PROJMGNT 7058OL - Project Management Research Project

Online - Quadmester 4 - 2017

The objective is to produce a capstone study which is a critical evaluation and reflation on the Masters studies. The content covered includes some basic tuition on the structure of research methodology, and information about the knowledge and skills required to develop a research project based on extending current knowledge, testing it (qualitative or quantitative), drawing conclusions and commenting on these conclusions.. The study should be an orderly and fully documented investigation of some problem or point of interest arising from the examination of a number of courses or relate these to career choices and competencies required.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code PROJMGNT 7058OL
    Course Project Management Research Project
    Coordinating Unit Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation & Innov Centre
    Term Quadmester 4
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s Online
    Units 6
    Contact Approximately 4 hours per week over 15 weeks (interaction and preparation)
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Assumed Knowledge Completion of all core courses for this Masters Program
    Course Description The objective is to produce a capstone study which is a critical evaluation and reflation on the Masters studies. The content covered includes some basic tuition on the structure of research methodology, and information about the knowledge and skills required to develop a research project based on extending current knowledge, testing it (qualitative or quantitative), drawing conclusions and commenting on these conclusions.. The study should be an orderly and fully documented investigation of some problem or point of interest arising from the examination of a number of courses or relate these to career choices and competencies required.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Indra Gunawan

    Project Management
    Name: Associate Professor Indra Gunawan
    Email: indra.gunawan@adelaide.edu.au


    Teaching Staff:

    Term 2 Online
    Name:
    Professor Vernon Ireland
    BE, BA, MEngSc, PhD, FIEAust, EngExec

    Short Bio:
    From 1991-1996 Vernon was Corporate Development Director of Fletcher Challenge Construction, responsible for people and
    business systems improvement in the USA, NZ, Australia, the Pacific and Asian businesses. He then became CEO of the Australian Graduate School of Engineering Innovation, an advanced engineering centre.

     Prior to this he was Dean of the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at the University of Technology, Sydney. He was also Chair of the Building Services Corporation of NSW from 1987 to 1990 reporting to both Labor and Coalition Ministers. While an academic he completed his PhD in project management. After graduation he practised as a structural engineer for seven years.

    Vernon initiated and completed the proposal to Congress and Council of Engineers Australia to establish CELM and was Deputy
    Chair of the National Board for five years.

    He was also President of the Sydney Division of Engineers Australia in 2004.

    Vernon Ireland is currently Director of Project Management and Industry Programs for the Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation
    and Innovation Centre of The University of Adelaide. He is based in Sydney.

    Vernon has received three medals:
    ·        The Silver Magnolia Medal awarded by the Shanghai Government for contributions to Chinese overseas relations;
    ·        The Rotary International Gold Medal for contribution to vocational Education;
    ·        Engineers Australia’s Medal for contribution to engineering.

    Vernon has conducted four sets of international benchmarking studies, comparing Australia’s project management performance with that of the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Sweden and New Zealand for two Royal Commissions.

    He has recently edited a volume of the Australian Journal of Civil Engineering on the business, leadership and management of
    civil engineering.

    He has been named by the Shanghai Government as one of the world 100 experts on Infrastructure.

    Email: vernon.ireland@adelaide.edu.au
    Phone: +61 411 153 861

    Term 4 Online:

    TBA

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Term 4 Online:

    Monday October 9th 2017 to Sunday January 21st 2018
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    The overall objective of this course is to introduce students to research project activities.
    Research topics must be negotiated with the lecturer in charge.

    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

    1 Research a topic of interest in the project management;
    2 Recognize, select and critically analyse relevant information for your report;
    3 Synthesise the key points/findings and communicate them in a clear, concise and professional report;
    4 Identify the benefits of continuing personal and professional development in the rapidly developing and increasingly complex field of project management research;
    5 Clasify ethical, social and cultural issues and an understanding of the implication of these issues in the pursuit of project management research.
      University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

      University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
      Deep discipline knowledge
      • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
      • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
      • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
      1-3
      Critical thinking and problem solving
      • steeped in research methods and rigor
      • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
      • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
      1-3
      Teamwork and communication skills
      • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
      • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
      • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
      1-3
      Career and leadership readiness
      • technology savvy
      • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
      • forward thinking and well informed
      • tested and validated by work based experiences
      4
      Intercultural and ethical competency
      • adept at operating in other cultures
      • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
      • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
      • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
      4
      Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
      • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
      • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
      • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
      5
    1. Learning Resources
      Required Resources
      M. Saunders, P. Lewis and A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 2016, Pearson.
      Recommended Resources

      Weeks Readings + Activities (prescribed   textbook + online readings) Books and notes PowerPoints
      1 Complex adaptive systems Stacey 1995, Uhl-Bien, Marion & McKelvey 2007 1-17
      2 McChrystal in Iraq in Team of Teams McChrystal, S. Team of Teams, 2016,Portfoli/Penguin 18-40
      3 Alex Pentland A. Pentland, Social Physics, 2015, Penguin 41-87
      4 Introduction: Taking on a Research Project -how to approach the challenges of project  work
      Choosing a Research Topic.
      Chapter 1:  M. Saunders, P. Lewis and A. Thornhill, Research Methods for Business Students, 2016, Pearson. Chapter 1 (section 1.2) 88-121

      5 Research questions versus hypotheses:
      Interesting research
             
      Prescribed   Test. Chapter 2. Table 1.1 PDF   (Beins, B 2014)
      122-153
      6 Identifying the research topic Prescribed   Test. Chapter 3.
      7 Researching the Literature Textbook Chapter 3.
      8 Research Proposal Design
      Prescribed Book Chapter 5  
      Summative Assessment (for PROJMGNT  7058):
           
      Research proposal 10%.     
      http://maaw.info/AcademicVsPractitionerResearch.htm
            
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoAOzMTLP5s  business canvas.
            
      Reading 5.1 and 5.2 ref. course materials / course resource folder)

      Reading Buckley, J. W., M. H. Buckley and H. Chiang. 1976.Research Methodology
      & Business Decisions
      9 Research philosophy
      Understanding your philosophy and approach.

      Qualitative or Quantitative?
      Prescribed   Book. Chapter 4 154-185
      10 Research Formulation & Process:  How to structure a
      formal research or business plan. Ethics Process
      Prescribed Book Chapter 5.
      Formative Assessment: One page proposal 5%


      186-227

      11 Research Proposal
      Writing a Research Proposal  @http://www.adelaide.edu.au/carst/online-modules/
      See Text C2, 3, & 5 228-301
      12 Communication Plan: Project proposal &
      Presentation. How to report on your project research using standard structure
      See course Notes
      13 How to organise your work effectively    
      Citation is more than referencing
      http://www.adelaide.edu.au/carst/online-modules/
      14 Writing with Argument Reading 11.1 Complex project conceptualisation and argument mapping Journal article (Metcalfe. PDF)
      15
      16 Submit Research Project

      Readings

      Bakhshi, Ireland & Gorod Clarifying the Project Complexity 3 July 2016.pdf
      Buckley, Buckley & Chaing Research Methods

      Calman Grounded Theory PDF

      Research model from engineering.pdf

      Saunders_ReschMethod6e_wm copy.pdf (Downloadable)

    2. Learning & Teaching Activities
      Learning & Teaching Modes

      No information currently available.

      Workload

      No information currently available.

      Learning Activities Summary

      No information currently available.

    3. Assessment

      The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

      1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
      2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
      3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
      4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

      Assessment Summary

      No information currently available.

      Assessment Detail

      No information currently available.

      Submission

      No information currently available.

      Course Grading

      Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

      M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
      Grade Mark Description
      FNS   Fail No Submission
      F 1-49 Fail
      P 50-64 Pass
      C 65-74 Credit
      D 75-84 Distinction
      HD 85-100 High Distinction
      CN   Continuing
      NFE   No Formal Examination
      RP   Result Pending

      Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

      Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

      Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

    4. Student Feedback

      The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

      SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    5. Student Support
    6. Policies & Guidelines
    7. Fraud Awareness

      Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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