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2014/2015  BA-BINMO1062U  1st Year Project

English Title
1st Year Project

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 15 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Bachelor
Duration Two Quarters
Course period Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BA in Information Management
Course coordinator
  • Mari-Klara Stein - DIGI
  • Matthias Trier - DIGI
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Organization
  • Methodology
Last updated on 16-07-2014
Learning objectives
After completing the course, students should be able to:
  • Formulate, delimit and analyze a specific problem
  • Describe and apply theories and methods relevant to their problem to the project
  • Integrate subjects taught in the 1st year
  • Structure and present the material in the form of an academic report
  • Reflect on the knowledge acquired from the courses covered in the 1st year, and reflect on their own ways of conducting a scientific empirical enquiry
Examination
The exam in the subject consists of two parts:
Research Proposal (IRM 1):
Sub exam weight34%
Examination formHome assignment - written product
Individual or group examGroup exam, max. 4 students in the group
Size of written productMax. 5 pages
Assignment typeReport
DurationWritten product to be submitted on specified date and time.
Grading scale7-step scale
Examiner(s)Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam periodSpring Term
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
1) For projects, where some of the group members receive a grade 00 or below, these students must submit, before the re-take, individual revised versions of the report.
2) For projects where all members are awarded a grade of 00 or below, the overall project is deemed unacceptable. Before the re-take the project must be revised and improved.
1st year Project (1YP):
Sub exam weight66%
Examination formOral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance.
Individual or group examIndividual
Size of written productMax. 30 pages
Assignment typeReport
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
30 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale7-step scale
Examiner(s)Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam periodSpring Term
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
1) For projects, where some of the group members receive a grade 00 or below at the oral defence, these students must submit, before the re-take, individual supplementary written material on aspects of the project specified by the examiner and external censor. For guidance in this respect, the examiner and external censor will within eight working days of the oral examination give a written critique of the respective student performance and specify the supplementary material needed.
2) For projects where all members are awarded a grade of 00 or below at the oral defence, the overall project is deemed unacceptable. Before the re-take the project must be revised and improved. For guidance in this respect, the examiner and external censor will give a brief written critique of the project within eight working days of the oral examination.
Course content and structure
The course is split into 2 sections that follow after each other
a) Interdisciplinary Research Methods 1 (IRM1), accounting for 34%
b) 1st Year Project Workshops (1YP), accounting for 66%

Contents and Structure part 1: – IRM1
The course functions as a first introduction to the philosophy of social science and the most common methodologies used in social research. The aim of the course is to enable students to reflect on and critically assess the knowledge they acquire from their other courses and on their own ways of producing and analyzing knowledge. Furthermore, it should help to develop students’ skills in making sound, informed, and reasoned methodological and theoretical choices in their own analytical work.
Topics will include: Fundamental concepts and problems, what is social science, discussions of Ontology vs. Epistemology, How to produce and evaluate knowledge different research designs, qualitative and quantitative methods, modes of evaluation,  Constructing a project at university – research question, structure, presentation of work in progress for the 1st year projects, with collegial feedback.
At the workshops parallel to the lectures the students will develop their skills to identification and evaluation of fundamental concepts, research designs, research questions and methodology in both research articles and their own analytical work.

Contents and Structure part 2: – YP1
To facilitate and reinforce the learning of the subjects taught during the 1st year by encouraging students to work independently and in a focused manner with selected theories.
To develop analytical skills needed to undertake problem-oriented project work. The problem-oriented process during project work is shaped by the systematic, professional and scientific demands of academic knowledge production.
The 1st Year Project is the first major independent work in the BA programme. As stated above, emphasis is therefore on learning the craft of project work: how to handle academic concepts and analysis, how to structure the work process and how to present findings in a project report. This is done through problem-oriented project work, in which the project group is the most important learning unit.