Task

You will dig deeper in two key areas academic research (in IS) and document your learnings in two short papers and a presentation.

A important theoretical lens used in IS and your research design.

Deliverables

You need to deliver following parts via Moodle:

Theory presentation
Brief introduction of a theoretical lens to explore phenomena of interest (8 minutes),
Theory paper
Outline of the theory and use in IS (approx. 4 pages; details see template),
Method paper
Presentation and justification of your research design (approx. 4 pages; details see template),

For deadlines, please see the schedule

Grading

The deliverables are graded individually and determine the grade with the following weights:

40% theory presentation,
20% theory paper,
40% method paper and
Bonus points¹

Note: Compliance with formal requirements (see templates) and good scientific practice are critical pass criteria for all parts, means that in case of non-compliance the exam is automatically failed (e.g., plagiarism, even light forms).

Theory presentation

An presentation that fulfills the expectations has the following characteristics:

Student presents information in logical, interesting sequence which audience can follow.
Student identifies all the main principles and clearly explains them.
Students use concise examples to clearly illustrate the theory.
Student demonstrates good knowledge by answering all questions with explanations and elaboration.
Student raises interest and uses a clear voice so that all audience members can follow the presentation.
Presentation is attractive, text is legible, graphics and effects are used throughout to enhance presentation.

Theory paper

An excellent paper has the following characteristics:

The theory with it building blocks is described concisely.
The origins of the theory, including its seminal papers work, are outlined.
The paper demonstrates that the author fully understands and has applied the concepts learned in the course.
The writing is clear and concise and shows a logical coherent flow.
The paper identifies current examples in IS research to illustrate applications of the theory.
Literature is cited sufficiently, correctly and consistently.

Method paper

An excellent paper has the following characteristics:

The research problem its objectives are comprehensible.
The theoretical lens of the research is presented briefly and concisely.
All relevant aspects of the research design are identified and clearly explained.
The justification of the methodological decisions is convincing.
The research design allows for a valid and reliable contribution.
Literature is cited sufficiently, correctly and consistently.

A note on grades

It is unlikely that every student will receive a very good grade, i.e. deliver an outstanding performance - see the meaning of grades. Instead, it is to be expected that the grades will spread across the spectrum.

Grade	Meaning
`1` — very good	A truly outstanding achievement that (not only) shows no deficiencies in the criteria mentioned, but also gives both the supervisor and external assessors an excellent impression.
`2` — good	Work that exceeds the average requirements/performance and is easily recognizable and presentable to the outside world as a “good performance”.
Note	2.5 is the average of passed assessments, i.e., an “average performance”
`3` — satisfactory	A performance that achieves the desired goal “to a satisfactory extent”; however, deficiencies can be identified here and there.
`4` — sufficient	A performance that “still adequately satisfies” the requirements, but deviates from the expectations placed on it in several ways.
`5` — not sufficient	A performance that does not meet several of the criteria mentioned.

Q&A

Footnotes

The bonus points are assigned based on your engagement in the lectures. These can improve your performance by up to one grade increments (up to .7).↩︎