IS 4800 / CS 6350
Khoury College of Computer and
Information Sciences
Northeastern University
Overview
This course provides an introduction to methods for conducting empirical research within the field of information science. These methods help provide objective answers to questions about the usability, effectiveness, and acceptability of systems and their impact on individuals, work groups, organizations and society.
This is a hands-on course, including a significant amount of fieldwork. The first half of the course covers the basics of the scientific method, building bottom-up from a survey of objective measures to the fundamentals of hypothesis testing using relatively simple research designs. The second half of the course alternates between team projects encompassing the design, conduct and presentation of small empirical studies and lectures covering more advanced research designs and statistical methods