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.

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

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

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

The course will use varied, student-active work methods. The teaching will mainly be digital, in addition to blended learning with seminars on campus during the course. Work and teaching methods include digital lectures, individual literature studies and written work, oral presentations, group discussions and individual and group supervision. The student(s) will be offered up to two hours of supervision in connection with their project description.

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), 4000 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.

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

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 one (1) 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).

One internal examiner. External examiners are used regularly.