Master of Science in BIT

How to improve quality, results and efficiency of supervision

Workshop

June 19th, 2007

Jos van HillegersbergUniversiteit Twente

Former BIT-Students - LinkedIn

• BITTERS are Diverse, and so are BIT theses

MSc Thesis Learning Objectives

Learning objectives of final project• After completing the final research project the

student is capable of:– 1. mathematical, empirical or design research into

aspects dealing with ICT systems;– 2. writing a report on a mathematical, empirical or

design research project;– 3. working independently;– 4. giving a presentation on a research project.

http://onderwijs.cs.utwente.nl/pdf_documenten/Final_project_guide.pdf

Ref:

Quality Criteria

Assessment criteriaIn order to give a mark to the candidates work, thesis and presentation the following aspects can be taken into account. The importance of aspects may vary in different final project, because it is dependent on the research subjects.

Assessment aspects

MATHEMATICAL, EMPIRICAL AND DESIGN RESEARCH• relevance of the subject • aim and problem statement + research questions• operationalization of concepts• literature study•

Final_project_guide.pdf

Quality Criteria

• De inhoud• Over de onderzoeksmethode• - De gebruikte methoden moeten expliciet aangegeven zijn .• - De methode van gegevensverwerving binnen het bedrijf moet expliciet aangegeven zijn

(interview,• documentenstudie, etc.).• · Integratie• - Er moet sprake zijn van integratie van bestudeerde literatuur (geen losstaande opsomming).• - Er moet integratie zijn van literatuur/theorie én de praktijk. Het theoretisch gedeelte moet een• daadwerkelijke ondersteuning en aanvulling zijn van het praktijkwerk. De relevantie van juist

deze• theorieën en/of literatuur in deze praktijksituatie moet duidelijk zijn.• · Kwaliteit van de oplossing• - Betreft de mate waarin de problematiek van de opdracht is opgelost.• De vormgeving• · Uitdrukkingsvaardigheid• - schriftelijk• - mondeling• De eigen aanpak• Eigen inbreng

• - Originaliteit van de oplossingen.• - Reflectie/afstand nemen ten opzichte van het bedrijf en de literatuur.• - De student moet laten zien dat hij/zij zelfstandig kan werken.• Lerend vermogen• - De student moet laten zien dat de tijdens de tussentijdse besprekingen geleverde kritiek• begrepen is.• - De student moet laten zien dat hij van zijn eigen fouten leert.

http://onderwijs.cs.utwente.nl/pdf_documenten/afstuhandBIT.pdf

My Ideal MSc- Project

• Results in a top quality thesis (in English) with both scientific rigor and practical relevance, proven by:– Top journal publication(s) from the thesis– Press attention– Significant use of the results by the company/Institute– An external Thesis Award recognizing the quality– €€€ for the student and university (and supervisor?)– Has an international Aspect– Gets the student his dream-job (Business, Government,

Reseach, or own company) – Fits in a larger research context (more support from faculty

than the minimally required supervision)– Let the student leave the university being proud on his

achievement and as an ambassador for the BIT program, staying actively linked to BIT and UT

..and is completed in 6 to 8 Months!

My Ideal MSc- Project

• Usually The perfect thesis (= Grade 10) achieving all these targets is not written..but..many projects achieve these goals partially:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH7Zn6PhZ64

Exploration/Formalisation/Prep

Criteria• Appropriate Topic• Scientific character • Feasible in time (6 months)

Challenges• What’s is considered

scientific and approriate?• What determines the grade?

Best Practices STUDENT- Reflect on what you found fascinating- Find a company where you are NOT the expert- Also look at research institutes, international, or opportunities within

UT or other universities- Think ahead (life after the thesis)- Do not bet on one horse but be open!- Look/ask for other theses with high grades in the same area- Consult with other (more senior) students- Read SCIENTIFIC papers in your area of interest (scopus.com rather

than scholar.google)- Manage your team of Supervisors!!

Exploration/Formalisation/Prep

Criteria• Appropriate Topic• Scientific character • Feasible in time (6 months)

Challenges• What’s is considered

scientific and approriate?• What determines the grade?

Best Practices FACULTY- Think about your research and company projects and contacts and

Define MSc Projects yourself- Advertise your projects in ASAS- Advertise in the classroom- Also think in the Large: student teams can write a series of theses in

the context of a larger research project- Invest Time in the Exploration stage..as this is the key phase- Make clear who is interested in what type of projects- Setup an effective system to assign supervisors to student requests- Trace progress of your students- Direct the students towards writing a proposal a.s.a.p.

Develop/Report/Present

Criteria• Clear Problem statement

and Research Questions• Quality Report/Pres in time

Challenges• Too broad, not innovative• Which methodology?• No structure, never ending…

Best Practices STUDENT- State the Problem from a scientific and practical perspective- Determine the “knowledge” or Application GAP- Ask yourself what your contribution will be? What will you deliver?- Perform a Systematic Literature review, present Prelim. TOC- Link the problem statement to research questions, link research

questions to research methods.- Motivate your selection of research methods- Integrate and synthesize, not only enumerate- Be open about your ambitions- Don’t be shy in approaching experts/subjects (few people reply

immediately)

Develop/Report/Present

Criteria• Appropriate Topic• Scientific character • Feasible in time (6 months)

Challenges• Too broad, not innovative• Which methodology?• No structure, never ending

Best Practices FACULTY- Intense Supervision on the first 2 chapters pays back later- Remind students that have been silent too long- Push students to great heights, but be there when they fall- Stress that volume is not equal to quality- Connect students to peers that work on the similar topics- Provide them with intermediate assessments of the quality and

options to increase- Have shorter meetings over e.g. Skype, instead of long travel- Manage (usually down) expectations of what we can do as

supervisors

Best Practices for the Future?

• Be proactive in defining projects and linking them our research and companies we work with

• Increase the visibility of good projects in journals, media, and through awards

• Use of collaborative systems instead of (only) face-2-face meetings

• Reassess the info (guides, criteria) on BIT MSc. and check distribution among students and staff

• Find better ways to match students-staff-projects (interest based matching + better workload distribution)

• Use ASAS and Update it to a workflow support system, more insight into the current process

• Find ways to increase efficiency without losing the quality

• + Many Ideas will come out of this afternoon!