Foundation Degree in Computer Games & Interactive Media

Student Name

Assignment Research Report (Dissertation)

Module/s C7
Supporting unit/s None
Year 2 Level 4 Course Duration 30 weeks
Week/s 1-30
Date issued: 26th November 2010
Date required: June 2011
Tutors / assessors Main: Tony Parr
Support: Matt Watkins, Simon Martin, Tony Parr, Stuart Pearson, Alistair Lowe
Brief Internally Verified by Ashley Cross

- The CG+ IM Major research Report (Dissertation) -

Description of Unit

TITLE: Digital Media Research Report.

This module aims at enabling students to research, plan and develop their Digital Media Dissertation. The module
looks at research needs within digital media subjects, the process of planning and managing research and the
appropriate research methods to investigate Digital Media subjects and specialist practice. The module will enable
students to develop theoretical and research skills in the area of Computer Games, interactive media and digital
communication subjects.

ASSESSMENT: Proposal (20%)+Dissertation (80%)

Module Aims

1. To undertake research into a specified topic or issue within the chosen field of study.

2. To produce a researched proposal.

3. To plan, organise, research and write a substantive research based dissertation

Introduction:

This module aims at enabling students to research, plan, develop and write a Dissertation. The module addresses
the process of planning and managing research and the appropriate research methods to investigate a set topic.
The module will allow students to develop theoretical and research skills in the area of Computer Games,
interactive media and digital communications subjects.

An indicative programme of study covers the following·

History and development of Digital Media and interactive communications theories·

Digital Media research issues·

How to produce a Dissertation Proposal·

How to research and write a Literature Review·

Digital Media research and evaluation methods· Suitable research topics for a Digital Media Dissertation·

Selecting and evaluating the appropriate research tools· Presenting the research findings· Managing the research
and evaluation process

This module will be delivered via time-tabled workshops, tutorials and online resources. Students are also expected
to manage their own learning, not only defining their own topic, but also managing their own time and resources in
the process of researching, producing and evaluating the Dissertation. They will receive support and guidance from
an allocated supervisor and will be required to attend individual and group supervision tutorials.

Learning Outcomes:

Modules C5, C6 and C7

Assessment structure

1. A 1,000 words Proposal for the Digital Media Dissertation (weighting 20%) forms the Year 1 submission
(summer recess).

The proposal should include: aims and objectives, a review of available literature on the chosen topic, the selected
methodology, a feasibility study. This part of the assessment will test the students’ ability to evaluate the current
debate and research trends on the chosen topic, select the appropriate methodology, analyse and investigate the
feasibility of the proposed project. Due in week 30 of the second Semester. [LO1, L21, LO3].

2. A Digital Media Dissertation (weighting 80%). forms the Year 2 submission.

The topic will be determined by the students in consultation with the tutor. This part of the assessment is designed
to test the students’ ability to research, plan and write a Digital Media Dissertation. The Dissertation should be
between 3,000 and 5,000 words (excluding appendices)

This report will be submitted digitally within your own journal area.

Method will follow the NTU format: Please use the following guide as SET FORMAT:
 NTU Structure & Assignment Planning
This must be followed for the writing of your report / Dissertation
Table of Contents

Foundation Degree in Computer Games & Interactive Media ..................................................1

Research Report (Dissertation)...........................................................................................................1
Table of Contents...............................................................................................................4
General Requirements.........................................................................................................5
Bibliography.....................................................................................................................8
General Requirements

Produce a written research document that is between 3000 and 4000 words in length. Complete the document ready for
submitting by the start of term 2.

The document follows a generalised thesis structure, where the document aims to communicate keys aspects of your
research enquiry. In this way your research document should be an elaboration on your proposed research i.e. an
elaboration on your topic described in your 'PRP_Topic_Submission_Form'.

Your Research Document is the first stage of your PRP enquiry. In this way it should provide the background to the
'practice-led research' stage of your enquiry. It should explain your research argument/thesis and how you propose to
'test' the substance of your argument. And in this way you should aim to define the scope and direction of your enquiry
through a process of 'projection': http://folksonomy.org.uk/?permalink=459 (as previously discussed).

General structure

Your research document should include the following sections:

• Title page
• Abstract
• Table of contents
• List of tables*
• Statement of original authorship
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Background to the research
• Research Question
• Survey of literature & works
• Research Methodology
• Description of proposed practice
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Bibliography and list of works
• Appendices

*Note only include if cited within the body of the text.

What should be included in your document sections?

Title page: this should include the title of your research and your name as its author.

Abstract: this should provide a concise description of your research in its entirety. It should include a concise list of
keywords.

Table of contents: this should list all sections with their respective page numbers. For details of how to automate this
process in MS Word refer to: http://office.microsoft.com/training/training.aspx?AssetID=RC011356771033

List of tables: (if this is relevant to your research document) this should list all the tables of data used in your document.
For details of how to automate this process in MS Word refer to:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/word/HP051892971033.aspx?pid=CH063563741033

Statement of original authorship: this should include a brief statement explaining that you are the primary author of your
research document and that all sources have been appropriately referenced (and are included within your bibliography).

Acknowledgments: this should briefly acknowledge the guidance and support you have received in producing your
research document.
Introduction: this should introduce your research document through identifying its key issues and your approach to your
research enquiry.

Background to the research: this should provide the context of your enquiry e.g. its historical/cultural foundations. You
should use this section as an opportunity to "situate" your enquiry within a broader field.

Research question: this should be expressed very succinctly as a question –with a question mark. You should use the
question to focus your enquiry on a particular area of understanding as well as help you to 'stay on track' as you proceed.

Survey of literature & works: this should be constructed as a list of review summaries. The summaries should be loosely
interconnected so that they collectively describe the context of your enquiry and field of practice. Note that your survey
should include a range of articles/works i.e. selected from multiple sources.

Research Methodology: this should identify your research methods and provide a rationale for their selection. In doing so
you should focus on the practice-led research part of your enquiry. This will involve primary research that takes the form
of one of either or a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. Note that you are not required to describe your
the methods that you have employed to write your research document.

Refer to the following extract: http://folksonomy.co/?permalink=1640 which describes the "Research Methodology" used
by Sinna Lindquist & Bosse Westerlund: http://sitem.herts.ac.uk/artdes_research/papers/wpades/vol3/bwfull.html

Further explanation via FAQ

Question: "what exactly goes into the Research Methodology section?"
Answer: your "Research Methodology" section describes your rationale for employing a particular set of "research
methods". So imagine if your research was to find out if a particular programme was on television -you could use the
following "research methods" to find your answer -you could:
• look up the electronic programme guide (EPG);
• go through the television listings in the newspaper;
• ask your flatmate;
• look it up using Google;
• sit in front of the TV until the programme comes on;
• etc.
Let's say you chose to use the "electronic programme guide" and "sit in front of the TV until the programme comes on". If
you were asked to explain your rationale for selecting these "methods" you would in effect be being asked to explain
what your "Research Methodology" was. And in doing so your "Research Methodology" might go something like this:
I have chosen to use a combination of "electronic programme guide" and "sit in front of the TV until the programme
comes on" as a way of discovering if the television programme called Arena is going to be broadcast at its usual time. I
will use the "electronic programme guide" because according to David Allen at TechWatch "The new [Tiscali] EPG will
be faster and will now offer a widescreen display with high definition graphics" (Allen, 2009). This is significant because ..
I have also chosen to use the method of "sit in front of the TV until the programme comes on" because as Allen goes on
to explain the EPG is only updated every 10 minutes and so on rare occasions the EPG is incorrect. In these instances
the most foolproof method of discovering what is on is to simply watch the TV.

You will likely use some of these methods in your PRP research:
• Action Research e.g. http://folksonomy.org.uk/?keyword=9021 (through publishing to your online journal);
• low-tech prototyping in the form of design artefacts e.g. http://folksonomy.org.uk/?permalink=1865
• focus groups;
• expert interviews;
• questionnaires.

Description of proposed practice: this should outline your intentions for the 'practice-led research' stage of your enquiry. It
should include a general description of the design practice that you plan to carry out. Note that this section should
operate as a 'sketch' for understanding your plans not as a contract for carrying them out.

Further explanation via FAQ

Question: "how does the 'description of proposed practice' section differ from the 'Research Methodology' section?"
Answer: your 'description of proposed practice' should describe the practice that you propose to undertake during the
'practice-led research' stage of your enquiry. In doing so it should seek to explain the following:
 • what type of practice you intend to engage in e.g. video production or screenwriting experiments or performance
experiments or cinematography;
• how your experiments/artefacts will complement each other through exploring logically related issues e.g.
character movement, posture, facial expression, the affect of their clothing on their movement.

Discussion: this should take the form of a logical argument that specifically relates your 'Research Question' to your
research enquiry. It should justify its claims through evidence provided in your 'Survey of literature & works' that is further
supported through your 'Research Methodology' and your 'Description of proposed practice'. The discussion should
represent the substantial part of your research document.

Conclusion: this should tie together and summarise the key issues described by your research enquiry i.e. it should
'book-end' your research document.

Bibliography and list of works: this should list all references that you have cited in your research document. These should
be listed according the Harvard Referencing System. Note do not include references that you have not referred to in your
document (but may have reviewed in the course of your investigation).

All sources of reference must be acknowledged in standard form. The Nottingham Trent University Library guide ‘Citing
References’ gives good advice, particularly concerning the Harvard System
(http://www.ntu.ac.uk/llr/document_uploads/66061.pdf)

Appendices: this should include any relevant supporting documentation that you have generated as part of development
of your research document. Note that the word-count of your appendices is not counted as part of the 3000-4000 word
limit.

Formatting

The document should be formatted according to the following:

• top, bottom and right margins 2.54cm;
• left margin 3.81cm;
• all page (except for the Title page) should be numbered;
• use a Serif typeface e.g. Times New Roman;
• use a line spacing of 1.5;
• use italics for emphasis (on first occurrence only);
• a limited use of footnotes (essential ones only);

Note that this document will be submitted digitally so will not need to be printed and bound.
Bibliography

(rica." Wired Magazine.

Rowlands, B. H. (2005). "Grounded in Practice: Using Interpretive Research to Build Theory." The Electronic
Journal of Business Research Methodology 3(1): 81-92.

Book study list

BELL Judith (1999) Doing Your Research Project. Open University Press.

COOPER, Harris M.(1998) Synthesizing research : a guide for literature reviews. Sage Publications.

DEACON David, PICKERING Mike, GOLDING Peter, MURDOCK Graham (1999) Researching Communications.

Hodder ArnoldFINK, Arlene. (1998) Conducting research literature reviews : from paper to the Internet. Sage.

GAUNTLETT, D., HORSLEY, Ross (ed..) (2002). Web Studies _ Rewiring media studies for the digital age.
Second Edition.. Sage.

GREENFIELD Tony (ed.) (1996) Research methods : guidance for postgraduates. Arnold.

HART, Chris, (2001) Doing a literature search: a comprehensive guide for the social sciences.

SAGE.JONES Steven G. (Editor), (1998) Doing Internet Research: Critical Issues and Methods for Examining the
Net. Sage Publications.

LUCK, Martin (1999) Your student research project. Gower.

SCHRODEr K. (2003) Researching Audiences: A Practical Guide to Methods in Media Audience Analysis.

Hodder ArnoldTANNEBAUM R. (1998). Theoretical Foundations of Multimedia. W.H. Freeman and Company.

VAN SELM M., Jankowski. (2005) Researching New Media. Sage..