INMR99: MSc Dissertation (MSc Digital Innovation/MSc Digital Business and Data Analytics)

Module code: INMR99

Module provider: Business Informatics, Systems and Accounting; Henley Business School

Credits: 40

Level: 7

When you'll be taught: Semester 2 / Summer

Module convenor: Dr Stephen Gulliver, email: s.r.gulliver@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 19 November 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

A dissertation project i) is an independent piece of research work in MSc programmes in Digital Innovation and Digital Business and Data Analytics, ii) is the most important element in the MSc as it demonstrates the knowledge and skills acquired both in terms of the subject area and academic research, iii) is normally conducted by an individual student, guided by an academic supervisor, in the chosen specialised domain, iv) gives students the opportunity to undertake a substantial applied research project that draws upon knowledge and skills acquired from the past experience and during the taught part of the MSc programme. The dissertation module enables students to practise writing of a scientific report, allows students to develop problem-solving skills, and enables students to manage research activities and critically assess the outcomes from the project. 

The aim of this module is to enable the student to conduct research and apply the knowledge into practice through an independent research project. Students are required to deliver a clearly presented dissertation that: defines a clear research question; uses relevant methods to collect and analyse data; evaluate findings; and develop a clear research contribution. Moreover, the student should show, via written and oral channels, a detailed understanding of a particular subject field, a survey of recent developments in the field, a critical analysis of these developments, and a prognosis of future developments. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Systematically carry out a literature review to critically define a clear research problem, aim, and objectives. 

2. Plan and document a research proposal, considering problem scope, methods, ethics, risk, resources, and proposed approaches. 

3. Independently develop and acquire new skills and knowledge required to conduct the defined research dissertation. 

4. Develop and present the work in form of oral presentation, showing a high level of oral presentation skills. 

5. Develop a solution to a given research problem, and evaluate the solution via a critical appraisal, to derive logical conclusions. 

6. Structure and write a Masters dissertation. 

Module content

The dissertation project commences with development of a one-page outline proposal, which is submitted at the end of the March. Based on this proposal a supervisor is assigned. The topic is normally proposed by the student yet developed in consultation with the appointed supervisor. Students are also required to submit a literature review (by the beginning of June), and research design document (by mid-June), which are used to provide the student with formative feedback on their progress. Students are required to complete two summative outcomes, i) an interim presentation (held at the end of June), and ii) the Dissertation document (submitted in early September). 

The research work must be conducted individually in an ethical and professional manner. 

The text of the dissertation would not normally exceed 12,000 words but it may be supported by ancillary material. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Initial content is learnt through lectures and online material. Once a one-page proposal has been produced by the student (formative submission), a supervisor is allocated. Feedback on the proposal is provided by the supervisor, and a full literature and research design is developed by the student.  

The remainder of the dissertation project (summative assessment) is normally conducted by an individual student guided by a supervisor. The student is expected to have regular meetings with the supervisor and contact with other members of staff, where appropriate, with expertise in the chosen research field. There is an opportunity to give an oral presentation (summative assessment) at an interim stage to seek feedback from staff and peers.  

Study hours

At least 25 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Student will be required to obtain a mark of 50% overall through weighted average of the two components.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students are required to submit three formative submissions 1) an Outline Proposal, 2) a Literature Review, and 3) a Research Design. 

The purpose of the Outline Proposal is to help the student to formulate the initial research ideas into a short description, making clear the aims and objectives of the project. Through this exercise the student is expected to develop a broad understanding of the problem that they are intending to tackle, justify their idea by relating it to existing related work, and identify issues such as expected research contributions, research method, expected deliverables, expected resources, and key references.  It should be brief but clear so that the scope of the preliminary literature review can be identified, and the research design can be developed. 

The preliminary literature review will cover the background and literature related to the intended research topic so that the research problems and research questions can be identified and justified through the identification of gaps in research. 

A research design formulates how the research will be conducted to answer the research questions in a systematic, logical coherent and ordered manner. Often research design will take a form of a quantitative study, qualitative study, or a mixed method. It may also have a form of design science if the project focuses on the development of a tool or a system. In all these cases, what is required is a clear set of aims and objectives, justification of research methods, awareness of ethical issues as well as risks in completing the research. It will also require the understanding of value of research in the form of contributions and feasibility in terms of resources required.  

Students receive feedback from their project supervisors during supervision meetings based on their submissions and progress. They will also receive comments and feedback on their research topic and approach when they make their presentation.

Reassessment

Additional costs