COURSE INFORMATION
Course Title: RESEARCH METHODS
Code Course Type Regular Semester Theory Practice Lab Credits ECTS
CEN 409 A 1 3 2 0 4 7.5
Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) NA
Main Course Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: Prof.Dr. Betim Çiço bcico@epoka.edu.al , n/a
Second Course Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours: NA
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours: NA
Language: English
Compulsory/Elective: Compulsory
Study program: (the study for which this course is offered) Master of Science in Computer Engineering (2 years)
Classroom and Meeting Time: E-012
Code of Ethics: Code of Ethics of EPOKA University
Regulation of EPOKA University "On Student Discipline"
Attendance Requirement: N/A
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to enhance the students' knowledge of data analysis techniques. There are many ways to do good research. Some of them are experimental, like much of the work done on our research teams, but there are other ways of collecting data that are useful or even preferred in some situations. Any methodology has its strong and weak points; you are going to learn about them during this course.
Course Objectives: This is a course in research methodologies. The purpose is to discuss the various types of research methods and the criteria’s for assessing research. The research-related considerations and the manner in which the results of research can be interpreted and disseminated, and the typical pitfalls faced by researchers when designing and conducting a research study. In this course we will discuss the techniques and processes involved in conducting good quality research in the area of computer science and engineering. Our focus will be on acquiring the knowledge and skills required in carrying out research as well as those for appropriately communicating the outcomes of the research. The course will cover topics ranging from the principles of experiment design, statistics, to various aspects of reading, writing, evaluating papers, and presenting research. In order to develop these knowledge and skills, we will be using the case-based teaching/ learning approach. This teaching and learning approach requires that each student selects a case problem in his/her research area. Each student will be expected to apply the research methodology that we will discuss in this course to his/her selected research problem. There will be assignments during the semester allowing the students to practice different research skills and methodologies covered in the lectures. There will be a semester-long project in which students select, design, and execute research project and present the result at the end of the semester. At the end of this course it is expected that each of the participants will be better able to carry out research in computer science and engineering.
BASIC CONCEPTS OF THE COURSE
1 Planning and Designing a Research Study
2 General Types of Research Designs and Approaches
3 Data Collection, Data Assessment Methods, Data Preparation, Data Analyses, Data Interpretation
4 Measurement Strategie
5 General Types of Research Designs and Approaches
6 Validity
7 Disseminating Research Results
COURSE OUTLINE
Week Topics
1 Introduction in RM
2 Planning and Designing a Research Study
3 General Approaches for Controlling Artifact and Bias
4 Data Collection
5 Data Assessment Methods
6 Measurement Strategies
7 General Types of Research Designs and Approaches
8 Validity
9 Data Preparation
10 Data Analyses
11 Data Interpretation
12 Disseminating Research Results
13 Distilling Principles of Research Design and Methodology
14 Project Presentaton
Prerequisite(s):
Textbook(s): 1. Geoffrey Marczyk, David DeMatteo, and David Festinger, Essentials of Research Design and Methodology, 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Additional Literature: 1. Paul D. Leedy and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod. Practical Research: Planning and Design, Ninth Edition, Published by Merrill. 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. 2. Krishnan Nallaperumal, Engineering Research Methodology: A Computer Science and Engineering and Information and Communication Technologies Perspective, 2013. 3. Documents and papers from Internet
Laboratory Work:
Computer Usage: Yes
Others: No
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
1 Understand how to analyze and plan a research study
2 Understand how to design and conduct a research study
3 Understand research assessment and research artifacts and research bias
4 Work in a small teams, cooperating on aspects of research design, and exchanging ideas in a constructive and organized fashion
5 Write research projects and research grants as well as research reports
COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES
(Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)
No Program Competencies Cont.
Master of Science in Computer Engineering (2 years) Program
1 Engineering graduates with sufficient theoretical and practical background for a successful profession and with application skills of fundamental scientific knowledge in the engineering practice. 5
2 Engineering graduates with skills and professional background in describing, formulating, modeling and analyzing the engineering problem, with a consideration for appropriate analytical solutions in all necessary situations 5
3 Engineering graduates with the necessary technical, academic and practical knowledge and application confidence in the design and assessment of machines or mechanical systems or industrial processes with considerations of productivity, feasibility and environmental and social aspects. 5
4 Engineering graduates with the practice of selecting and using appropriate technical and engineering tools in engineering problems, and ability of effective usage of information science technologies. 5
5 Ability of designing and conducting experiments, conduction data acquisition and analysis and making conclusions. 5
6 Ability of identifying the potential resources for information or knowledge regarding a given engineering issue. 5
7 The abilities and performance to participate multi-disciplinary groups together with the effective oral and official communication skills and personal confidence. 5
8 Ability for effective oral and official communication skills in foreign language. 5
9 Engineering graduates with motivation to life-long learning and having known significance of continuous education beyond undergraduate studies for science and technology. 5
10 Engineering graduates with well-structured responsibilities in profession and ethics. 5
11 Engineering graduates who are aware of the importance of safety and healthiness in the project management, workshop environment as well as related legal issues. 5
12 Consciousness for the results and effects of engineering solutions on the society and universe, awareness for the developmental considerations with contemporary problems of humanity. 5
COURSE EVALUATION METHOD
Method Quantity Percentage
Project
1
80
Other
1
20
Total Percent: 100%
ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)
Activities Quantity Duration(Hours) Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours) 16 5 80
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice) 16 3 48
Mid-terms 0
Assignments 4 6 24
Final examination 0
Other 1 35.5 35.5
Total Work Load:
187.5
Total Work Load/25(h):
7.5
ECTS Credit of the Course:
7.5
CONCLUDING REMARKS BY THE COURSE LECTURER