FIT5185 IT Research Methods is a mandatory unit in the Masters (Honours) program and research streams in the new Masters coursework programs to be offered from 2014. It is co-taught with FIT4005 IT Research Methods, which is a mandatory unit in the Bachelor (Honours) program. A 0 pt clone version of FIT5185 (FIT5143) is a mandatory unit in MPhil. FIT4005, 5143, 5185 or an equivalent unit is a co-requisite for FIT6021 Advanced Research Methods 1.

16/10/2013 - Administrative change: adding FIT5125 to prohibitions.

This unit has been updated as part of a review in 2013 of research training units in the Faculty. The changes aim to provide more flexibility and to enable this unit and the co-taught unit FIT4005 IT Research Methods to better meet the needs of the different cohorts of students who take them. It is a mandatory unit in the Masters Honours, and will be a compulsory unit in the research streams of the new Masters coursework programs being introduced from 2014. A 0 point clone version of FIT5185 (FIT5143) is mandatory in the MPhil. FIT4005, FIT5143, FIT5185 or an equivalent unit is a co-requisite unit for FIT6021 for PhD students who have not taken an equivalent unit in their previous studies. Changes have been made to Unit Title, Learning Outcomes, Unit Content, Teaching Methods, Assessment, Contact hours, Pre-requisites, Prohibitions and Location of offering. Changes to be implemented from Semester 1 2014.

9/1/2014 - Admin change, edit synopsis at ADE's request.

21/1/2014 - FEC 5/2013 (Item 8.3.2) disestablished this unit which will be replace by FIT5125.

FIT5185 is a compulsory unit for students in the Masters (Honours) and research streams in the new coursework Masters programs to be offered from 2014. Its 0 point clone is a mandatory unit in the MPhil.

FIT5185 provides an introduction to research philosophies and paradigms, research design, research ethics and IT research methods and techniques in the disciplines of computing science, information systems and information management. It develops research skills essential to undertaking a major or minor Masters research thesis, or research projects in a research or industry setting.

On completion of this unit, students will be able to:

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The aim of the unit is to prepare Masters students in the Faculty of IT to conduct research across the range of IT disciplines, including computer science, software engineering, information systems and information management.

It introduces students to major research philosophies and paradigms, the principles of research design, research ethics, research methods and techniques of data collection and analysis appropriate to IT research and their disciplines, and IT research in research and industry settings.

Skills developed and knowledge acquired from this unit will prepare students to conduct and communicate their own research, as well as to be knowledgeable and critical interpreters of others' research.

On-campus/off campus/block mode

The unit comprises 12 four-hour workshops. Each workshop comprises 2 two-hour sessions.

There will be 6 core workshops which will cover:

There will be a pool of elective workshops relating to research methods and techniques of data collection and analysis relevant to computing science and software engineering, information systems and/or information management.

To complete the unit, students must complete the 6 core workshops and 6 elective workshops.

The topics, the contents and the number of the workshops offered may vary yearly depending on the need of the student cohort. Workshops may be sourced from outside the Faculty and these workshops must be approved by the unit coordinator. The unit coordinator and elective workshop coordinators will ensure that the main methods and techniques relevant to each disciplinary area are covered, and will map workshop outcomes to the unit learning outcomes.

The teaching and learning methods will include presentations by lecturers and students, seminar discussion and practical work. Moodle will be used to facilitate forum discussion and teaching material delivery.

In-semester assessment: 100%

Students will develop a portfolio of work linked to the workshops. It might include: critical reviews of research literature, design and findings; research proposals' workshop presentations; mini-research projects, practical exercises and quizzes relating to research design, methods and techniques; reflective blogs relating to the relevance of the workshops to their research thesis or project.

Minimum total expected workload equals 12 hours per week comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

(b.) Additional requirements (all students):

FIT

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