Research in computer science

Computer science – immature Research in general – Systematic investigation into and study of materials, sources, etc in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions – An endavour to discover new or collate old facts by the scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation

Research in computer science Focuses on the systematic nature of research -> implies a research method Hypothesis – the original statement of an idea Antithesis – argument to challenge a previous thesis Synthesis – seeks to form a new argument from exixting sources, resoves contradiction between thesis and antithesis

Research in computer science - example Thesis (Fuchs 1992) – Prototypes provides a useful means of generating and evaluating new designs early in the development process Antithesis (Haydes and Jones 1995) – Clients often choose features of the prototyping environment without considering possible alternatives Synthesis (Gravell and Henderson (1996) – Development of techniques that are intended to reduce bias towards features of prototyping environments

wondering Observation – Drop a glass of water -> crash to the floor -> why?? Hypothesis – An invisible force (gravity) pulled the glass to the floor Experimentation – Fall of objects with different mass –

Research methods Implementation driven research (Proof by demonstration) Mathematical proof techniques Empiricism – Hypothesis generation – Method identification -> experiments – Result compilation – conclusion Observational studies

Objectives of experiments In a traditional scientific context an experiment is a test of a hypothesis. The result of the experiment is a rejection or a confirmation of the probability of the hypothesis

Objectives of experiments An other perspective sees an experiment as an exploration The goal is unclear beforehand, the goal is to learn more about the object of the experiment E.g. the experiment might be to test a new programming tool to learn about its properties

Objectives of experiments A third perspective sees an experiment as action testing. The goal is to obtain a result and – if the action is successfull – to study the effects of the action E.g. the experiment might be to investigate the expediency of a proposed solution on a small scale before implementing it on large scale

Objectives of experiments The same experiment will often have elements of all three types of objectives: – Concurrently exploratory – Action testing – Hypothesis testing One objective may be dominant, but it is usefull to be aware of the other two

Scientific investigation Scientific investigation – defining the steps: ml ml

Success factors Clear problem definition Well defined research context Good documentation Effective time management

Presentation Written – Follow grammatical rules – Follow conventions on font selection – Use a recognized reference format – Use a spell checker – Follow html guidelines

Presentation - oral Opening – Does your opening gain the group's attention? – Does it establish rapport with the group? – Does it indicate what you intend to explain? Key points – Are your key points clearly expressed? – Are your examples apt and interesting? – Are your qualifications of the key points clearly expressed? – Is each key point summarised? – Are the summaries clear? – Are the beginnings and ends of the key points clearly indicated? Summary – Does the summary bring together the main points? – Are your conclusions clearly stated? – Do you come to an effective stop? Presentation – Can the group hear and see you? – Do you use eye contact to involve but not threaten? – Do you use audio/visual techniques effectively? – Are you fluent verbally? – Is your vocabulary appropriate for the group? – Do you make use of pauses and silences? – Do you vary your intonation? – Is the organisation of your material clear? – Do you avoid vagueness and ambiguities? – Is the presentation as interesting as you can make it?