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Research Methods for Computing and Technology

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1. THE COURSEWORK OVERVIEW


The coursework is an individual based assignment where the student is

supposed to produce a proposal (according to the format appended)


that specifies his / her plan for his / her final year project.
2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of this coursework, you should be able to:
Demonstrate, create and interpret knowledge in the area of your
discipline based on appropriate techniques of research applied.
Critically evaluate current research areas and / or related existing
solutions to assist in selecting the Final Year Project title.
Demonstrate the ability to formulate and justify the purpose of
appropriate research questions in the area of your discipline
Produce a detailed research proposal for the areas of your discipline
that includes :
o Specific and achievable aims / objectives
o An appropriate research plan for the project

3. TYPE
Individual Assignment

4. RESEARCH PROPOSAL FORMAT


Refer to the research proposal format appended.

5. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
a. The research proposal should be presented in English using font size
12, Times New Roman with 1.5 line spacing.
b. The cover page of the research proposal should have the
researchers name, id, the programme he / she is enrolled in and the
title of the final year project.
c. The research proposal should include the table of contents, with
page numbers.
d. The text of the research proposal should not exceed 2000 words.
e. The research proposal should not contain any appendices.

Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

Research Methods for Computing and Technology

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6. SUBMISSION
a. A softcopy of the research proposal should be copied into a CD or
DVD and submitted together with the hardcopy of the research
proposal.
b. Submission of deliverables should be made to the administrative
counter on or before 7.00pm, May 18, 2015.
7. MARKING CRITERIA
The research proposal will be evaluated in 3 main segments
Problem Definition (15%)
Criteria
Title & Aims
Justification
Slides & Presentation

Marks
Allocated
5%
5%
5%

Research Proposal Report (70%)


Criteria
Literature Review
Research Questions
Research Design
Personal Reflection
Documentation Standards
Referencing

Marks
Allocated
20%
10%
10%
10%
10%
10%

Presentation of Proposal (15%)


Criteria
Explanation & Justification of proposal
Q&A
Slides

Level 2

Marks
Allocated
5%
5%
5%

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

Research Methods for Computing and Technology

Page 3 of 5

RESEARCH PROPOSAL FORMAT


A

typical proposal would address the following questions:


What do you plan to accomplish?
Why do you want to do it?
How are you going to do it?

1. Title
The title should be descriptive yet concise. Avoid phrases such as An
investigation of ... or
The development of ...... Consider an appealing yet
informative title.

2. Introduction
The researcher should expand on the topic by describing what he / she
hopes to accomplish in his / her final year project the desired outcomes,
whether it be practical or theoretical. The researcher should imagine
introducing the title to someone who is not from the area of your discipline
and has little or no knowledge of the title and / or the domain. Therefore,
he / she is advised to avoid using jargons or technical terms in the
Introduction only. The researcher is also discouraged from including
references, citations and / or definitions within the Introduction only. It is
recommended to explain the title in lay terms and where possible, use an
analogy.

3. Problem Statement
The research starts with a problem and ideally should end with a solution
to the problem. The problem statement should explain the aim of the
research which needs to be justified. The justification of the research
would be rationale for the project to be done, be it the development of a
new system / game, the implementation of some new features within an
existing system/or some improvements to the current system / a new
theory / using a new technology. It is essential that the researcher
provides his / her argument clearly in favour of implementing the project,
whilst providing the necessary evidence. This evidence can be obtained in
the form of literature / data from other researchers. The researcher is
reminded to ensure that the problem is not one that is personal to him /
her or to a particular organisation. The literature review is done in this
stage. Include references / citations where necessary but the researcher
should also provide his / her own thoughts on these references / citations.
The researcher should be reminded that the literature review is a critical
evaluation of existing research and should relate to the research topic. It
should not be merely a summary / description of these articles and

Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

Research Methods for Computing and Technology

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manuscripts. It is recommended that a minimum of TEN (10) relevant and


related references be used for the literature review.

4. Research Aims & Objectives


The research aims state the intentions or purposes of the researchers
project in general terms. E.g. ......It should describe the overall ideas
presented in the research proposal. Once the researcher has established
his / her aim, the researcher is expected to formulate the research
objectives. For an area in your discipline the project objectives can
typically be divided into knowledge and / or skills. The objectives would
have to fulfil the requirements of the aim. The objectives should be
achievable and the researcher should take into consideration the timelines
for the final year. The research aims should typically be related to the
development of the system and could be described in terms of the core,
enhanced and special features of the proposed system. The researcher is
reminded not to use the term core, enhanced and / or special but may
discuss the aims in this order.

5. Research Questions
The research questions would materialise from the research objectives.
Hence, it should explicitly consist of questions the researcher would need
to research on so that he / she would be able to proceed with the
development of the solution. The researcher would not need to be
concerned with the all the answers at the moment. Rather he / she should
include information that he / she does not know and therefore intends to
find out in the next semester in order to develop the final year project.
However, should there be some research areas / questions which could be
easily researched on at this point. The researcher may then consider
seeking such information as soon as possible. The researcher is
encouraged to divide these questions in specific categories and ensure
that these categories are related to the aims and objectives specified
above. The researcher should consider both domain and technical
research.

6. Research Design
The researcher should describe in detail the steps he / she will take in
attempting to his / her research questions. It would typically contain
details such as what specific type of research the researcher would be
using in the final year, including where and how the data will be obtained
and analysed. The research design should be specified in the most
appropriate order on how the research will be carried out and the details
of what would be the potential resources of the research ranging from
reading materials to respondents. The research design will cover details of
how both the domain and technical research will be carried out. The
researchers design should then map out a proposed work plan and
timeline that would fit one semester (1st semester of Level 3).

Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

Research Methods for Computing and Technology

Page 5 of 5

7. Personal Reflection
The researcher is encouraged to reflect on potential limitations and
alternative approaches to achieve study aims. In order to achieve this, he /
she would need to first have some idea about what kind of data he / she
needs and will be collecting, what statistical procedures will be used to
gather the data / information to the research questions listed.

8. References
The researcher should adhere to Harvard Referencing Style when
referencing materials used
in the proposal. The researcher is encouraged to
refer to the link below:
http://library.apiit.edu.my/harvard-referencing#using-harvard-referencing

Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

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