Teaching directory
Course 2024-2025

Initiation to scientific methods [INFOB302]

  • 7 credits
  • 30h+30h
  • 1st and 2nd quarter
Language of instruction: French / Français

Learning outcomes

This integrated teaching unit is made up of two compulsory learning outcomes: "initiation to scientific methods" and "languages" (English or Dutch).
 
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
 
For the learning outcome "initiation to scientific methods":
 
conduct a bibliographical search to establish the state of the art for a given context and research topic;
formulate and assess the quality of a research question and its sub-questions and hypotheses;
define an experimental protocol to answer a defined research question;
participate in a peer-review process as author and reviewer;
orally present the various stages of a research project and justify their choices .
 
For the "languages" learning outcome:
 
English:
adopt an academic style, typical of scientific research
identify and reproduce the typical practices of IT researchers in terms of structuring and presenting content in a written text
present the results of their research in a scientific article respecting the structure and style of the target genre.
Dutch:
adapt the content, style and register of their speech to suit the audience;
popularize concepts, methodologies and techniques;
present a computer project in Dutch in a popular computer magazine.

Objectives

This course has two objectives:

1) For the learning outcome "initiation to scientific methods": to make students more aware of the scientific approach and to enable them to acquire the basic skills needed to adopt such an approach

2) For the "languages" learning outcome:

English: to enable each student to be confirmed at the end of bloc 3 in a B2/B2+ level for written production. This will be achieved through activities focusing on "academic English", with a view to participating in scientific research in their field of study.
Dutch: to enable each student to be confirmed at the end of bloc 3 in a B1+ level for written production. This will be achieved through activities focusing on reading and listening to documents related to writing techniques in Dutch, and through short writing assignments presenting a popularized version of their scientific research in Dutch.

Content

The course "initiation to scientific methods" is based on the essential points of carrying out scientific research. Students are required to (1) define a research question on a computer science topic and a protocol answering that question, and (2) present their research orally. The course also raises the students awareness of peer-reviewing processes and the proper use of academic search engines.
 
As for the language courses:
 
English: during the first term, students will read and analyze research articles in their own field to familiarize themselves with the academic style and standard practices of scientific writing. The second term is devoted to supporting the student in the various tasks required for the "initiation to scientific methods" learning outcome.
Dutch: students will read and listen to documents related to writing techniques. They will also be introduced to popularization techniques, which will be put into practice through various exercises.

Prerequisites

The teaching units from one of the following lists:

  1. Néerlandais 2 (niveau B1 minimum) [IELVB211]
  2. Anglais 2 (niveau B1+ minimum) [IELVB212]

Teaching methods

The "initiation to scientific methods" course aims to combine lecture sessions with individual work carried out over the semester which will enable students to put into practice the material presented during these sessions.
 
The language courses (English or Dutch) are interactive sessions given face-to-face in small groups of 20 students max. Attendance is mandatory. The objectives and activities are designed in line with the philosophy of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Language communication is worked on taking into account the linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic skills required for the target tasks. The course is not limited to considerations of linguistic knowledge.

Evaluations

The final grade of the teaching unit takes into account the evaluation of:
- the assignements submitted throughout the term;
- an oral defense of the work carried out.
 
Foreign language learning activities will be assessed on a pass/fail basis (including continuous assessment and final tasks).
Students must pass both learing outcomes for the whole course to be validated.

Recommended readings

  • Saunders, Mark N. K.; Bristow, Alexandra; Thornhill, Adrian and Lewis, Philip (2019). Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development. In: Research Methods for Business Students, 8th edition. Harlow: Pearson Education, pp. 128–171.
  • Felderer, Michael and Guilherme Horta Travassos, eds. Contemporary Empirical Methods in Software Engineering. Springer, 2020.
  • Paul Ralph et al. (2020). Empirical Standards for Software Engineering Research. arXiv:2010.03525. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2010.03525
  • O'Dell, F. & McCarthy, M. (2016). Academic Vocabulary in Use (2nd edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Language of instruction

French / Français

Location for course

NAMUR

Organizer

Faculté d'informatique
rue Grandgagnage 21
5000 NAMUR
P. 081725252
F. 081724967
secretariat.info@unamur.be

Degree of Reference

Undergraduate Degree