MERG4070 Research Design and Project Description Course description

Language of instruction: Norwegian and English

This course covers the research process from the planning phase until completion of the master’s thesis, including literary searches and referencing, formulation of research questions/hypotheses/issues, choice of research method and development of a project description, as well as ethical assessments relating to the student’s own work. Formal requirements for the project description are also covered to enable the student to complete the project description for their master’s thesis by the end of the course.

Studenten skal etter å ha fullført emnet ha følgende totale læringsutbytte definert i kunnskap, ferdigheter og generell kompetanse:

Kunnskap

Studenten har

• kunnskaper om motivasjon og belønning, kommunikasjon
• kjennskap til betydningen av personlighet, kognisjon, emosjoner, jobbholdninger og arbeidsmiljø
• grunnleggende kunnskap om makt, innflytelse og konflikter, ledelse, beslutninger
• organisasjonskultur, læring og endring fra et organisasjonspsykologisk perspektiv.
• mer inngående kunnskap i et fordypningstema innenfor fagfeltet som varierer fra år til år

Ferdigheter

Studenten kan

• bruke ulike teoretiske tilnærminger og perspektiver fra faget for å forstå og analysere utfordringer og dilemmaer knyttet til menneskers atferd i organisasjoner
• benytte kunnskap fra organisasjonspsykologien når de skal fatte og iverksette beslutninger i organisasjoner.

Generell kompetanse

Studenten har

• oppøvet ferdighet i kritisk refleksjon om fagets muligheter og begrensninger

The student must have been admitted to the Master’s Programme in Health Sciences.

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• can develop a research question for their master’s thesis
• can independently describe relevant academic frame of reference and/or context as a foundation for a project plan for the master’s thesis

Skills

The student

• can plan a research project and write a project description in a precise scientific format and language
• can carry out extensive and systematic literature searches relating to their own project description, summarise and discuss the findings of others, and cite sources correctly
• can reflect upon ethical issues related to the project

General competence

The student

• can analyse and deal critically with various sources of data and use them in scholarly arguments
• can critically assess relevant ethical norms and values related to the chosen method in the project plan
• can assess whether a research project requires various forms of registration or approval in accordance with the applicable legislation
• can critically reflect on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in academic work, including assessing the consequences for research and professional integrity.

The course will use varied, student-active work methods. The teaching will be given digital and physical, in addition to blended learning with seminars on campus during the course. Work and teaching methods include digital and physical lectures, individual literature studies and written work, oral presentations, group discussions and supervision. Up to two hours of guidance is given on the project description.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the examination:

• compulsory attendance and participation at seminar days for your own specialisation
• presentation of own student’s project description for the master’s thesis with subsequent discussion in a plenary session
• held the role of opponent, providing feedback on one or more fellow students' project plan (peer assessment/opponent)

A project examination in the form of a project description for the student's master’s thesis, individual or in groups, depending on whether the thesis will be written individually or in a group. Scope: 3,000 words (+/- 20%). For group assignments, one overall grade is awarded for the whole group.

Resit examination: If the student fails the assignment, he/she will be given opportunity to submit a reworked version.

If the course is taught in English, students can also choose to write/conduct the examination in a Scandinavian language (Norwegian, Swedish or Danish).

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grunnleggende forståelse i organisasjonspsykologi er viktig både som ansatt og som leder i arbeidslivet. Kunnskap om individer og grupper i en organisasjonskontekst er vesentlig for å kunne iverksette strategier og beslutninger fordi dette vil involvere menneskene i organisasjonen. Kunnskaper og ferdigheter opparbeidet i emnet gir grunnlag for senere emner i organisasjon, ledelse og strategi.

Undervisningsspråk er norsk.

Ingen forkunnskapskrav.

Det vil bli brukt varierte arbeidsmåter som forelesninger, diskusjon av dagsaktuelle problemstillinger, analyse av case og oppgaveløsning. Det forventes at studentene jobber med oppgaveløsning både individuelt og i grupper utenom fellesforelesningene.

Undervisningen foregår med fysisk oppmøte på campus.