COSC469-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

Research Methods in Computer Science and Software Engineering

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

This course introduces students to research methods in Computer Science and Software Engineering. Critical research skills for postgraduate students are covered.

Covid-19 Update: Please refer to the course page on AKO | Learn for all information about your course, including lectures, labs, tutorials and assessments.

Topics covered in the lectures include:
• Introduction to research in Computer Science and Software Engineering
• Effective use of information sources
• High level reading and writing skills: proposal, report, paper, and thesis; reviewing and rebutting
• Low level writing skills: tips and tools, bibliography management
• Postgraduate life skills – time and stress management, managing your supervisor, working with others
• Review of research methods in Computer Science and Software Engineering
• Statistical principles
• Oral presentation

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify a research problem [WA2, WA4]
2. Analyse the merits of a range of research methods used in Computer Science and Software Engineering [WA2, WA4, WA5, WA8]
3.  Analyse and present a summary of related research papers [WA2, WA4, WA10]
4. Communicate research topics in written and oral form [WA4, WA10]
5. Develop a research agenda and write an associated scientific paper [WA2, WA3, WA4, WA10, WA12]
6. Apply appropriate statistical methods in a research project [WA4, WA5, WA10]

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Employable, innovative and enterprising

Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval by Head of Department.

Restrictions

COSC460

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Tuesday 16:00 - 18:00 Ernest Rutherford 465
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun

Timetable Note

Please note that the course activity times advertised here are currently in draft form, to be finalised at the end of January for S1 and whole year courses, and at the end of June for S2 courses.

Please hold off enquiries about these times until those finalisation dates.

Course Coordinator

Tim Bell

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Literature Survey Proposal 5%
Survey 35%
Oral Presentation 10%
Review Process 20%
Final Exam 30%


Covid-19 Update: Please refer to the course page on AKO | Learn for all information about your course, including lectures, labs, tutorials and assessments.

Notes

There are several important documents available online about departmental regulations, policies and guidelines on the CSSE Web site.
We expect all students to be familiar with these.
Notices about this class will be posted to the class forum in the Learn system.

Additional Course Outline Information

Grade moderation

The Computer Science department's grading policy states that in order to pass a course you must meet two requirements:
1. You must achieve an average grade of at least 50% over all assessment items.
2. You must achieve an average mark of at least 45% on invigilated assessment items.

If you satisfy both these criteria, your grade will be determined by the following University-wide scale for converting marks to grades: an average mark of 50% is sufficient for a C- grade, an average mark of 55% earns a C grade, 60% earns a C+ grade and so forth. However if you do not satisfy both the passing criteria you will be given either a D or E grade depending on marks. Marks are sometimes scaled to achieve consistency between courses from year to year.

Students may apply for special consideration if their performance in an assessment is affected by extenuating circumstances beyond their control.

Applications for special consideration should be submitted via the Examinations Office website within five days of the assessment.

Where an extension may be granted for an assessment, this will be decided by direct application to the Department and an application to the Examinations Office may not be required.

Special consideration is not available for items worth less than 10% of the course.

Students prevented by extenuating circumstances from completing the course after the final date for withdrawing, may apply for special consideration for late discontinuation of the course. Applications must be submitted to the Examinations Office within five days of the end of the main examination period for the semester.

Special Consideration Applications for the Final Exam

Please click HERE for the CSSE Department's policy for the academic remedy of applications for a special consideration for final exams.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,176.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Computer Science and Software Engineering .

All COSC469 Occurrences

  • COSC469-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025