The checklist serves many purposes:
It serves as a tool to be used by supervisors and project groups for organising the process of supervision, making sure that no aspects of relevance to the project is overlooked. This means that the checklist is used for the overall planning of the entire supervision process and in the preparation of each supervision meeting. It may also be used for taking notes or for ticking off/answering the issues discussed at the meeting. In other words, the checklist will serve the purpose of a contract made between the supervisor and their students and provide an overall account of the entire supervision process.
Moreover, the checklist may be used by panels of supervisors and teachers on individual semesters and across semesters as a basis for discussing the characteristics of an academic problem formulation and good methods to be used in a semester.
The checklist is a generic list covering all semester. When specifically applied to the supervision process, the checklist must be adjusted to the students’ academic progression from their first semester up to the tenth semester in which they write their thesis. The supervisor is responsible for adjusting the checklist by means of interpreting each item in relation to quantity (e.g. literature and theoretical approaches) and in particular to quality (e.g. theoretic scope and differentiation, philosophical reflection and philosophy of science in relation to problem formulation/field and analysis). The adjustment must also take account of the degree of interdisciplinarity embedded in the various study programmes. However, all items included in the checklist are of relevance to all semesters (unless otherwise indicated).
PROBLEM FORMULATION
- Is the problem formulation based on complex and relevant issues related to existing challenges (such as societal, academic or technological challenges)?
- Is the problem formulation rooted in the inquiring minds and personal curiosity of the students?
- Does the problem formulation aim at producing knowledge (such as through design or other forms of production work included as part of the epistemological process)? If directions for actions are included, are these based on research and knowledge?
- Is the problem formulation clearly in line with the examination and learning objectives of the curriculum and the thematic frame of the semester description?
- Does the problem formulation define a project which can be expected to be completed within the timeframe provided?
- Is the final problem formulation the result of a process of analysis?
- Is the problem formulation ethically acceptable or may the problem formulation entail ethical issues?
METHOD
- Is the method of choice appropriate for answering/analysing the problem formulation/field?
- Does answering/analysing the problem formulation involve approved scientific methods?
- Are the applied methods critically discussed in relation to their academic status while clearly referring to research literature, and is deselections substantiated with reference to other possible methods?
THEORY AND LITERATURE
- Is the theory of choice appropriate for answering the problem formulation and complying with the learning objectives?
- Does the project account for the systematic choice of theory?
- Is the choice of theory applied actively in answering the problem formulation and discussing the epistemological dimensions of the problem area?
- Do the students take a critical stance towards their chosen theory (such as by distinguishing between contemporary and classical/basic theory)?
- Is the theory of choice determined/situated in relation to the paradigms and perspectives of the philosophy of science?
- Is there correlation between the literature of the subject (from the teaching of project modules) and the problem-specific research literature?
- Is it clear to both students and supervisor that theory and literature are primarily research based (unless the project’s subject field is non-research based theory or if non- research based theory is methodically integrated in the project)?
- Does the project include a literature review within the thematic and theoretic framework and is the method and result of the literature search accounted for?
DATA COLLECTION (IF INCLUDED IN THE PROJECT)
- Do data collection techniques, method, theory and problem formulation correlate?
- Are data collection techniques/types appropriate and well-defined?
ANALYSIS
- Does the analytical strategy contribute to answering/examining the problem formulation?
- Do the analytical strategy and the method and theory of the project correlate?
- Does the analysis contribute to answering/examining the problem formulation in a systematic, well-founded and clear manner?
CONCLUSION
- Does the conclusion provide an answer to the problem formulation?
- Does the project support the conclusion?
PROJECT REPORT
- Does the outline of the report include all essential elements (in relation to the selected or pre-defined problem formulation)?
- Is the structure of the project report appropriate to what the project seeks to examine, i.e. do the different parts of the report reflect coherence?
- Does the report include references and quotations and does the report adhere to the APA format for references and literature citations?
Prepared by Tom Nyvang and Falk Heinrich
Uddated March 2017