Skills for IS Research and Development (ISYS90118)

Aims:
Information Systems as a discipline and practice usually informs a range of research skills. This subject will cover some of these essential skills such as carrying out critical literature review, designing research questions and methodologies, and comparing different approaches that are appropriate for primary research or development. Research skills are also essential for IS development projects, particularly in the requirements analysis and planning stages of development.

Research is a systematic process of answering questions to acquire new knowledge. Research in information systems questions how professional practice is conducted and contributes to the development of better practices. The subject provides students with coverage of how research is conducted within information systems, and how to critically assess published research and current practitioner knowledge. Topics covered include the nature of research, research design, approaches to development, theory and research, research paradigms: positivist, interpretivist and critical research approaches, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and experimental research.

Indicative Content
Topics covered will include qualitative and quantitative research methods commonly used in social science research such as those often used in the Information Systems discipline. Also, covered will be epistemology and theory, methodology and methods; how to conduct a literature review and identify research questions; how to design research that is both rigorous and relevant; designing good processes for requirements analysis, research ethics; and understanding the limitations of different research models and development approaches.