Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Computer Engineering Department

Preparing the
Design Project/Thesis Proposal
and the Introduction

Design Project Schedules

July

1- Aug 23 Thesis title deliberation by the

Thesis Advisers
Aug 24 Parents Gen. Assembly
Aug 24 Posting of final list of approved thesis title
by the committee
Sept 7 Submission of Chapter 1
Sept 14 Submission of Chapter 2
Sept 21 Submission of Chapter 3
Sept 28 Submission of Docu (Ch 1-3)
Sept 30 Oct 5 - Defense

What is a research project?

What is research?
Research.

1.a. the systematic investigation into and

study of materials, sources, etc, in order to
establish facts and reach new conclusions.
b. an endeavor to discover new or collate
old facts etc by the scientific study of a
subject or by a course of critical
investigation. (The Oxford Concise
dictionary )

What is research?
Research is the manner in which we solve
knotty problems in our attempt to push
back the frontiers of human ignorance.
Research is a way of thinking.

Characteristics of Research
Research begins with a question in mind of the
researcher.
Research demands the identification of a
problem, stated in a clear, unambiguous terms.
Research requires a plan.
Research deals with the main problem through
appropriate subproblems.
Research seeks direction through appropriate
hypotheses and is based upon obvious
assumptions.
Research deals with facts and their meaning.
Research is circular.

Applications of Research
From the viewpoint of

The service
provider

How

The administrator
The consumer
Manager/Planner

What are the needs

many people
are using the service of the community?
or the product?
What types of
Why do some
service/product are
people use the
needed by the
service/product while community?
others do not?
How many service
How effective is the providers are
service product?
needed?

The professional

Which is the most

Effective intervention
for a particular
problem?

How good are the

service providers?

Am I, a consumer,
getting value for
money?

What are the longterm effects of the

product I am using?

What is the relation

ship between X and
Y?
How valid is a
particular theory in
thepresent theory?

Types of Research
From the viewpoint of

Application
Application

Pure
research

Applied
research

Objectives
Objectives

Descriptive
research

Exploratory
research

Correlational
research

Explanatory
research

Typeof
ofinforminformType
ationsought
sought
ation

Quantitative
research

Qualitative
research

Where do I start?
Basic or Pure research acquisition of
knowledge or formulating a theory and not
necessarily practical application
- understanding the factors that influence
human performance in man-machine systems.
- performed in well controlled and artificial
situation.
Applied research more concerned with
finding answers to practical problems than
theory development.

Research Factors
Area

of interest

The project that you intend to do should be

within your area of interest or field of
specialization
Nature

and size of the problem

The nature and size of the problem that

your project intends to solve can be done
within the time frame you have set for
yourself.

 Economy

Consider the cost that the project will incur.

The project you have in mind could make
use of the locally available materials
instead of the imported ones.
Capabilities

& limitations

The nature, description and specific use/s

and beneficiaries of your project study are
clear.

 Uniqueness

The project study is something new or an

invention which responds to a specific
technological need/problem or an innovation
which contributes to the improvement of the
existing technologies
Good

documentation

It is critical that you spend some time

documenting your daily activities when engaged
on a research project
Effective

time management

Research is labor intensive

Research Criteria
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound

Finding a Problem
In general, scientific problems fall into 3
distinct categories:
Filling a gap in existing research.
Resolving contradictory experimental results.
Explaining the occurrence of an unexplained
fact.

How do you know whether or

not your topic is a good one?
General Rules
If possible, choose a topic that interests you.
Be sure your topic is neither too broad nor too
narrow for the assignment you have been given.
Choose a topic about which there is likely to be
information available in the library and/or on the
Internet.
If you are selecting your own topic (rather than
choosing from a list provided by your instructor)
make sure your instructor approves your topic
before you start your research.

Stage 1
Define

Stage 2
Plan

Stage 3
Conduct

Stage 4
Analyze

Stage 5
Interpret

Develop
Idea

Define
Variables

Pretest
Experiment

Reduce
Data

Draw
Inferences

Review
Literature

Design
Experiments

Collect
Data

Calculate
Statistics

Generalize
Results

State
Problem
Develop
Hypothesis

Def. Controls
& Apparatus

Estimate
Parameters

Define
Procedures

Test
Hypothesis

Select
Subjects

Report
Experiment

Chapter 1
Contents

Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Objectives (General and Specific)
Scope and Limitations
Project Rationale/Significance of the Study
Definition of Terms

How to Write the Introduction

The introduction should not be long as long as

the following questions are answered:
What was the problem or what is the research all
about?
Why was it necessary to solve the problem or
work on it, or why is the problem/work
important, or why did I do the work?
What were the findings of previous authors who
worked on aspects related to the problem or
what has been done about it before I started the
work?
What did I expect to accomplish(objectives) or
prove (hypothesis)?

 Statement

of the Problem

a clear, concise, well-supported statement

of the problem to be overcome
could include data collected during a needs
assessment that would illustrate the
problems to be addressed
must be based on fact

 Statement

of the Problem

use objective language

the observations you make about the problem
are from the perspective of an observer looking
at it dispassionately, without his or her own
qualitative or subjective views being expressed

Stating the Problem

1.
2.

3.

State the problem clearly

Discuss problem by giving information:
- why it is a problem
- how long it has been a problem
- the situation in which it is encountered
- other pertinent information
Cite previous works or review relevant to the
problem

Introduction

Statement of the Problem Guide Questions

What is happening? Describe the problem/needs
you want to address by providing data/statistics,
historical information, etc
Why is it happening? Describe the causes of the
problem or circumstances creating the need by
providing literature reviews, historical information
What is being done or what will be done?
Identify approaches or solutions to the problem

 Statement

of the Problem

If you have found a thesis statement, try

fitting it into one or more of the following:
Most people believe that ___________, but a
closer look will show that __________.
What we know about _________ is that
__________; what we dont know is
_________.

 Statement

of the Problem

If you have found a thesis statement, try

fitting it into one or more of the following
(cont):
If we (do not) understand __________, we will
(not) understand __________.
The researcher is analyzing/comparing
___________ so that he can
explain/understand __________.

Example

Statement of the Problem There is currently a

lack of research available on the questioning
techniques used by early childhood teachers during
oral reading time. Therefore, a study to support that
an Early Childhood teachers perception of the
importance of higher cognitive questioning
techniques impacts the implementation of the
questioning techniques done in the classroom. To
accomplish this study, kindergarten and prekindergarten teachers will be interviewed and
observed during oral reading time.

Example
Main

Problem

How to reduce if not eliminate the

inaccuracies and/or inconsistencies of the
present attendance/time monitoring system
of the faculty and staff?

 Specific

Problems
1. The time/attendance record of the faculty
and staff which is the basis of salary
computation is unreliable
2. The available commercial computer
software for attendance monitoring is very
expensive
3. The computation of salaries/honorarium is
done manually which is a very slow process.

Introduction

Objectives
statements of the intended outcomes of the
project
projects the major anticipated findings that will
form the major conclusions of the research; thus,
they serve to guide the work to be done
Objectives and conclusions should match; i.e. if
you state an objective, you should expect to
produce a conclusion stating how, or if, the
objective was met.

Introduction
Objectives

addresses the Statement of the Problem

specific, measurable outcomes
(quantitative/objective )
must not confuse objectives with methods
(what to do, not how to do something)

Introduction
Objectives

if subjective/qualitative, must be supported

by quantitative/objective proof
Quantitative: The project aims at increasing the
speed of Quick Sort twice as much by
Qualitative: The project aims at developing a
computer-aided instruction that will improve the
learning attitude of students.

Introduction
General

Objective

provide a short statement of the

development goal being pursued by the
research

Introduction
Specific

Objectives

operational in nature
unequivocal; must be precise and have
only one interpretation
objectives against which the success of the
project will be judged

Introduction
General

objective:

The general objective of this project is to

develop an affordable amd comprehensive
computer-aided instruction courseware in
Data Structures that is adaptive to the
needs and preferences of the learner.

Objectives

Specific objectives:
Develop a set of instructional design principles for instruction
and to evaluate those principles using existing evaluation
methods
Survey courseware prices and produce an affordable option.
Implement the Data Structures curriculum as defined in
IEEE Computer Society.
Develop a learner analyzer module that will assess the
learner's knowledge scope of the topic, learning pace, and
interface preferences.
Develop content knowledge base from which the learner
analyzer will gather content to be delivered to each type of
learner.

Introduction
Scope

and Limitation

This section describes the scope of the

project and what the size of the sample.
The characteristics of the sample size will
be specified in this section including the
limitations of the project in any possible
areas.
Defines what the study is all about

Scope and Limitations

Scope

& Limitation Example 1:

The techniques demonstrated in Critters

are most useful for animation and mouse
interaction, though they are not limited to
those areas. This section discusses some
of the strengths and limitations of Critters.
Many of the limitations could be avoided by
adding new primitives, but in most cases
the additions would not take advantage of
the strengths of geometric computation.

Introduction
Scope

& Limitation Example 2:

One major limitation is that Critters has no

way of using text. Although it can respond
to single keypresses and mouse clicks, it
has no support for drawing characters or
manipulating strings. Interfaces to host
operating system services such as the file
system or process control are also
unavailable.

Introduction
Scope

& Limitation Example 3:

The project is not a feasibility study of

implementing Computer-aided Instruction
(CAI) in the preschool. Though the
teaching methodologies are studied, it is
not the intention of the researcher to
analyze the efficacy of the present
curriculum.

Introduction
Scope

& Limitation Example 4:

It is not the intent of this thesis to find

alternative methods of long distance
education, but to seek out ways to
supplement, complement, and enhance the
education for students at ADMU.

Significance of the Study

Presents the value of the study, not only to the
researcher but also to other stakeholders.
Must contain explanations or discussions of any or
all of the following:
The rationale
Timeliness and/or relevance of the study
Possible solutions to existing problems or improvement to
unsatisfactory conditions
Who are the beneficiaries and what are their benefits.
Possible contribution to the body of knowledge
Possible implications

Introduction
Rationale/Significance

Example 1:

of the Study

The development of a learner analyzer

would allow computer-aided instruction
systems to adjust to the needs and
preferences of learners. This has the
potential to become the method of
analyzing learners and design a course
curriculum pattern, pacing, and interface
that well suits different users.

Introduction
Rationale/Significance

of the Study

Example 2:
This project will benefit NPS by providing a
set of validated guidelines for web-based
instruction. It will assist professors in
designing better courses over the web (and
perhaps, from anywhere in the world).

 Definition

of Terms

Defines the words that have other meaning

when used in the study.
Can be define according to the definition of
dictionary.

 Example

Students - a person who are officially

enrolled in PUP.