EPN-V2

ACIT5910 Master's Thesis, Phase 1 Course description

Course name in Norwegian
Master's Thesis, Phase 1
Study programme
Master's Programme in Applied Computer and Information Technology
Weight
10.0 ECTS
Year of study
2025/2026
Course history

Introduction

Phase 1 of the master's thesis lays the foundation for conducting a successful master project and writing the master's thesis. In this phase, you will study the relevant literature, map out the area of your master project, find and formulate problem statement and research questions, and plan the research you will conduct in your master project.

In addition, there will be a series of workshops on the academic writing and effective communication of the thesis project. Students will develop an awareness of the conventions of academic writing and the writing process and use a range of analytical tools and methods to develop their writing and writing practices as part of writing their thesis.

Guildelines for master's theses at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design can be found here: Retningslinjer for masteroppgaver ved Fakultet for teknologi, kunst og design - Student - minside (oslomet.no).

Required preliminary courses

Eksamen er en prosjektoppgave i gruppe (3-5 personer) basert på selvvalgt tema og problemstilling. Tema og problemstilling må godkjennes av faglærer. Eksamen gjennomføres som en gruppepresentasjon i videoform. Gruppen lager en presentasjon med varighet på 15-20 minutter, hvor alle medlemmene bidrar og deltar. Eksamenspresentasjonen skal deles med resten av kullet. Et kort skriftlig sammendrag (max. 1500 ord) og litteraturliste leveres i tillegg. Studentene står fritt til å arbeide med prosjektoppgaven gjennom hele semesteret.

Det er anledning til å gjennomføre eksamen i emnet som en individuell eksamen. Begrunnet søknad sendes emneansvarlig ved studiestart. Omfanget på prosjektoppgaven vil ikke variere etter gruppestørrelse.

Ny/utsatt eksamen

Ny og utsatt eksamen gjennomføres som ved ordinær eksamen. Ved første ny og utsatt eksamen kan omarbeidet versjon av prosjektoppgaven leveres. Ved senere forsøk må det utarbeides ny problemstilling og leveres ny eksamen. Dersom det ikke kan gjennomføres gruppeeksamen, arrangeres eksamen individuelt.

Learning outcomes

A student who has completed this course should have the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student:

  • has specialized knowledge of the research literature of the specific areas of their Master thesis
  • understands the functions, structures, and forms of introduction chapters in theses
  • understand the functions, structures, and formal requirements of literature review chapters in thesis.
  • understands the function and structure of the IMRAD model and other heuristics for thinking about how academic texts are constructed
  • understands the role and methods of peer learning and peer review, particularly the "summarize, evaluate, suggest" structure for commenting.

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

  • clearly define and limit problem areas
  • connect his/her own project to relevant research literature
  • clearly formulate problem statement and research questions applicable to the area of their master project
  • apply different heuristics to the writing of the introduction and literature review chapters.
  • give and receive effective peer feedback specific to the chapters.
  • analyze and reflect on own writing through process memos and other reflective documents.

General competence

On successful completion of this course the student:

  • can apply knowledge in new areas and plan limited projects
  • can carry out comprehensive independent literature study
  • understands and is able to articulate the idea that introduction and literature review structures and forms are based on disciplinary conventions.

Content

This phase is the beginning of a longer research project. The content will be relative to the student's project.

The academic writing workshops will cover topics such as

  • Variations in academic style
  • Audience, purpose and style
  • The writing process
  • Disciplinary identity
  • Academic language
  • Vocabulary, grammar, sentence, paragraph and text
  • Coherence and cohesion
  • Directness and formality
  • Avoiding common errors: e.g. digression, lack of thesis statement, misunderstanding one’s audience
  • Analysing, discussing and responding to academic texts
  • Article structures, including IMRAD

Teaching and learning methods

Eksamen vurderes til bestått / ikke bestått.

Course requirements

Det benyttes to interne sensorer. Det er knyttet tilsynssensor til utdanningen. Tilsynssensor evaluerer vurderingsordningene i emnet og studiet som helhet.

Assessment

Se programplanen.

Permitted exam materials and equipment

Emnet består av følgende hovedtemaer:

  • teoretisk, samt forsknings- og erfaringsbasert kunnskap knyttet til utvikling, forebygging og avhjelping av psykososiale vansker
  • observasjon og kartlegging på individ- og systemnivå i skolen
  • etiske utfordringer og dilemmaer i spesialpedagogisk arbeid

Grading scale

Assessment is pass or fail.

Examiners

Two internal examiners. External examiner is used periodically.

Course contact person

Master thesis coordinator: assistant professor Nikola Holm

Writing workshop coordinator: professor Pavel Zemliansky