MURANG’A UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

COURSE OUTLINE

Unit Code: SCS301: RESEARCH METHODS IN COMPUTING

Department: COMPUTER SCIENCE
Lecturer’s Name: TIRUS MUYA
Lecturer’s Tel. No.__0721913790_ Email Address: [email protected]_
Contact Hours: 45
Semester: _II___ Academic Year: ____2024/2025_________________________
Expected Learning Outcomes of the Course
By the end of the course unit the learners should be able to:-
1. Explain stages in proposal writing
2. Write a researchable proposal
3. Explain data Collection and analysis methods
4. Explain the difference between Computer Science research and research in
other areas of study.
5. Write a project report.
Mode of Delivery
Lectures and tutorials; group discussion; class practical’s; Individual assignment.
Instructional Materials/Equipment
Computers, Whiteboard markers, Textbooks, Flip Charts, Projectors
Course Assessment
Type of Assessment Weighting
C.A.T 1 10%
C.A.T 2 10%
Assignment 10%
Examination 70%
Total Scores 100%
Core Reading Materials for the Course:
1. Deitel, P. & Deitel, H. (2011), C++ How to Program, Prentice Hall; 8th Edition
ISBN-10: 0132662361, ISBN-13: 978-0132662369.
2. Stroustrup, B. (2013), The C++ Programming Language, Addison–Wesley, 4th
Edition, ISBN-10: 0321563840 | ISBN-13: 978-032156384.
3. Josuttis, N.M. (2012), The C++ Standard Library: A Tutorial and Reference,
Addison-Wesley Professional; 2nd Edition, ISBN-10: 0321623215, ISBN-13: 978-
0321623218.
Core Reading Materials for the Course
1. Quigley, M (2011), ICT Ethics and Security in the 21st Century: New
Developments and Applications, IGI Global; 1st Edition
 2. Zikmund, 2008, Business Research Methods; Cengage Learning, Thompson.
3. Sekaran, U. (2006), Research Methods For Business: A Skill Building Approach,
Wiley India Pvt Ltd.
Recommended Reference Materials
4. Velde, M.V. (2008), Management Research Methods; Wiley India Pvt Ltd
Week Topic Sub-topic
Week 1 Research ✓ Meaning Of Research
and 2 Methodology: An ✓ Objectives Of Research
Introduction ✓ Motivation In Research
✓ Types Of Research
✓ Research Approaches
✓ Significance Of Research
✓ Research Methods Versus Methodology
✓ Research And Scientific Method
✓ Importance Of Knowing How Research Is Done
✓ Research Process In Research Methodology
✓ Criteria Of Good Research
✓ Problems Encountered By Researchers
Week 3 CAT 1 Writing Continuous Assessment Test 1

Week 4 Research Design ✓ Meaning Of Research Design

✓ Need For Research Design
✓ Features Of A Good Design
✓ Important Concepts Relating To Research Design
✓ Different Research Designs
Week 5 Sampling Design ✓ Census And Sample Survey
✓ Implications Of A Sample Design
✓ Steps In Sample Design
✓ Criteria Of Selecting A Sampling Procedure
✓ Characteristics Of A Good Sample Design
✓ Different Types Of Sample Designs
Week 6 Measurement And ✓ Measurement In Research
Scaling Techniques ✓ Measurement Scales
✓ Sources Of Error In Measurement
✓ Tests Of Sound Measurement
✓ Technique Of Developing Measurement Tools
✓ Scaling
✓ Meaning Of Scaling
✓ Scale Classification Bases
✓ Important Scaling Techniques
✓ Scale Construction Techniques
Week 7 Methods Of Data ✓ Collection Of Primary Data
Collection and Analysis ✓ Collection Of Secondary Data
✓ Selection Of Appropriate Method For Data
Collection
✓ Case Study Method
✓ Processing Operations
✓ Elements/types Of Analysis
✓ Statistics In Research
 ✓ Measures Of Central Tendency
✓ Measures Of Dispersion
✓ Measures Of Asymmetry (skewness)
✓ Measures Of Relationship
✓ Simple Regression Analysis
✓ Multiple Correlation And Regression
Week 9 Sampling Fundamentals ✓ Need For Sampling
AND 10 AND Testing Of ✓ Important Sampling Distributions
Hypotheses ✓ What Is A Hypothesis?
✓ Basic Concepts Concerning Testing Of Hypotheses
✓ Procedure For Hypothesis Testing
✓ Tests Of Hypotheses
✓ Important Parametric Tests
Week 9 Sampling Fundamentals ✓ Need For Sampling
AND Testing Of ✓ Important Sampling Distributions
Hypotheses ✓ What Is A Hypothesis?
✓ Basic Concepts Concerning Testing Of Hypotheses
✓ Procedure For Hypothesis Testing
✓ Tests Of Hypotheses
✓ Important Parametric Tests
Week 10 CAT 2 Writing Continuous Assessment Test 2

Week 11 Research Proposal and ✓ Prefatory items

Research Report o Title page:
o Declaration
o Dedication
o Acknowledgements
o Table of contents and list of figures and tables
o List of abbreviations and acronyms
o Abstract
✓ Chapter One: Introduction
✓ Chapter Two: Literature review
✓ Chapter Three: Research Methods
✓ Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Findings
✓ Chapter Five: Discussion, Conclusion and
Recommendation
Week 12 Research Areas Study of the major problem-areas in relation to
Computer Science

Week 13
FINAL EXAMINATION
Week 14