The aim of the module is to provide the students with practical experience of designing, conducting, evaluating and presenting (both orally and in written form) a substantial piece of human-computer interaction research. This piece of work will build on methods which the students will have studied in the previous two modules on the MSc, UCDE and RESM. Students will work in small groups of three to four and will be given an initial research topic (there will be some choice). They will then be expected to research what previous work has been conducted on the topic, critique that work and develop a design for a further study. The study may use any of the methods they have been taught in UCDE and RESM. At this point the students will give short presentations to the whole cohort on their background research and planned study (Week 5). The students will then conduct the study and analyse the data appropriately.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
(Subject content)
Research and critique a range of research papers in human computer interaction
Design a study to appropriately answer a particular research question, including choosing an appropriate research method
Implement the appropriate research governance measures of ethical conduct including preparing information sheets, informed consent forms, debriefing materials and applying for ethical approval of research
Undertake the practical conduct of a study in human-computer interaction
Analyse qualitative and quantitative data gathered in their own research
Analyse the implications of a study and make suggestions for further research
Analyse limitations of research studies and suggest alternatives
Present their research plans and results to a group of peers and teachers and answer questions about the presentation
Prepare a written report in a standard format of an empirical research study
(Academic and graduate skills)
Critically discuss research findings from the literature and their own work
Present research plans and findings both orally and in written format
Indicative assessment
Task
% of module mark
Groupwork
90
Oral presentation/seminar/exam
10
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
Task
% of module mark
Essay/coursework
100
Module feedback
Feedback will be provided through the department’s online feedback system that provides provisional marks and written feedback.
Indicative reading
Harris, P. Designing and Reporting Experiments in Psychology, 3rd edn OUP, 2008
Cairns, P., Cox, A. (eds), Research Methods in Human Computer Interaction, Cambridge University Press, 2008
Charmaz, K. Constructing Grounded Theory, 2nd edn, Sage, 2013
Robson, C. Real World Research, 3rd edn, John Wiley & Sons, 2011