1 / 13

Dissertation projects

Dissertation projects. Mary Clarkson. Agenda . What is it What is it not What does it contain Literature analysis I nterpretation/synthesis Conclusions/recommendations Examples Assessment References. IMAT3451 Options day. What is it. Literature review that is: Extensive

carson
Download Presentation

Dissertation projects

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Dissertation projects Mary Clarkson

  2. Agenda • What is it • What is it not • What does it contain • Literature analysis • Interpretation/synthesis • Conclusions/recommendations • Examples • Assessment • References IMAT3451 Options day

  3. What is it • Literature review that is: • Extensive • Strategically significant • Rigorously defined and implemented • Includes well-thought-out recommendations and implications IMAT3451 Options day

  4. What is it not • Literature review that is: • Small • Limited in scope • Includes primary research • Dissertation project contains • No fieldwork ie • No questionnaires • No interviews • No observations • No system development • This is not an easy option IMAT3451 Options day

  5. What does it contain • Literature analysis • Systematic examination of a problem or question • Via an analysis of published sources • Could include case studies, document analysis, meta-study • Undertaken with a specific purpose in mind • More than just a review of existing work • Interpretation of what is found • Synthesis into issues or major factors • Recommendations and implications IMAT3451 Options day

  6. Literature Analysis • 30-40 sources rather than 10-12 • Read critically and keep notes as you read • Analyse and identify key points in each source • Compare/contrast/categorise • Note any emerging themes or issues IMAT3451 Options day

  7. Interpretation • Taking the emerging themes, issues and categories • Expanding on them • Tracing each through the sources • Thinking about what it might mean if put into practice IMAT3451 Options day

  8. Synthesis • Building on the emerging themes, issues and categories • Identify major factors that appear to affect what goes on • Explore how the factors might help with the issues IMAT3451 Options day

  9. Conclusions / recommendations • Identify ways to take the insights forward • Suggesting ways the insights could be applied in practice • Predicting further issues the application might entail IMAT3451 Options day

  10. For example… • Review an organisation’s practices and procedures with a view to recommending significant technical, social and organisational change, drawing on both academic and management literature • Review the importance of professional bodies to industrial practice with a view to recommending ways for professional bodies and organisations to engage effectively with students and recent graduates • Review the case for enterprise-wide application systems, identifying implementation potential and issues to be considered IMAT3451 Options day

  11. For example… • Conduct a landscape study into the state of the art in ambient intelligence applications • Carry out a comparative case study of privacy policies in government websites • Conduct a meta-study of other people’s research into the application of ICT in the classroom, looking for how ICT use has evolved in the last 20 years • Perform an ethical theory analysis on an emerging technology IMAT3451 Options day

  12. Assessment • Same assessment deadlines as for all other projects • Initial deliverable in week 11 • Contract/ethical form/plan • Initial literature review • Firm theoretical foundation • Explanation and rationale for chosen research method • Topics to be explored • Evaluation criteria for each topic, with rationales • Final deliverable • Final complete report including a critical reflection section • Viva IMAT3451 Options day

  13. References and further reading • Berndtsson M, Hansson J, Olsson B & Lundell B (2008) Thesis Projects, a guide for students in computer science and information systems. Springer. • Jesson J, Matheson L & Lacey F (2011) Doing Your Literature Review: traditional and systematic techniques. Sage. • Oates B ( 2006) Researching Information Systems and Computing. Sage. • note this briefly describes research methods; it will not be sufficient on its own IMAT3451 Options day

More Related