TECH8000 IT Capstone Assignment

TECH8000

IT Capstone

Workshop 8

Developing a Research Proposal

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Subject Learning Outcomes

Activity 1 Recap Week 6

• As a group (2 3 students) spend 3 minutes answering the following question

• What did you learn last week? (1 or 2 points)

• A representative from each group will share with the class (3 minutes)

Recap

• What is the difference between annotated bibliography and literature review?

• What are the different steps to convert an annotated bibliography to literature review?

• How to identify themes from annotated bibliography?

• How should we synthesize information from annotated bibliography?

Lesson Learning Outcomes

What is a Research Outline?

• A research outline is a structured plan that guides the development and organization of a research project. It helps ensure that your research is coherent, focused, and methodical [1].
  
  

• Structure: It breaks down the research into manageable sections, such as the introduction, literature review, methodology, and analysis.

• Sequence: It outlines the logical order in which each part of the research should be addressed, ensuring a smooth flow of ideas and information.

Purpose of a Research Outline

• Organizes Your Thoughts: Helps structure your ideas and research plan.
  
  

• Provides a Clear Path: Guides you through the research process.

• Ensures Coherence: Maintains logical flow and consistency throughout your research.

Identifying Gaps in Literature

Review of Existing Research

• Summary of Key Findings: What has already been discovered in your field?

• Identifying Research Gaps: What questions remain unanswered or are inadequately addressed?

Importance of Addressing Gaps

• Contribution to the Field: How your research will fill these gaps and add new knowledge [1] [2].

Research Objectives

Defining Objectives

• Specific Goals: What do you intend to achieve with your research? Be clear and precise.

• Measurable Outcomes: Ensure objectives are quantifiable or assessable.

Aligning Objectives with Gaps

• Connection to Literature: How do your objectives address the gaps identified in your literature review?

Research Questions

Formulating Questions or Hypotheses

• Specific and Researchable: Develop questions that are focused and can be investigated empirically.

• Formulating Hypotheses (if applicable): Propose testable statements based on your research questions.

Connecting to Objectives

• Alignment: Ensure that your questions or hypotheses directly relate to your research objectives.

Writing the Introduction

• Introduction of a Research Outline contains a story around Identified gaps in the literature, research questions and research objectives.

Activity 2 Crafting a Compelling Introduction

1. Introduction Analysis (5 minutes):
   
   
   1. Open the provided link to a sample research Read through the Introduction section carefully:
   
   
   

Exif2Vec: A Framework to Ascertain Untrustworthy Crowdsourced Images Using Metadata (acm.org)

2. Identify Components (5 minutes):
   
   
   1. Using the highlighting tool, identify and mark the following components in the Introduction section:
   
   
   

1. Hook or attention-grabbing statement
2. Background information or context
3. Purpose statement or research question
4. Significance of the study
5. Brief overview of the research methodology (if applicable)

3. Crafting an Introduction (15 minutes):
   
   
   1. Based on what you've learned, write a short introduction on a problem related to Cybersecurity. Include elements like a hook, background information, purpose, and

Literature Review

• Purpose: Demonstrate your understanding of the field and establish the foundation for your research.

Content:

• Overview of Existing Research: Summarize key studies related to your topic. Discuss how they inform your research, highlight major findings, and point out any conflicting theories or results.

• Identification of Gaps: Identify gaps or limitations in the current Explain how your study will address these gaps, offering something new to the academic discourse.

• Relevance to Your Study: Show how the literature directly relates to your research questions or hypotheses. This connection should justify the need for your study.

Activity 3 Crafting a Compelling Literature Survey

1. Related Work Analysis (5 minutes):

1. Open the provided link to a sample research Read through theRelated Work section carefully:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2017.12.002

2. Identify Components (5 minutes):

1. Using the highlighting tool, identify and mark the following components in the Introduction section:

1. Background information or context
2. How the proposed study is different as compared to Related Work
3. Significance of the study
4. Brief overview of the Literature (if applicable)

3. Crafting a Literature Survey (15 minutes):

1. Based on what you've learned, write a short Literature Survey of a hypothetical research Include elements like a hook, background information, purpose, and significance.

Theoretical Framework

• Purpose: Anchor your research within a specific theoretical perspective, guiding your study's approach and analysis.

Content:

• Selection of Theories: Discuss the theories or models that underpin your research. Explain why these particular theories are relevant to your study.

• Application to Your Research: Describe how the theoretical framework will inform your research design, data collection, and analysis. Show how it will guide your interpretation of results.

• Conceptual Models: If applicable, present a conceptual model that visually represents the relationships between key concepts in your study.

Methodology

Choosing Research Methods

• Qualitative Methods: Interviews, focus groups, case

• Quantitative Methods: Surveys, experiments, statistical analysis.

• Mixed Methods: Combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Justification

• Rationale: Explain why these methods are appropriate for addressing your research questions and objectives.

Research Design

• Overall Approach: Describe the overall design (e.g., cross-sectional, longitudinal).

Research Design

• Purpose: Outline the overall strategy and structure of your research, ensuring it aligns with your objectives.

Content:

• Type of Research: Define whether your research is exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, or evaluative. Explain why this type is suitable for your study.

• Research Setting: Describe the context in which your research will take place, such as a specific industry, population, or environment.

• Sampling Strategy: Explain how you will select participants or cases for your study, including your sampling method and rationale.

Data Collection

Techniques for Data Collection

• Surveys: Questionnaires, online

• Interviews: Structured, semi-structured, or unstructured

• Experiments: Controlled studies to test

• Observations: Directly observing subjects in their natural environment.

Designing Data Collection Tools

• Creating Effective Instruments: Ensure your tools are reliable and valid.

Sampling Strategy

• Selection Process: How you will choose participants or data sources (e.g., random sampling, convenience sampling).

Data Analysis

Analysis Techniques

(e.g., coding, identifying themes).

Justification for Techniques

• Suitability: Explain why these techniques are appropriate for analysing your data.

Expected Outcomes

Discussing Potential Results

• Anticipated Findings: What do you expect to discover or prove?

Significance of Results

• Impact: How will the results contribute to the field or practical applications?

• Implications: What are the potential consequences or benefits of your findings?

Ethical Considerations

• Purpose: Ensure your research adheres to ethical standards, protecting participants and maintaining

Content:

• Informed Consent: Detail how you will obtain informed consent from participants, ensuring they understand their rights and the nature of the research.

• Confidentiality and Anonymity: Discuss how you will protect participants' privacy and data, including any anonymization techniques.

• Ethical Approval: Mention any institutional ethical approvals you need to obtain before conducting your

Activity 4 Presenting Results in a Research Outline

1. Results Section Analysis (5 minutes):

1. Open the provided link to a sample research Read through the Results Section carefully:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2017.12.002

2. Identify Components (5 minutes):

1. Using the highlighting tool, identify and mark the following components in the results section:

1. Which metrics are chosen to present results?
2. Is the Result Section connected to the Related Work?
3. What is the state-of-the-art in the report to which the results are compared?

3. Summarising the Results Section(10 minutes):

1. Briefly summarise the Results

Conclusion of a Research Outline

Writing the conclusion and future work section of a research outline involves summarising the key findings, discussing their implications, and suggesting potential directions for future research. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to write an effective conclusion and future work section:

Summarise Key Findings:

Provide a concise summary of the main results and how they address the research questions or hypotheses.

Restate the Research Question/Hypothesis:

Remind the reader of the original research question or hypothesis and explain how your findings address it.

Conclusion of a Research Report

Discuss the Implications:

Analyse the significance of your findings. What do they contribute to the broader field of study? How do they advance existing knowledge?

Relate to Previous Research:

Connect your findings to existing literature. Highlight areas of agreement or divergence with previous studies.

Address Limitations:

Acknowledge any limitations of your study. This demonstrates a realistic understanding of the research process.

Conclusion of a Research Report

Consider Practical Applications:

Discuss any practical applications or real-world implications of your findings. How might they be used in practice or policy?

Avoid Introducing New Information:

The conclusion is not the place for new data or arguments. Stick to summarising what has already been presented.

Maintain a Balanced Tone:

Be cautious about making overly grand claims or downplaying the significance of your findings. Be objective and precise.

Finalising a Research Report

Finalising a Research Report

Professionalism and Credibility:

A well-prepared research report and presentation demonstrate professionalism and expertise. This builds credibility with the client, showing that you've taken the project seriously and have invested time and effort into delivering quality results.

Clear Communication:

Finalising the report ensures that your findings, recommendations, and insights are communicated clearly. It helps in avoiding misunderstandings and ensures that the client understands the value of the research.

Professional Image and Branding:

A polished report and a well-prepared presentation enhances your professional image and can contribute to a positive reputation in the industry.

Avoids Misinterpretation:

A finalised report reduces the risk of misinterpretation or miscommunication of findings. It ensures that the data is presented accurately and that the conclusions drawn from the research are valid and reliable.

Presentation of Data

Tables:

Tables offer a comprehensive view of the various parameters under consideration. Each table is labelled with clear headers and units of measurement for easy comprehension.

Example Table:

Presentation of Data

Graphical representations have been utilised to visually illustrate trends and relationships within the data. Line graphs depict the progression of variables over time, while bar graphs facilitate comparisons across categories. Scatter plots help identify potential correlations.

Presentation of Data

Charts:

Pie charts and radar charts are employed to present categorical data and multivariate relationships respectively. These visual aids enhance the understanding of complex data structures.

Activity 5 Collecting and Presenting Data

1. Data Collection (2 minutes)
   
   
   1. Collect data about your group You should record their:
      
      
      1. Name
      
      

      2. Favorite Subject

      
      

      3. Number of Siblings

      
      

      4. Hobbies/Interests

   
   

   2. Organising Data in a Table (2 minutes)
   
   

   1. Create a You should enter the collected data into the appropriate columns.

3. Creating a Bar Graph (5 minutes)
   
   
   1. Choose a category from the data (e.g., Favorite Subject) and show how to create a bar graph to represent this information.

4. Creating a Pie Chart (5 minutes)

1. Choose another category (e.g., Number of Siblings) and creating a pie chart to visualise this data.

5. Discussion and Reflection (3 minutes)
   
   
   1. Discuss your findings based on the visual representations.
   
   
   

Interpretation of Findings

Contextualisation:

The data is situated within its broader context, considering external factors and relevant literature. This contextualisation aids in understanding the implications of the findings.

Identification of Trends and Patterns:

Analysis reveals discernible trends, patterns, and potential outliers within the data. These patterns provide valuable insights into the underlying phenomena.

Correlation vs. Causation:

A distinction is made between correlation, where two variables exhibit a statistical relationship, and causation, where one variable directly influences the other. Causal claims are made cautiously, with consideration for alternative explanations.

Comparison with Initial Hypotheses:

The findings are compared against the initial hypotheses and expectations. Deviations from the anticipated outcomes are acknowledged and discussed in light of their implications.

Activity 6 Interpreting the Data in a Research Report

1. Data Interpretation (10 minutes - Individual):

1. Discuss your findings based on the visual representations used in Activity 2.
2. Share insights you gained from the graphs and charts.
3. What patterns or trends do you notice?
4. Did any findings surprise you? Why?

Activity 7 Reflect and Share

Individual task: Please reflect by answering the following questions (5 minutes)

• What did you learn today? (1 or 2 things)

• What do you want to learn more?

• What did you like about today?

• What could we do better next time?

• Any volunteers to share their thoughts? (10 minutes)

Recap: Lesson Learning Outcomes

Recap: Subject Learning Outcomes