CIS 518
Research Methodologies (3 semester hours)
An Introduction to the Research
Methodologies Course at the
University of South Alabama
Instructors:
Jeffrey P. Landry, Ph.D.
J. Harold Pardue, Ph.D.
Agenda
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Quiz
Syllabus
Special Courses
Annotated Bibliography
– Mental Model
– References (Example)
– Annotated Bibliography (Two
examples)
– Relationship among
• Final Paper
• References
• Annotated Bibliography
• Guidelines
– Presentation structure
– Document options
• Review Illustration
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Track Changes
Comments
File Names
Your Obligations
• Document Submissions
– Iterative
– Complete
– Structured
Catalog Description:
A review of computer and information science
literature and research topics. Techniques for defining
research goals will be described. Students will be
expected to identify a research area and conduct a
complete review of the literature. Prerequisite: CIS
Graduate Foundation Courses.
Standard Class Information
Section 501
• CIS 518-Section 501: 5:30-7:45 PM, Monday, Wednesday in CSCB 130
• Instructor Information
– J. Harold Pardue, Ph.D., Associate Professor
– Email: hpardue@usouthal.edu
– Office: FCE-9
• Mon/Wed from 1:00-3:00 pm
• and by appointment, and if and when available
– Phone Numbers:
• My Office (Voice message) 461- 1600
• Main Office: (251) 460-6390
• Fax
(251) 460-7274
Standard Class Information
Section 502
• CIS 518-Section 502: 5:30-7:45 PM, Monday, Wednesday in CSCB 115
• Instructor Information
– Jeffrey P. Landry, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
– Email: jlandry@usouthal.edu
– Office: FCE-9
• Tues/Thurs from 3:00-5:00 pm
• and by appointment, and if and when available
– Phone Numbers:
• My Office (Voice message) 461- 1596
• Main Office: (251) 460-6390
• Fax
(251) 460-7274
• Cell
(251) 533-2457
Standard Class Information
Textbooks
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Required
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Required: Writing the Doctoral Dissertation: A Systematic Approach, 2nd Edition, by Gordon
E. Davis and Clyde A. Parker, Barrons, 1997.
Required: Guide for Preparing Theses and Dissertations, 5th, The USA Graduate School. This
is now available online at
http://www.southalabama.edu/graduateprograms/ThesisDissertationGuide.pdf
Recommended
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Recommended for All: Exploring Research, 5th Edition, by Neil J. Salkind, Prentice-Hall,
2003.
Recommended for All: How to Write a Thesis, 5th Edition, Harry Teitelbaum, Macmillan,
1998.
Recommended for All: Writing a Thesis – Substance and Style, R. Keith Van Wagenen,
Prentice-Hall, 1991.
Recommended for All: The Craft of Research, 2nd edition (Chicago Guides to Writing,
Editing, and Publishing) by Wayne C. Booth, Joseph M. Williams, Gregory G. Colomb,
University of Chicago Press; 2nd edition, March, 2003.
Recommended for All: Statistical Methods for Researchers Made Very Simple by Ronald R.
Gauch, Rowman & Littlefield, 2002.
Recommended for All: Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods
Approaches by John W. Creswell, SAGE Publications; 2nd edition, July 15, 2002.
Standard Class Information
Special Needs
Any student with a qualified handicap who wishes to use a
tape recorder or needs any accommodation should register
with the Disable Student Services Office, located in the
Student Center, Room 270, Phone 460-7212.
You should also speak with me after class so that
arrangements can be made.
Standard Class Information
Attendance
• Required
– Class
– Graduate Research Seminars
There may be some scheduled earlier in the day. If there is a
legitimate excuse for not being present, please inform me in
advance unless there is an emergency. E-mail is acceptable.
The CIS GRADUATE
RESEARCH SEMINAR
• Catalog statement
The CIS Graduate Research Seminar is scheduled
periodically during each semester as a forum for
students and faculty to present and discuss research
issues, ideas, and results. Attendance is required for
students enrolled in CIS 518, 594, 595, 598, and 599.
These students are also required to give a presentation
each semester based on their work in the course.
Standard Class Information
School Cheating Policy
•
Statement:
Unless otherwise stated by your instructor, all work submitted for grading must be your work. This
means that the work you submit for grading must be designed and implemented by one and only one
person, and that person must be you. Any deviation from this policy may result in a failing grade for
the course for all parties involved. This policy applies to examinations, programming assignments,
quizzes, and homework assignments.
•
For this class:
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The overriding concern for cheating in this class relates to plagiarism. You should reference authors
whose works you have quoted, paraphrased, abstracted or summarized.
You will be engaged in individual and collaborative activities in this class. The collaborative
activities may result in your modifying your submitted assignments--this will be especially true when
peer assessment and critique are involved. You should acknowledge the help you receive from your
advisor, committee members, instructor, and classmates as appropriate.
We will be using a system which provides information about sources of information used in
writing—TurnItIn.com.
Standard Class Information
Procedures for Assessing Performance
• Grade Assignment
– (S)atisfactory
– (U)nsatisfactory
• Determined by
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Class Attendance
In-Class Participation and Discussions
Reading, Writing, and Peer-Review Assignments
Paper development (especially suggestions for revision)
Adherence to Guidelines for prospectus and thesis presentation
Paper presentation
Final Examination
Standard Class Information
Presentations and Documentation
• Presentations
– made with a presentation tool (e.g. Powerpoint, HTML)
– Electronic copy is required and must be emailed as attachment
• Course Requirements: To complete the course requirements and
receive a final grade, the following must be satisfied:
– Score of 80% on the final exam
– Your paper must demonstrate that you understand research methods used
in computer science or information systems according to your
specialization
– Electronic submission of: your final paper, an abstract, and a power point
slide of your work
– Complete a survey form and the student evaluation of teacher
– Submission of your final paper to turnitin.com to check for compliance
with citation of the works of others.
Standard Class Information
Important Dates
• For the complete academic calendar
for the academic year, see
http://www.southalabama.edu/academiccalendar.html
About This Course
• A review of CIS literature and research topics.
• Techniques for defining and communicating research
• Important Goals
What is research? What is scholarship? How to assess the value of research?
• Abilities
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use of the library
idea and hypothesis generation
theory testing
measurement and evaluation
result analysis
result presentation (oral and written)
Understanding the ethical and legal issues related to the use of human
subjects in experiments
More About This Course
Concentrations for CIS
graduate students
Other Relevant
Information
• Thesis Concentration
• Project Concentration
• Course Only
Concentration
• The CIS 595, CSC 595,
and ISC 595 Courses
• CIS 518 Instructor
Expectations
• Thesis Types
Concentrations:
Thesis vs. Project vs. Course Only*
Choose Thesis
Concentration if
you
Choose Project
Concentration if
you
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have good problemsolving skills
have good written and
oral communication
skills
can work independently
with minimal guidance
in an unstructured
learning environment
have identified an area
of personal interest that
is not covered in-depth
in a traditional course
can afford a semester
delay in completing the
masters
plan to pursue a Ph.D. in
a theoretical area
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*A concentration
have good problemsolving skills
have good written and
oral communications
skills
can work independently
with minimal guidance in
an unstructured learning
environment
have identified a project
that is not covered in a
traditional course and that
is innovative
can afford a semester
delay in completing the
masters
are more applications
oriented in your research
interests
Might pursue a Ph.D. in
an applied area
Choose Course-Only
Concentration if you
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have good problem-solving
skills
have good written and oral
communications skills
work best in collaborative and
cooperative activities in a
structured learning environment
have interests in a large variety
of topics that are available in
traditional courses
cannot afford a semester delay
in completing the masters
do not plan to pursue a Ph.D.
must be chosen by the time you have completed 18 hours of your program
About the Thesis/Project Concentrations
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Eligibility
Electives
Committee Composition
Process
Time Commitment
About the Thesis/Project Concentration
Eligibility
• Completion of CIS 518 with a grade of “S”
• Completion of each specialization core courses with “B” or better
– CSC CORE
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CSC 520--Computer Architecture
CSC 522--Performance Evaluation of Algorithms
CSC 525--Complexity Theory
CSC 527 Software Engineering
– ISC CORE
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ISC 551--Information Systems Human Computer Interface Design
ISC 560--Information Systems Analysis
ISC 561--Information Systems Database Management
ISC 565--Information Systems Project/Change Management
About the Thesis/Project
Concentration
• Degree Requirements
Electives
– Core and Required Courses
– Minimum of 6 semester hours required from
• Thesis:
– CIS 595--CIS Research Development
– CIS 599--CIS Thesis
OR
• Project
– CSC 595/ISC 595 Project Proposal Development
– CSC 598/ISC 598 Project
– Maximum of 3 additional semester hours of special courses
counted towards degree
– Rest of semester hours must come from courses
About the Thesis/Project
Concentration
• Advisor
Committee Composition
– Must be a member of CIS Graduate Faculty
• Daigle, Doran, Feinstein, Johnsten, Hain, Landry, Langan, Longenecker, Pardue, Owen, Simmons,
Sweeney, Zhou
• Committee Members
– Minimum of 3 USA Graduate Faculty
• Preference is for at least two from CIS
• May have more than 3 but…consider schedule coordination problems
• For Example--In the past
– CSC--Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine, Education
– ISC--Business Management, Statistics, Medicine, Education, Allied Health
– Thesis: Must have USA Graduate Faculty from another area
– Project: May have USA Graduate Faculty from another area
About the Thesis/Project Concentration
Process
• Declare for thesis/project Concentration with Ms. Thompson
• Preliminary Proposal
– Select advisor
– Use CIS 518 time to develop a preliminary proposal for thesis or plan
for project
– Select committee members
– Enroll in CIS 595 next semester (or later) after CIS 518
– Complete Thesis Prospectus/Project Proposal according to guidelines for
thesis with guidance from advisor and committee
– Schedule Defense at least 1 week ahead of time with the Director of CIS
Graduate Studies
– Defend Prospectus/Project Proposal before CIS faculty & students
– File final proposal and title page with committee signatures with Ms.
Thompson within 10 days of defense
About the Thesis/Project Concentration
More about Process
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Thesis/Project
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Enroll in CIS 599/CSC or ISC 598
Develop thesis/project with guidance from advisor and committee
Schedule thesis/project defense
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Oral comprehensive examination
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On student’s specialization core courses
Given following a successful thesis defense
Revise thesis/project and submit for courtesy review
Revise according to courtesy review and submit final copy for review
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at least 1 week ahead of time with the Director of CIS Graduate Studies
one week before deadline for courtesy review with the USA graduate school
Project defense must include project demonstration
Thesis: copy goes to Dean, Graduate School
Project: copy goes to Director of Graduate Studies, School of CIS (developed software is a required part of the
submission)
Bound copies are required for the following
Advisor and each committee member, The USA library, The USA Graduate School, The CIS Graduate Program,
The School of CIS
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Remaining Degree Requirements:
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Overall “B” average
Electives as required
About the Thesis/Project Concentration
Time Commitment
• Minimum of 3 semesters (Thesis is illustrated below)
– CIS 518--Preliminary Prospectus Development
– CIS 595--Prospectus Development and Defense and Oral
Comprehensive Examination
– CIS 599--Thesis Development and Defense
• Frequently takes 4 semesters
– Typical problem: cannot defend in time for courtesy review
– Solution: If defense is successful and final submission is all that
remains
• student must sign up for 1 semester hour of 599
• complete final submission to USA Graduate in timely manner
• need not be on-campus to do this!
About the Course-Only Concentration
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•
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Eligibility
Role of Electives
Process
Comprehensive Examination
About the Course-Only Concentration
Eligibility
• Completion of CIS 518 with a grade of “S”
• Completion of each specialization core courses with “B” or
better
– CSC CORE
•
•
•
•
CSC 520--Computer Architecture
CSC 522--Performance Evaluation of Algorithms
CSC 525--Complexity Theory
CSC 527 Software Engineering
– ISC CORE (Beginning in Fall—2002)
•
•
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ISC 551--Information Systems Human Computer Interface Design
ISC 560--Information Systems Analysis
ISC 561--Information Systems Database Management
ISC 565--Information Systems Project/Change Management
About the Course-Only Concentration
Role of Electives
• Degree Requirements
– Specialization core and required courses
– Maximum of 6 semester hours of CIS 594, 595,
598 counted towards degree
– Rest of semester hours must come from
graduate courses
About the Course-Only Concentration
Process
• Default Concentration
• Sign up for Comprehensive Examination (Currently offered in Fall and
Spring the first Saturday after classes begin)
– Written letter is required
– Identify specialization area
– For each specialization core course, provide
grade received, semester completed, instructor name
• Take Comprehensive Examination
– If all parts passed, requirement is met
– If one part is failed, oral examination is scheduled
– If more than one part is failed, the comprehensive examination must be
retaken
• Maximum of 3 attempts to pass Comprehensive Examination
About CIS 595
Research Development
• Thesis Concentration
– Required
– Enrollment required during semester of prospectus defense
• Course-Only Concentration
– Counts as an Elective
• General
– Like a directed study but focused on Prospectus Development
– Allows more time to make choice Thesis/Course-Only
Concentration
– Grade of “C” results in elimination of Thesis Concentration
About CSC (ISC) 595
Project Proposal Development
• Project Concentration
– Required
– Enrollment required during semester of proposal defense
• Course-Only Concentration
– Counts as an Elective
• General
– Like a directed study but focused on Project Development
– Allows more time to make choice Project/Course-Only
Concentration
– Grade of “C” results in elimination of Project Concentration
CIS 518 Instructor Expectations
• Thesis (Project) Students
– the selection of a faculty advisor
– the selection of a problem (project) and
– the development of a preliminary prospectus (proposal)
for the thesis (project)
• Course-Only Students
– the selection of a well-defined problem or a topic of
interest and
– the demonstration of an understanding of the scientific
methodology by completing and presenting a written
study during the semester.
Thesis Types
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CSC
ISC
?Exploratory Software Engineering Project
?CIS Education
Special Courses
• Special Graduate Courses:
– CIS 594, 595, 598, 599
– CSC 595, 598
– ISC 595, 598
• Form requires signatures of student, faculty mentor AND work
proposal, list of deliverables and timeline for completion
• Requires approval of Director of CIS Graduate Studies before
enrollment
• Restriction on course is removed by Ms. Thompson
• Student must enroll in the course using PAWS
Relationship of CIS 518 to
Special Courses
Manuscript for journal or
Conference: CIS 594
Experimental (short term)
SE Project: CIS 598
CIS 518
Thesis Concentration:
CIS 595
Thesis:
CIS 599
Project Concentration:
CSC/ISC 595
Project:
CSC/ISC 598
Core
Courses
Mental Model
Mentor
Research
Area
Literature
Selection of papers, books,
guided by domain expert
(Mentor)
Instructor
Annotated
Bibliography
Items
Student interpretation
of published works
read
Evolving
Document
Structured
document for
student problem