I N F O R M AT I O N

SYSTEM
A P P L I C AT I O N S
MIS3003L

M O D U L E OV E RV I E W A N D I N T R O D U C T I O N TO
ISA RESEARCH PROCESS
MODULE INTRODUCTION
• Module Aims
• Learning Outcomes
• Themes and Topics for Seminar
• Module delivery schedule
• Assessment components and their purpose
• Learning Supports
• Peer Evaluation & Aggregate Submission
MODULE AIMS
• To provide an opportunity for students to apply IS conceptual knowledge into practice.
• Student are expected to recognize a significant business problem in his/her work environment
and demonstrate the application of IS knowledge to provide a viable solution derived through
a basic level of business research.
• This module expects students to work in groups of five (5) students, and each group is
required to select an application project from a private or public sector organization.
• The module focuses on to complete a moderate business research on a topic of interest in
management information systems.
• Students will be required to formulate a research proposal and to submit a comprehensive
report that clearly demonstrates comprehension of the process of problem solving.
• The module draws on student’s prior learning and work experience in theory and practice of
MIS, management concepts.
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
On completing the Information Systems Applications module, students will be expected to be able
to:
• Critically analyze a management problem in an organization or elsewhere.
• Choose a methodology to formulate best solutions to the problem concerned.
• Learn how to formulate IT related solutions and critically analyze them.
• Presentation of the research process undertaken in a professional document.

Module Text:
• Essentials of Business Research: A Guide to Doing Your Research Project, Jonathan Wilson, Edition
2, Sage Publications (2014)
THEMES AND TOPICS FOR SEMINAR
• TOPIC 1: Module Overview and Introduction to ISA research process
• TOPIC 2: Developing a research topic and Writing project proposal
• TOPIC 3: Conducting a literature review
• TOPIC 4: ISA Project Design 1
• TOPIC 5: ISA Project Design 11
• TOPIC 6: Documentation practices and referencing
• TOPIC 7: Writing final project report and guidelines for Viva
ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE
• Assessment 1: Project Proposal
• Assessment 2: Interim Report
• Assessment 3: VIVA Presentation
• Assessment 4: Project Report
ASSESSMENT SCHEDULE AND WEIGHTAGE
Assessment components Weighting I / G*

1. Research Proposal 10% G

2. Interim Research Report 10% G
3. Final Research Report 60% G
4. VIVA 20% I
NOTE: you will receive an overall grade for the module

• Assessment 1: Project Proposal

• Assessment 2: Interim Report
• Assessment 3: VIVA Presentation
• Assessment 4: Project Report
ASSESSMENT DETAILS

• Assessment 1: Assessment of the Project Proposal

• Assessment 2: Assessment of the Interim Project Report.
• Assessment 4: Assessment of the Project Report. Enables the assessment of the
understanding of the research process by the student and the viability of the IS solution
presented.
• Assessment 3: Assessment of presentation at VIVA. Enables the assessment of the
knowledge of students on the respective ISA project topic and their presentation skills of
the derived solution.
PEER EVALUATION & AGGREGATE
SUBMISSION
• Group work is a key part of organisational life, and this is an opportunity to develop and
reflect on your own skills at working in a group, as well as observing group behaviour.
• To foster these observational skills, each group should submit a single agreed peer evaluation ,
in which the group should agree a qualitative (i.e. 5 words, not numbers) adjudication of each
person’s contribution.
• The peer evaluation should be submitted with each hardcopy submission (bounded to each
assignment) to program office. Every group member must physically sign the peer evaluation
form.
• This may be taken into account in the grading of the group work. Group members may be
graded differentially to reflect varying contributions to the project and/or based on
information on peer evaluations.
YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT
• How to Choose a topic

Management /
Information Business Knowledge
Systems (Technical
(Theoretical
component)
component)

Strategical IT/IS Solution

for a selected Business
Problem
DEVELOPING A RESEARCH IDEA
1. Personal interest (your favorite course, subject, topic)
2. Information/observation (any behavior that arouses your curiosity)
3. Practical problems (problems in your class, school, job)
4. Pop ups - fleeting thoughts (falling apples)
5. Readings (books, magazines, web sites, even cartoons, advertisements)
6. Empirical or Theoretical gaps
HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR IDEA IS
SUITABLE?
• Effectiveness (can I find an answer?)
• Significance (need, importance)
• Originality ( already done)
• Feasibility (competent, access to data, cost, time, difficulties (lack of cooperation))

12
BACK TO RULE 1
• Your idea should cover

Management /
Information Business Knowledge
Systems (Technical
(Theoretical
component)
component)

Strategical IT/IS Solution

for a selected Business
Problem
FEW IDEAS….
• Strategic Decision-Making:
– In Information Systems and eCommerce companies are commonly challenged at the strategic level
to decide what direction their company should take in some key area.
– The empirical part of this project would be to synthesise the views of the senior managers in the
student’s company.
– The output would be an identification of the focus that the company should take in terms of
direction of effort and / or dealing with barriers to progress through IS/IT suggestion
• Tactical / Managerial Decision-Making:
– This is used where a company has a very important choice to make between several alternatives,
and that involves different criteria that cannot easily be reduced to one, such as money.
– The purpose of this project would be to support senior managers in some company as they try to
make some choice / decision involving some IT-related investment, etc.
– The output would be a suggested prioritising of the alternatives. Critical to this project would be (a)
access to the senior decision-makers in the company, (b) that has major current uncertainties with
regard to some choice or decision that involves some IT-related aspects, (c) that is of current
concern to the company.
LEARNING SUPPORTS
• Demonstration - Access to UCD Online Library
GROUP WORK – 30 MINS
• Making groups of 5 students
• Recognizing a problem
• Group consultation
Q AND A