Study Guide

Objective

The student is able to plan, implement and evaluate a research and development project in co-operation with working life. The student is able to critically and effectively apply the research and expert knowledge of the field and RDI methods for developing practicesand problem solving in working life. In his/her work, the student shows initiative and good change management and development skills. The student is able to work independently in expert positions of the field and as a developer and reformer of working life.The student is able to make justified decisions during the different phases of the thesis process. The student produces a written report of the research and development project and has good oral and written professional communication skills. In the maturity test,the student demonstrates good knowledge of the thesis’ subject area and is able to communicate the results in a professional manner.

Content

All parts of the thesis process(selectionof the subject, research and development process, thesis report)according to thedegree programme guidelines: workshops, seminars, individual and group supervision, maturity test.The maturity test can be a press release, a publishable article,an executive summary or other informative text. The student agrees the form and target audience of the maturity test together with the thesis supervisor.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The research and development need has been described and its significance has been expressed from the partner organisation's viewpoint.
The goals have been specified, but the argumentation is poor.
The knowledge base is only partly connected to developing the field and conclusions. Key sources are missing. The student is familiar with basic
source criticism.
Research and development methods are described insufficiently and utilised superficially.
Some relevant results have been obtained from the material.
Conclusions have been drawn from the results and they have been presented in overall terms.
Applicability of the results is discussed, but at a general level.
Work does not proceed according to the targets and the chosen research approach. The choices made are justified superficially.
The amount of self-managed development work is inadequate.
Reliability and ethicality issues are dealt with to some extent.
The thesis structure and linguistic expression need some improvement. The linguistic expression is rather clumsy.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

The research and development need has been described with clear and good argumentation. Its significance has been expressed from the viewpoint of the customer, partner organisation's operation, professional field and/or regional development.
The goals have been clearly specified and the argumentation is appropriate.
The knowledge base is relevant, versatile and international. The knowledge base guides developing the field naturally. The student has ag good command of source criticism.
The research and development methods are well chosen and applied carefully, appropriately and in a problem-oriented way.
Relevant results have been obtained, leading to justified conclusions that have been clearly expressed. Applicability of therresults is discussed, also in a wider context.
The work process is implemented in a planned fashion and appropriately in terms of the research approach.
The choices made are justified.
Development work takes place under self-management.
Reliability and ethicality issues are dealt with appropriately.
The language is almost flawless, expert-level text that is wellstructured. The appearance is very good and the text is fluent.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

The research and development need has been described and presented with very clear arguments, from many angles, from a social viewpoint and/or making use of research data available in the field.
The research and development need's significance has been expressed with great expertise from the viewpoint of the customer, partner organisation, professional field and/or regional development.
The goals have been specified and argued very clearly.
The knowledge base is comprehensive and versatile also in terms of international literature. The knowledge base guides development of the field excellently. The student applies source criticism systematically.
The reasoning for the selection of research and development methods is sound. The selected research and development methods are applied like an expert.
A variety of and comprehensive results have been obtained from the material considering the targets and/or the research question. Discerning conclusions have been drawn from the results. Applicability of the results is discussed in a wider professional and working life context.
Management of the work process and development work is constructive and responsible both in terms of planning and implementation.
Reliability and ethicality issues are reflected on expertly and purposefully.
The thesis creates a clear communicative package.
The language is neat and fluent. The appearance is of high quality throughout.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

The research and development need has been described and its significance has been expressed from the partner organisation's viewpoint.
The goals have been specified, but the argumentation is poor.
The knowledge base is only partly connected to developing the field and conclusions. Key sources are missing. The student is familiar with basic
source criticism.
Research and development methods are described insufficiently and utilised superficially.
Some relevant results have been obtained from the material.
Conclusions have been drawn from the results and they have been presented in overall terms.
Applicability of the results is discussed, but at a general level.
Work does not proceed according to the targets and the chosen research approach. The choices made are justified superficially.
The amount of self-managed development work is inadequate.
Reliability and ethicality issues are dealt with to some extent.
The thesis structure and linguistic expression need some improvement. The linguistic expression is rather clumsy.