Course content

The course provides students with a platform to plan and prepare for the master’s thesis (IDS4100), which is conducted in the following semester. The course centres on the development of an extended project description that serves as a plan for the thesis and supports a structured approach to the research work.

Students work on developing the research question, research design and academic foundation of the project, as well as considering the empirical context, access to data and research-ethical issues. Students are encouraged, in dialogue with their supervisor, to consider collaboration with a company or organisation in order to strengthen the practical relevance of the thesis.

The project description should be based on a problem area that is relevant to the programme and grounded in current knowledge in the field.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The candidate:

• has in-depth knowledge of how research projects are planned and designed, including academic writing style, documentation practices and the structure of a project description/project plan.
• has specialized insight in the research frontier in a selected part of the topic covered by the master's program and relevant for their own project.

Skills

The candidate:

• can analyse and critically relate to different information sources in order to structure and formulate academic arguments and research problems, and reflect on the ethical and responsible use of digital tools in academic work.
• can design and plan an independent, limited research or development project under supervision and in accordance with applicable research ethics standards, and prepare a project description in accordance with good academic and methodological practice.
• can collaborate academically with others in developing a research problem, identifying relevant data sources, and planning a project.

General Competence

The candidate:

• can apply their knowledge and skills from previous courses to design and plan research and development projects and recognise the relationship between research problem and research design.
• can communicate about academic problems and research design within the relevant field, both in writing in academic texts and orally through presentations and academic discussions.

Learning methods and activities

The project description in the pre-project course and the master’s thesis are completed in groups of two students.

The course is conducted through supervision, self-study, and seminars which provide practical tools and skills for developing the project description.

Learning activities include:

• Supervision: Each group is assigned a supervisor who will provide supervision in working on the project description and continue to supervise the thesis in IDS4100. Supervision is a mandatory and central part of the course, and students are expected to play an active role in collaboration with their supervisor.
• Seminars: The seminars provide practical guidance on generic topics such as research design, literature review, ethics, and data privacy.
• Self-study: Students are expected to actively use NTNU resources, such as library services and courses, online resource pages, and resources available in the course’s Canvas room. They are also encouraged to apply knowledge from research methodology courses, such as IDS4000. Students will independently work with relevant literature related to the project description. Self-study is necessary for producing a well-prepared project description.
• Collaboration with organizations: Where relevant, students are expected to maintain necessary contact with a related organization, as agreed with the supervisor, to provide a practical and empirical foundation for the project.

Obligatory activities

1. Participation in seminars is obligatory.
2. Students must submit a mature draft of the project description to their supervisor for feedback within given timeline so that necessary changes can be made before final submission.
3. Students must present the project description orally in a plenary setting. Students must attend the entire presentation day. Everyone is expected to take part in the discussions after other students’ presentations, and students may be given specific roles or responsibilities.

Compulsory assignments

• Oral presentation of project description
• Draft project description.
• Mandatory participation in course seminars

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Admission to the master's program MIIDS

IDS4000 Qualitative research methods and analysis / IDS4000 Research methods

The student must have 52,5 study points completed in the study program.

Course materials

TBL