MS Olivier, "A Research Methods Course in IT," Proceedings of the SACLA 2000 Conference, 207-212, Strand, South Africa, 28-30 June 2000 (Unrefereed)
Information Technology differs from most other disciplines in that the object of study is usually not a natural or human phenomenon --- often the intention of research is to show that something can indeed be done in some 'elegant' way. This differs from most natural or social sciences where researchers observe (or experiment with) natural phenomena. This does not mean that the usual research methods of other natural and social sciences - such as experiments and surveys - are not used in Information Technology research. They are indeed used, but they are supplemented by methods such as constructing models, building prototypes and mathematical argumentation. Only if a (new) researcher knows the tools that are available for the trade will this person be able to select the appropriate tool.
This paper describes the author's experience with teaching such a course at various educational establishments.
Research methods, Information Technology
@INPROCEEDINGS(resmet,
AUTHOR={Martin S Olivier},
TITLE={A Research Methods Course in {IT}},
BOOKTITLE={Proceedings of the SACLA 2000 Conference},
PAGES={207--212},
ADDRESS={Strand, South Africa},
MONTH={June},
YEAR={2000},
NOTE={Unrefereed} )
The full text may be downloaded from http://mo.co.za/open/resmet.pdf (PDF, 24K).
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