Task

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

Deliverables

You need to deliver following parts via Moodle:

Theory presentation: A 10-minute group presentation (2 students) introducing a theoretical lens used in Information Systems research. You’ll explain the theory’s core building blocks, trace its origins and seminal works, and demonstrate its current applications in IS through concrete examples. The presentation should engage the audience with clear delivery and attractive visuals while demonstrating deep theoretical understanding through Q&A responses.
Method paper: A short individual paper presenting and justifying your research design (following the provided template). You’ll clearly articulate your research problem, objectives, and theoretical foundations (if relevant for your design), then identify and explain all relevant methodological aspects with convincing justification. The design should demonstrate how your approach will yield valid and reliable contributions to IS research. Important: The method paper is a standalone assignment where you present and justify a research design for a (hypothetical) study (which can be your thesis). You might be able to realize synergies with Academic Writing, but you need not.

Both assignments serve to deepen your understanding of IS theory and methodology while helping you conceptualize your master’s thesis research design.

For deadlines, please see the schedule.

Grading

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

40% theory presentation
60% method paper
plus 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:

The presentation meets the requirements of good scientific practice (passing criteria).
The theory with it building blocks is described concisely.
The origins of the theory, including its seminal papers work, are outlined.
Current examples in IS research are given to illustrate applications of the theory.
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.
Student presents information in logical, interesting sequence which audience can follow.
Student demonstrates good knowledge by answering all questions with explanations and elaboration.

Method paper

An excellent paper has the following characteristics:

The paper meets the requirements of good scientific practice (passing criteria).
The research problem, its objectives and the theoretical foundations are presented concisely but clearly.
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.

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.

References

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).↩︎