Study Guide

Learning outcomes

Student
- can apply design thinking process and methods in diverse development tasks
- can choose and justify suitable approaches and research and development methods to support development projects
- can apply the differences of diverse research approaches, related methods and their goals to support different development challenges

Implementation and methods of teaching

The studies include, as a preliminary task, familiarization with the LAB thesis guidelines, materials and literature related to development research, and preparing questions related to these. On the first day of contact lessons, with the help of group discussions and questions, we will go through the dilemmas in relation to research approaches in development research, data acquisition, various empirical data acquisition methods and analysis methods, and examine the process of design thinking and the relationship to various methods. In the second contact session, each student presents his or her process draft and it is commented on. The own development process is written as a methodology essay, where appropriate methods are described using sources and following the Harvard reference system. Based on the feedback received from the essay, the students refine the visual framework of the thesis, the information acquisition related to the chosen methods, and the disposition of the thesis so that they can present it to the supervisor as a completed plan at the beginning of the fall semester.

Timing and attendance

133 hours of student work
Pre-assignment familiarization with the thesis instructions, development research with the help of materials and literature and preparing questions related to them 40 h
22.3. Deconstructing questions: Research approaches, data acquisition and analysis methods 8h
Intermediate task to plan own research and development process using process cards and method materials 40h
25.-26.4. presentation and discussion of the modeling of the process and methods of one's own research and development work, following the process presentations of other students' work 8h
Essay on process and methods: specifying the visual frame of reference and the process, preparing the outline and deepening the familiarization and application of the material related to the research approach and methods. Return of the process and method essay by 29.5.
37 h
Specifying the design of the development study based on the essay feedback. Possible initiation of empirical work. The progress of the work will be presented in autumn 2022 during the seminar time assigned to everyone.

Learning material and recommended literature

LAB YAMK Thesis instructions
In Moodle, the lecture and other material of the course.
Moodle Design research materials.
Clear basic book: Ojasalo – Moilanen – Ritalahti 2015. Development work methods. A new kind of know-how in business. (also older editions in libraries.)
Anttila 2006. RESEARCH ACTIVITY and expression, work, doing. Akatiimi. (Research methodology work for performing and creative culture theses and R&D activities.) Kananen, J. 2015. A practical guide to writing development research. How to write a development study step by step. Publications of Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences 212.
Vilkka, H. 2015. Research and develop. 4th revised edition. PS-kustannus.
A lot of general research literature, but it partly leads to too academic research in relation to the nature of the research development work of YAMK theses.

Working life cooperation

Working on the own work life-oriented research and development work, i.e. thesis.

Student time use and work load

133 hours of student work
Pre-assignment familiarization with the thesis instructions, development research with the help of materials and literature and preparing questions related to them 40 h
22.3. Deconstructing questions: Research approaches, data acquisition and analysis methods 8h
Intermediate task to plan own research and development process using process cards and method materials 40h
25.-26.4. presentation and discussion of the modeling of the process and methods of one's own research and development work, following the process presentations of other students' work 8h
Essay on process and methods: specifying the visual frame of reference and the process, preparing the outline and deepening the familiarization and application of the material related to the research approach and methods. Return of the process and method essay by 29.5.
37 h
Specifying the design of the development study based on the essay feedback. Possible initiation of empirical work. The progress of the work will be presented in autumn 2022 during the seminar time assigned to everyone.

Contents

The course introduces research approaches and design thinking in relation to these. In the course, you will also familiarize yourself with various methods of acquiring and analyzing empirical data and plan methods related to your own research and development work.

Assessment criteria

The evaluation is based on the modeling of the methodological process of the own development work, the selection of methods and their presentation using justified sources. The concrete object of the evaluation is the method essay related to the own thesis and the presentations and structuring of the thesis plan, as well as the visual modeling in the presentations of the process of the development work. Joint, reflective discussions and following the presentations of other students' work and discussions about it support this development of one's own work process, even though they are not directly the subject of evaluation.

Assessment scale

1-5

Assessment criteria: level 1 (assessment scale 1–5)

search for information sources and justify the selection, use and usefulness of information sources
demonstrates familiarity with the knowledge base related to the field of work or study
plan, implement and evaluate professional and organizational development processes

Assessment criteria: level 3 (assessment scale 1–5)

critically evaluate the theoretical sources of information in their field of expertise
to look for useful connections between sectors for development and innovation activities
search for and analyze the basic assumptions behind the development challenge

Assessment criteria: level 5 (assessment scale 1–5)

use domestic and international sources of information critically and innovatively in their special areas of expertise
plan and lead development and innovation activities