ENGE817 STEM Research Methods

Summarise the contributions your study has made.

Identify limitations in your research, including limitations of the research method you used. Such limitations should not be confined to weaknesses in your design, but should go beyond and discuss the use of other research methods that can complement the method that you have used. In experiments, there may be key variables that weren’t included, or could not be included as they could not be measured, or your method was unable to adequately assess the interactions between existing variables. In questionnaires and interviews, there may be many types of respondents who were not covered.

Identify areas of uncertainty that your study raises. For each area and new research questions generated do a design plan for further research.

Identify the areas of opportunity, the new areas of research that your findings open up. Typically, these will involve different methods of inquiry from the method you used in your research. For example, if you did interviews, you may be ready with a hypothesis and be able to outline an experiment. If you did interviews, you may be able to offer a draft questionnaire for a future study. An experimental study may show up the need for further exploratory study using case studies or a survey in order to better identify variables.

If you have actions or interventions to progress something, then consider how research may assist that. For example, what types of methods will inform their formulation and role out and what methods can be used to assess impact and inform refinement, etc.

We are looking for quality of written work not quantity. A well written report could be as short as 15 pages. Supporting material can be put as an appendix.

The report will be marked as a whole. The advantage of that is that extended effort in any appropriate area can be rewarded if it is effective and worthwhile.

Late assignments, without an approved extension, will be subject to a deduction of 5% (one grade e.g. from C+ to C) of the total mark available for each 24-hour period, or part thereof, up to a maximum of five calendar days. Assignments over five days late will not normally be accepted or marked and students will receive a DNC (Did Not Complete) for that assessment.