most workshops, the assessment will consist of lab exercises and other activities undertaken during class. Some workshops will be individual exercies; others will involve group exercises, with a single submission for the team. Work will be assessed either during class or when written work is submitted at the end of the workshop. Most of the tasks in this assignment will be assessed on the student's ability to correctly perform the tasks, and interpret the findings.

    Due date:
    Weekly until week 12. Work from each module to be submitted by 5pm Friday of the week in which the module runs.
  • Assessment task 2
    Title:
    Assignment 2 - Critical analysis of published material
    Description:
    In this assignment the students will provide a critical analysis of the research objectives and methods for information technology research, based on published material.
    Weighting:
    20%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The assignment will be assessed by:

    • clarity and logic of the structure,
    • level of critical analysis,
    • referencing,
    • standard of English expression, and
    • evidence of independent thought and ideas.
    Due date:
    Week 7, Friday 5pm
  • Assessment task 3
    Title:
    Assignment 3 - Mini-research project
    Description:
    This is a mini-project task, which can be performed by a small group of students. The outcome includes presentation in Week 12 about your mini-project and a research paper based on your mini-project.
    Weighting:
    40%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The assignment will be assessed by:

    • clarity and logic of the structure,
    • level of critical analysis,
    • referencing,
    • standard of English expression,
    • and quality of evidence, interpretation and conclusions.
    Due date:
    Presentation in Week 12, Project due Week 14, Friday 5pm

Learning resources

Reading list

Zikmund, WG, Babin BJ, Carr JC, Griffin M. (2010).  Business Research Methods (8th edition) South-Western (Cengage Learning). ISBN-13: 978-0-324-32062-6

Creswell, John W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (3rd Edition). ISBN: 9781412965576 

Neuman, W. Lawrence Neuman (2006). Social Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, Pearson.

Lists of additional readings will be provided for each lecture. See Moodle for further details.

Monash Library Unit Reading List (if applicable to the unit)
http://readinglists.lib.monash.edu/index.html

Feedback to you

Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:

  • Informal feedback on progress in labs/tutes
  • Graded assignments with comments
  • Quiz results
  • Solutions to tutes, labs and assignments
  • Other: peer-assessment for tutorial contribution

Extensions and penalties

Returning assignments

Referencing requirements

All assignments should use APA style for referencing.

Assignment submission

It is a University requirement (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/student-academic-integrity-managing-plagiarism-collusion-procedures.html) for students to submit an assignment coversheet for each assessment item. Faculty Assignment coversheets can be found at http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/. Please check with your Lecturer on the submission method for your assignment coversheet (e.g. attach a file to the online assignment submission, hand-in a hard copy, or use an electronic submission). Please note that it is your responsibility to retain copies of your assessments.

Online submission

Electronic Submission is required for this unit. Please submit your work via the MOODLE site for this unit, which you can access via links in the my.monash portal. Standard assignment cover sheet has to be signed and submitted with each written assignment to confirm the proper acknowledgement of the resources used in the text. 

Required Resources

Please check with your lecturer before purchasing any Required Resources. Limited copies of prescribed texts are available for you to borrow in the library, and prescribed software is available in student labs.

Students may be required to use Web browsers, text processing, spread sheets and slide presentation packages to complete their assignments.
These are available in University computer labs.

Recommended text(s)

Leedy, Paul D.and Ormond, Jeanne E.. (2013). Practical Research - Planning and Design.. () Pearson (ISBN: 13: 978-0-13-289950-5).

Other Information

Policies

Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them. You can find Monash’s Education Policies at: www.policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

Faculty resources and policies

Important student resources including Faculty policies are located at http://intranet.monash.edu.au/infotech/resources/students/

Graduate Attributes Policy

Student Charter

Student services

Monash University Library

Disability Liaison Unit

Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis.

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