Scientific research methods for Business Informatics

Course goals

The aim of the course is to get a proper understanding of the relevant quantitative and qualitative research methods that are used in Business Informatics. At the end of the course, a student can:

1. discuss prevalent qualitative and quantitative research methods in the field of information science, recognise their benefits and drawbacks, and identify ethical constraints,
2. set-up, execute and report on a scientific research project in groups, before a deadline, applying an appropriate research method, such as experimentation or design science,
3. select and evaluate scientific papers in the field of information science, and
4. analyse relevant phenomena and provide strong founded evidence on those phenomena by using statistical analysis.

Content

Research is curiosity-driven. During your studies and professional career, you will come across research in various manifestations. For example, consultants must give well-grounded advice, or auditors must assess the reliability of a claim. This course on Scientific Research Methods for Business Informatics provides an overview of the main research methods prevalent in the field of Business Informatics:  quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and design science.  Based on the knowledge, skills and attitude that are taught in this course, students will be able to choose an appropriate research method for a given research goal, conduct a systematic literature review, execute a project in groups in a limited time, analyse results using appropriate statistics techniques, draw valid conclusions, and report and present the outcomes to various audiences.  

Course form
This course consists of a combination of lectures, tutorials, and coaching sessions, that lead to a poster and term paper. 

Assessment
-    individual research skills exercises, statistics exercises, ethics test (sufficient/insufficient) 
-    group assignment: literature review, research project, poster and term paper (50%)   
-    individual exam: theory (50%)