T-76.5050 – Learning Porfolio
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Learning portfolio contents
In this learning portfolio you collect all the deliverable of course T-76.5050 assignments.
1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 3
2 REFLECTIONS FROM SESSIONS ............................................................................................. 3
3 THESIS ANALYSIS ...................................................................................................................... 5
3.1 MASTER’S / LICENTIATE / PHD THESIS OF NN (REPHRASE THE HEADING) .............................. 5
3.2 ANALYSIS OF THE METHODS OF THE THESIS ..................................................................................... 5
4 OWN STUDY DESIGN................................................................................................................. 6
4.1 BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO MY THESIS ................................................................................................. 6
4.2 RESEARCH QUESTION............................................................................................................................ 6
4.3 RESEARCH APPROACH (/ METHODS) ................................................................................................. 6
4.4 STUDY DESIGN (/ RESEARCH PROCESS / RESEARCH SETTING)...................................................... 6
4.5 SCHEDULE ............................................................................................................................................... 6
5 STUDY CIRCLE ............................................................................................................................ 7
5.1 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE READING MATERIAL ............................................................................ 7
5.2 SUMMARY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS .................................................................................. 7
5.3 DESCRIPTION OF THE CENTRAL CONCEPTS ....................................................................................... 7
5.4 EXAMPLES FOR THREATS TO VALIDITY FROM SOFTWARE ENGINEERING OR BUSINESS............. 7
5.4.1 Threats to internal validity ...........................................................................................................7
5.4.2 Threats to construct validity ........................................................................................................7
5.4.3 Threats to external validity ..........................................................................................................8
5.5 POINTS FOR DISCUSSING VALIDITY OF YOUR OWN THESIS.............................................................. 8
Revision history
Date Author Changes
15.9.2011 Tomi Männistö Initial release for 2011
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1 Introduction
Write here something general. Tell briefly who you are and what this document is all about.
Write your text using this paragraph style (i.e., “Text” in MS Word or somehow
distinguish the instructions and your text if not using Word). You may remove this
piece of info.
2 Reflections from sessions
The idea is to think back to a session and summarise some of your thinking in writing. It is
recommended that you do this soon after the session.
Write here reflections on your learning. What did you learn? Write about what made you think
and what those thoughts were. What questions or issues came to your mind. You may also
write your feelings about the session, ideas how it could have been a better learning
experience, what is missing and so on. These are only ideas; you are not restricted to only
answering them. The opinions you express here do not affect your grading, so please feel
free to criticize and comment on the sessions.
Lecture 0 (intro)
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
Lecture 4
Study circle session 1
Study circle session 2
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Study circle session 3
Study circle session 4
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3 Thesis analysis
Select a thesis that is methodologically similar to your thesis, or what you think or wish might
be your thesis. Find the copy of the thesis and read it particularly from the methodological
point of view.
Produce the following (the number of pages are given as indicator how much of text is
expected, they are not strict):
a) Write a brief introduction to the thesis topic and context in which it has been done (1/2
page)
b) Analyse the research method applied in the thesis (1 page).
Think about whether you think the thesis is methodologically a good one.
How you think it could have been improved methodologically?
What has or has not been well described from the methodology?
c) Tell what you can learn from this thesis, or what you plan to do better in your thesis.
3.1 Master’s / Licentiate / PhD thesis of NN (rephrase the
heading)
3.2 Analysis of the methods of the thesis
3.3 Lessons for me
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4 Own study design
Here you should give a detailed description of you research setting (2–4 pages). You should
aim to describe a methodologically rigorous study design with an idea that you were aiming
for an excellent grade. However, do not go too far, as you should also keep the design
feasible, as something that would have been done within the period appropriate for your
thesis.
Write the text as it will appear in your final thesis, that is, describe your study setting as it has
already happened. The purpose of this is to avoid all ambiguity, such as “I validate my results
in one or two companies”. Instead of such, you should write about the company and how you
did the validation. Naturally, at this stage you are planning for it, but writing it in past tense
forces you to be concrete; you just describe a good or perhaps the best scenario.
The headings given below need not be exactly ones you use. So you may restructure this
section close to what you could have in your (dream) thesis. You may, for example, embed
the schedule in the study design figure and you need not have all subheadings.
Outline the research question, for example, one main question and 3 sub-questions that give
details and concretise the main question. Defining a research question is far from trivial! Try
to be careful in the selection of words (concepts) and how the questions scope the research,
whether the research method matches the question, you have carefully selected an
appropriate unit(s) of analysis, the question is interesting and relevant, and so on. Outline
also some motivation why the problem would be relevant, and possibly include in your
research setting something that aims for gaining some understanding.
Describe important issues, such as the data collection, the parts of the study setting, how you
conducted the research (remember: write as you have already done the research, e.g., give
the exact numbers of interviewees, etc.) Tell about the data analysis. Give an overall
description of the study setting preferably in one figure.
Be concrete and provide enough detail for an outsider to understand and evaluate your study
design.
4.1 Brief introduction to my thesis
4.2 Research question
4.3 Research approach (/ methods)
4.4 Study design (/ research process / research setting)
4.5 Schedule
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5 Study circle
Write few lines describing what you read.
Summarise what you think were the main points in the whole text. What essential you learnt
from it.
Describe the main concepts discussed in the text. You may draw a concept diagram to
illustrate the relationships between the concepts. Give also a short textual description for
each concept.
For each validity threat considered in the material come up with an example within the domain
of software related research, e.g., software engineering, business, computer science,
information systems. Add these in the appropriate section below while your read the material.
This is a good way of thinking whether you have understood the material. Some of these are
potentially difficult, so skip them for a while and come back later, latest in the study circle
session. Update your list here after the study circle session. The point is to come up with your
own examples, not those of others.
The examples of selected threats (to be given in the lecture and in Noppa) must be
returned before the session in which they are discussed.
Finally, discuss the points you could use in the Discussion section of your thesis when
addressing validity. Include some discussion on kinds of validity related to your work, how
your study setting or research process or techniques applied would address some threats to
validity, or any other important validity issues to your thesis.
5.1 Brief description of the reading material
5.2 Summary of the most important points
5.3 Description of the central concepts
5.4 Examples for threats to validity from software
engineering or business
You may skip the statistical validity, i.e., Table 2.3 and following text on the treats on
statistical conclusion validity (about pages 45–53).
5.4.1 Threats to internal validity
Go through all the threats summarised in Table 2.4 on page 55
5.4.2 Threats to construct validity
Go through all the threats summarised in Table 3.1 on page 73.
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5.4.3 Threats to external validity
Go through all the threats summarised in Table 3.2 on page 87.
5.5 Points for discussing validity of your own thesis
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