DATA3730 Introduction to IT research Course description

The student group will carry out an IT project as part of a research project at OsloMet or another research or educational institution. Completion of the course requires work on the project corresponding to two days a week over a 12-week period. If the project is carried out during the summer, the work must correspond to four days a week over a six-week period.

In addition to the projects on offer, the individual or student group can find their own relevant research project within an existing project at OsloMet or another research or educational institution. In this case, students must receive formal approval of participation from the head of the research project and have a defined a sub-project that the student/group will work on. The sub-project must be formally approved by the course leader as relevant and as having a suitable theme and scope. If the research project is not carried out at OsloMet, the head of the research project must appoint a project supervisor.

This elective course will only run if a sufficient number of students a registered.

No requirements over and above the admission requirements.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• understands the basic problems relating to carrying out a research project, including professional and research ethics, methods of cooperation, hypothesis formulation and experiments
• has a basic understanding of financing, reporting and the organisational structure of a research project
• understands the possibilities and challenges related to the generalisation of research results

Skills

The student is capable of:                                                   

• applying scientific methods, including basic qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies
• searching for, applying and referring to relevant scientific literature
• critically reflecting on the connections between research questions, research design and choice of method

General competence

The student is capable of:

• defining a research issue, research question and relevant methodology
• completing a scientific experiment through e.g. user testing, experiments, questionnaire surveys or prototype implementation
• assessing the quality of the different aspects of a scientific study

This module looks at how we can become more aware of, and attentive to cultural dimensions when working as designers. It examines how such awareness can help to influence and form the basis for design processes and their outcomes. The module is intended to help students establish a general level of cultural understanding through approaching objects and design as forms of cultural expression, as well as looking at our projects and their roles in relation to broader cultural contexts and societal perspectives. The module aims to give students experience and knowledge in analyzing the different cultural contexts products are a part of, and how these in turn serve to influence design processes. The module also addresses communication, and the importance of this in terms of design processes, products and their dissemination.

The following coursework is compulsory and must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• A compulsory Orientation Meeting.
• A project outline that describes how the group will organise their work on the project.
• A standard learning agreement must be entered into between the project provider/supervisor and the student(s), and this must be approved by an internal supervisor before the project can begin.
• Three minutes of meetings from the supervision meetings held during the project period.
• An oral mid-term presentation, individual or in groups (max 5 students), 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A.

The deadlines for submitting the project outline and the minutes of the meetings will be presented in the teaching plan, which is made available at the beginning of the semester.

Written project report (100% of the final grade).

A written project report delivered at the of the semester, individual or in groups (max 5 students), 3000 words +/-10 %.

For group projects, all members of the group receive the same grade. Under exceptional circumstances, individual grades can be assigned at the discretion of the project supervisor(s) and Head of Studies.

The exam result can be appealed.

Individual work or in groups of up to three people, lectures, workshops, presentations and discussion, literature studies and research.

The following coursework is compulsory and must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• Participation in organised workshops
• Oral presentation of a project using suitable media
• Reflect on learning in the project

Portfolio assessment, individual or in groups of up to three people, subject to the following portfolio requirements in the project report:

• Scope of the portfolio - one student max 35 pages, group of two students max 40 pages, group of three students max 45 pages. Appendices come in addition.
• Process documentation in the form of pictures, graphics, text and other media, with argumentation for the development and choices made.
• Result from the designer project.
• Grounds for choices and giving an oral presentation (carried out as a coursework requirement).
• Discussion and analysis of how/what the product the student has designed communicates, and in what way and to whom.

All parts of the portfolio must be passed (grade E or better) in order to pass the exam in the course.

The exam result can be appealed.