IT3010 / TDT39Research Methodology

Babak Farshchian (last year: Torgeir Dingsøyr)

Adjunct associate professor, IDI, NTNU

Senior Scientist, SINTEF ICT

Name, title of the presentation

Course staffTeaching: Babak Farshchian

Room 106 IT building ITV (Thursdays)

Meeting time: after class MA24

Assignments: Anca Deak and Anh Nguyen Duc

Room 142 and 147 IT building

Meeting time: TBD

Your background

1. Name

2. Reason for taking the course

This course

The course is aimed for students who are interested in performing research in 'real world' settings and explore how and why various information/computer systems are designed, implemented and used.

The primary focus of the course is collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative empirical data.

Two variants:•IT3010 - Full course•TDT39 - Select 6/11 course modules

What is research?

“Research is the creation of new knowledge, using an appropriate process, to the satisfaction of the users of the research”

- Oates, page 7

Keywords: research problems, research methods, research plans,

data collection, theories, hypotheses, answers, ethics, papers, dissemination,

peer review,….

Two examples:

• A computer system to improve productivity

• A vaccine with side-effects

More on your background and motivation

Use 10 minutes to describe:

1. What do you know about research methods?

2. What would you like to learn in this course?

For next lecture:

Write on one or more sheets of paper, put the paper in an envelope and write your name + IT3010 or TDT39 on the cover. Give it to me. You will get your envelope back at the end of the course. I will not read it, promise!

Why research methods?

• Being able to conduct high-quality research• Understanding the research of others• Understanding the impact of your own research• Being critical about what pretends to be research• Using research results more effectively

• Being able to distinguish research from quasi-research, or mere bullshit.

Learning objectives

• You will get knowledge of:– Basics of design of scientific studies in computer science– Principles for selection of data collection and analysis methods

• You will become skilled in:– Collecting and analysing research data– Foresee and reduce threats to validity of research designs

• You will acquire competence in:– Conducting empirical studies– Critically evaluating the quality of qualitative studies in computer

science

Is all this supposed to be useful for me?

Figure 1.3 in: B. J. Oates, Researching Information Systems and Computing. London: Sage Publications, 2006.

Figure 3.1 in: B. J. Oates, Researching Information Systems and Computing. London: Sage Publications, 2006.

The research process

Course design

• Curriculum:– Oates, B. J. (2006). Researching Information Systems and

Computing. London, Sage Publications: Ltd.– Selected scientific articles which will be available on it´s learning

• Pedagogical approach:– Individual preparation: reading book chapters and articles– Active engagement in class:

• One group prepares presentations

• Another group prepares questions

• Discussions and small exercises

– Portfolio assessment (IT3010)

Evaluation TDT39

• Choose 6 of 11 course topics (lecture 3-13)• For example

1. Literature study

2. Interview, observation

3. Documents and metrics

4. Analysis

5. Case studies A

6. Case studies B• Choose topics by 15 November• Oral exam: December

Evaluation IT3010

• Portfolio assessment:– A) Three individual assignments: 30%– B) Group presentations and questions: 20%– C) One individual essay - research plan: 50%

A) Individual assignments

• Initial research plan (10%)• Data collection (10%)• Data analysis (10%)

B) Group presentations / questions

• Maximum 15 minute summary of the curriculum of the week

(15%)– Upload slides for presentations on itslearning by 09:00 day of lecture

– Indicate on slides who has participated in making the presentation

• Minimum 5 questions to initiate discussion in class (5%)– Upload document with questions on itslearning by 09:00 day of lecture.

– Indicate on document who has participated making the questions

• Evaluation criteria:– understanding of curriculum

– clarity of presentation / questions

C) Essay - research plan

• Choose a research method, either case study, design science or ethnographic study.

• Research plan:– Write a short research plan on the topic you want to study– Include a short literature review (maximum 4 references)– Length of the report: maximum 3000 words excluding references– Use IEEE Computer Society format:

http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html

– Instead of author name, use candidate number.– Deadline: 16 December 09.00– Deliver through Itslearning

C) Essay - research plan

• Briefly cover the following issues: – What do you want to research (research questions) – Why is it interesting to research (relevance for practitioners,

unrehearsed topic) – How will you answer your research questions (selecting

case/artefact, data collection) – How will you analyze the data? – What results do you expect to obtain and would they differ from

existing ones?

C) Essay - evaluation criteria

• Clarity– It has to be clear what are you planning to do and why– Each part of your research plan should be connected

• Ability to use curriculum in deciding approach for– Data collection– Data analysis– Data interpretation

Groups

• You will be divided into groups within two weeks• Group structure may be revised until shortly after

examination registration deadline 15 September

More on research methods

Next lecture: Purpose and products of research