FIT5014 Minor thesis - Semester 1, 2011 (Information Technology)

This unit is an optional research/thesis unit for FIT coursework masters degrees, taken in the final stage of the Masters Professional or Masters course. FIT5014 is a 24-point unit taken over a single semester. It is also possible to take the 24-point Minor Thesis over more than one semester by enrolling in units that collectively comprise 24 points, ie FIT5016 (6 points); FIT5017 (12 points); and FIT5018 (18 points).

Contact Hours

Regular meetings with supervisor(s) over the course of the unit enrolment

Workload

Unit Relationships

Prerequisites

Students must be enrolled in a Faculty of IT Masters (Honours), Masters Professional or Masters (Minor Thesis) course or the Master of Information Technology degree; FIT5014 is to be taken in the final stage of the course.

In undertaking the Minor Thesis students must have: (1) their course leaders approval to enrol in the unit; and (2) completed/enrolled concurrently in FIT4005 IT research methods. In addition, the following rules apply:

+ in the Masters Professional courses and Master of Information Technology, students must have completed at least 24 points of level 5 units in their degree and attained a Distinction average on their Masters coursework; and
+ in the Master of Information Technology degree students must have completed at least 24 points of level 5 units in their degree.

Chief Examiner

Michael Morgan

Campus Lecturer

Caulfield

Dr Chris Ling

Dr Steven Wright

Clayton

Dr Alan Dorin

Gippsland

Dr Madhu Chetty

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this unit students will have -
A knowledge and understanding of:

their research topic and the wider research domain.
research approaches and methods, and how to resolve research problems and issues.
well honed skills in critical thinking, analysis, evaluation and synthesis.

Developed attitudes that enable them to:

have confidence in their ability to undertake independent research, and to plan and execute an individual research project.
appreciate the significance and contributions of a research culture in both academic and workplace contexts.

Developed the skills to:

plan and undertake rigorous independent research;
locate relevant research literature, and critically analyse and evaluate published research findings;
identify open problems in current research and promising new research directions, and from this to define a viable research topic;
develop a sound research design and feasible research project plan and schedule;
communicate effectively research results in a variety of forms, including informal oral presentations, written reports, seminar presentations and poster presentations.

Although research projects are carried out individually, students will be part of a wider research group, with whom they will interact regularly, and participate in research seminars and discussions. At the completion of the unit students will have demonstrated the communication and teamwork skills necessary to:

communicate research ideas effectively in formal or informal contexts;
collaborate effectively with others involved in a research project (supervisors, research colleagues, industry collaborators).

Graduate Attributes

Monash prepares its graduates to be:

responsible and effective global citizens who:

engage in an internationalised world
exhibit cross-cultural competence
demonstrate ethical values

critical and creative scholars who:

produce innovative solutions to problems
apply research skills to a range of challenges
communicate perceptively and effectively

Assessment Summary

Presentation and final thesis: 100%

Assessment Task	Value	Due Date
Research Proposal	5% of the 24 cpt thesis	Week 3, 3pm Friday
Literature Review	10% of the 24 cpt thesis	Week 6, 3pm Friday
Interim Presentation	This is a non assessable hurdle requirement	Week 6 at a seminar time to be scheduled.
Final Presentation	5% of the 24 cpt thesis	Week 12 at a seminar time to be scheduled.
Minor Thesis (10,000 to 20,000 words)	80% of the 24 cpt thesis	Week 15, 3pm Friday

Teaching Approach

Research activities

Students will research an agreed thesis topic under the guidance of their supervisor, and will receive feedback on their progress through regular meetings with their supervisor.

Feedback

Our feedback to You

Types of feedback you can expect to receive in this unit are:

Other: Supervisor meetings and seminar presentations.

Your feedback to Us

Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through SETU, Student Evaluation of Teacher and Unit. The University's student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

For more information on Monash's educational strategy, and on student evaluations, see:
http://www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/directions.html
http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html

Previous Student Evaluations of this unit

If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp

Unit Schedule

Week	Date*	Activities	Assessment
0	21/02/11	Students will research an agreed thesis topic under the guidance of their supervisor and will receive feedback on their progress through regular meetings with their supervisor.	Thesis Topic selection
1	28/02/11
2	07/03/11
3	14/03/11		Research Proposal due 3pm Friday, 5% of the 24 cpt thesis
4	21/03/11
5	28/03/11
6	04/04/11		Literature Review due 3pm Friday, 10% of the 24 cpt thesis and Interim Presentation
7	11/04/11
8	18/04/11
Mid semester break
9	02/05/11
10	09/05/11
11	16/05/11
12	23/05/11		Final Presentation: 5% of the 24 cpt thesis due Week 12 and Thesis due 3pm Friday in Week 15: 80% of the 24 cpt thesis
	30/05/11	SWOT VAC	No formal assessment is undertaken SWOT VAC

*Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

Assessment Policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

40% or more in the unit's examination, and
40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment, and
an overall unit mark of 50% or more.

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit

Assessment Tasks

Participation

This unit is a version of the Minor Thesis in the Faculty of Information Technology that allows for an accelerated completion of the thesis in a single semester for students enrolled in the program prior to 2011.

Students enrolled prior to 2011 will select this unit if they need to achieve the required credit point total of 24 cpts in a single semester.

The 24 credit point exit point is applicable to:

Master of Information Technology (Honours),
Master of Information Technology Professional,
Master of Business Information Systems (Honours).

FIT5014 Minor Thesis is a unit with an enrolled value of 24CP and 24CP achievable.

At the completion of the requirements for the thesis the following components of assessment will be completed:

Research Proposal: 5%; Literature Review: 10%; Interim Presentation: hurdle; Final Presentation: 5%; Thesis (normally 10,000 - 20,000 words): 80%

Assessment task 1

Title:

Research Proposal

Description:

Create a research proposal that clearly identifies the agreed research topic, identifies the problem being studied, and justifies the aims and significance of the project.

The proposal should include a discussion of the research context and background, the proposed methodology, the research design and deliverables.

The proposal should also be presented professionally with a standard of written expression appropriate to research publications in the field.

Weighting:

5% of the 24 cpt thesis

Criteria for assessment:

Overall discussion of research to be undertaken for the topic - /80
Overall report writing - /20
Total - /100

Due date:

Week 3, 3pm Friday

Assessment task 2

Title:

Literature Review

Description:

Create a literature review based on the agreed topic which provides a critical review of the key literature in the content area. The argument constructed should be presented in a coherent manner with the support of an adequate number of relevant and correctly formatted references.

The review should be structured in an appropriate scientific format, and be clearly and concisely expressed.

The presentation should be of a professional standard and include a title page, a table of contents, page numbering and references.

Weighting:

10% of the 24 cpt thesis

Criteria for assessment:

Overall content, scope, depth of discussion - /70
Overall organisation and presentation - /30
Total - /100

Due date:

Week 6, 3pm Friday

Assessment task 3

Title:

Interim Presentation

Description:

Provide a 20 minute summary of the current progress of your research project to your peers.

The seminar will be scheduled in week 6 of semester.

Weighting:

This is a non assessable hurdle requirement

Criteria for assessment:

Participation in a 20 minute seminar on the current progress of the research project is a hurdle requirement.

Due date:

Week 6 at a seminar time to be scheduled.

Assessment task 4

Title:

Final Presentation

Description:

Present a 20 minute presentation on your research project to your peers with an additional 10 minute question period.

The presentation should clearly identify the research problem, significance and aims. The background research context should be outlined and the research approach and method clearly defined.

The research outcomes and possible avenues for further research should be presented.

The presentation should be well structured and concisely delivered.

The presented will also be required to answer questions raised by their peers and the lecturing staff.

Weighting:

5% of the 24 cpt thesis

Criteria for assessment:

Content and Structure of Presentation - /70
Presentation Delivery - /30
Total - /100

Due date:

Week 12 at a seminar time to be scheduled.

Assessment task 5

Title:

Minor Thesis (10,000 to 20,000 words)

Description:

Submit a Minor Thesis of 10,000 to 20,000 words that describes your research.

The thesis should be well structured, and contain an abstract, table of contents and correct referencing.

It will provide a clear description of the objectives of the project, will include a comprehensive literature review, and describe the methodology used.

The thesis will provide a good analysis of the evaluation of results, and contain the correct grammar and expression.

The presentation of the thesis document will be consistent with the standard expected of academic writing in the field.

Weighting:

80% of the 24 cpt thesis

Criteria for assessment:

Difficulty of task - /10
Quality and substance of report consistent with presentation - /40
Achievement - /50
Total - /100

Due date:

Week 15, 3pm Friday

Examinations

Policies

Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them. You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html

Key educational policies include:

Plagiarism (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-policy.html)
Assessment (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/assessment-in-coursework-policy.html)
Special Consideration (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/special-consideration-policy.html)
Grading Scale (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/grading-scale-policy.html)
Discipline: Student Policy (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/student-discipline-policy.html)
Academic Calendar and Semesters (http://www.monash.edu.au/students/key-dates/);
Orientation and Transition (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/orientation/); and
Academic and Administrative Complaints and Grievances Policy (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/management/complaints-grievance-policy.html)

Student services

The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. Students who have a disability or medical condition are welcome to contact the Disability Liaison Unit to discuss academic support services. Disability Liaison Officers (DLOs) visit all Victorian campuses on a regular basis

Website: http://adm.monash.edu/sss/equity-diversity/disability-liaison/index.html;
Telephone: 03 9905 5704 to book an appointment with a DLO;
Email: dlu@monash.edu
Drop In: Equity and Diversity Centre, Level 1 Gallery Building (Building 55), Monash University, Clayton Campus.

FIT5014 Minor thesis - Semester 1, 2011