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2017/2018  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
Start time of the course Third Quarter, Fourth Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for BA in Information Management
Course coordinator
  • Lecturer
    Matthias Trier - DIGI
  • Coordinator, Lecturer
    Xiao Xiao - DIGI
Main academic disciplines
  • Communication
  • Methodology and philosophy of science
  • Organization
Last updated on 14-06-2017

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To achieve the grade 12, students should meet the following learning objectives with no or only minor mistakes or errors:
  • 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
Prerequisites for registering for the exam
Number of mandatory activities: 1
Compulsory assignments (assessed approved/not approved)
Research Proposal (IRM1). This is graded pass/fail by the course coordinator. Having a "pass" grade for the research proposal is a prerequisite for handing in the 1st year project report. The Reseach Proposal is max 5 pages.
Examination
1st Year Project:
Exam ECTS 15
Examination form Oral 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 exam Individual oral exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 3-4
Size of written product Max. 30 pages
Assignment type Project
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 scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Spring
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.
Course content and structure

The course is split into 2 sections that follow after each other
a) Interdisciplinary Research Methods 1 (IRM1)
b) 1st Year Project Workshops (1YP)

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: nature of research, research process, research question, literature review, different types of research designs, qualitative and quantitative methods, methods on data collection, methods on data analysis, and modes of evaluation. 

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.

 
Teaching methods
IRM 1
Based on the principles of student-centred learning, the learning methods will be a mix of interactive lectures, thought experiments, practical exercises as well as group and class discussions.
The course consists of one 2-hour introductory lecture and five lectures followed by five 2-hour exercise sessions. Students are expected to do preparation and home work in between sessions in addition to reading the course material. This will be work related to student surveys, focus groups, interview sessions, or data analysis. Students are expected to work in groups.

YP1
Based on the principles of student-centred learning, the learning methods applied in the workshops, accompanying the work for the 1st Year Project, will focus extensively on practical exercises and hands-on activities enriched by interactive lectures, group and class discussions as well as student presentations.
The project process includes 3 project workshops and 6 IRM workshops, which share the aim of preparing students for the 1st Year Project and guiding them in the project process.
Feedback during the teaching period
Feedback to the students will be delivered through three different means: 1) during the workshops where students regularly present their work, the instructors will provide comments to the presentation and address specific questions they have; 2) each group will have a dedicated supervisor who will be providing feedback and guidance to the students throughout the semester as they move forward with their project; 3) a pilot exam session will be held at the end of the semester, where the students will present their final work and feedback will be provided by both the instructor and other peer students.
Student workload
Lectures and workshops 30 hours
Preparation for lectures and workshops 90 hours
Mandatory assignment 40 hours
Project work 230 hours
Exam preparation 22 hours
Total 412 hours
Expected literature

The literature can be changed before the semester starts. Students are advised to acquire the textbook before the semester starts, and library links for other literature will be provided on LEARN.

 

  1. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2009). Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson Education.
  2. Hegelund, S., & Kock, C. (1999). Macro-Toulmin: The argument model as structural guideline in academic writing. Working Paper.
  3. Nilson, L. B. (2002). Helping students help each other: Making peer feedback more valuable. Toward the Best in the Academy, 14(8), 2-03.
Last updated on 14-06-2017