KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
TCE 6101- Research Methods
Lecturer: Charles Onyutha
conyutha@kyu.ac.ug
Key information
Credit Units: 3, Contact Hours: 45
Course Description
The course introduces students to fundamentals, concepts and methods used in the
analysis of data. It covers statistics for research, advanced engineering research skills,
focusing on research design, design of data collection instruments, implementation of
data collection plans and principles of research report writing and dissemination.
Course Objectives:
This course will equip graduates with improved skills to:
• Learn how research is conducted practically and in academic circles;
• Appreciate the different methods of collecting, displaying and reporting data;
• Test different data sets to find which models best describe them; and
• Identify shortcoming in research proposals, designs and reports
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
• Develop a research proposal including identification of a research problem,
formulation of research objectives, description of the methodology and the data
analysis techniques;
• Apply fundamental knowledge behind the techniques for analyzing a vast amount of
data for different scenarios with ease;
• Write a research report and make presentation to disseminate research findings; and
• Explain the role of research in knowledge creation.
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C. Onyutha (2021). Research Methods: Lecture Slides, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Kyambogo University, Uganda
What to cover
Introduction
Definition of Research; Role of Research in the Engineering Profession;
Types of Research; Research Processes - Information Literacy Strategies;
Research Funding; Research and Publishing
Elements of General Academic Writing
The Writing Process; Research Concept Note (Synopsis); Proposal;
Thesis Report; Papers; Abstracts; Formatting Style (MLA vs APA)
Identifying and Formulating a Research Problem
Definition of Research Problem; Identify a Research Problem; Testing the
Feasibility of the Research Problem; Formulating a Research Problem;
Statement of the Problem; Components of a Problem Statement
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C. Onyutha (2021). Research Methods: Lecture Slides, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Kyambogo University, Uganda
What to cover
Developing Other Proposal Components
Formulating a Research Title; Formulating and Stating the Research
Objectives; Stating the Research Justification; Literature Review; The Research
Methodology; The Research Resources Plan (Work plan, and Budget);
References and Bibliography; Appendices; Pagination of Research Proposal
Research Ethics
Intellectual Property Rights; Research Ownership and Mandate of Researcher
- Research and Citations (Notation and Standards); Plagiarism; Authenticity
of Facts and Opinions; Rights of Human and Animal Survey Respondents
Data Collection, Analysis and Research Design
Designing and Executing a Survey; Sources of Data; Sample and Populations;
Sampling Methods; Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches; Data Collections
Instruments and Methods, their Context and Limitations; Questionnaire Design;
Research Design.
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C. Onyutha (2021). Research Methods: Lecture Slides, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Kyambogo University, Uganda
What to cover
Presentation of Research
Oral Presentation (Proposal and Viva Voce); Use of Presentation Aides;
Use of Graphics and Animations in Presenting Research; Presentation
Language
Statistics and Data Analysis
Introduction to statistics and descriptive statistics
Definition of Statistics; Role of Statistics in Engineering Research; Misuse
and Abuse of Statistics; Data Measurement. Frequency Distributions:
Histograms and bar charts, The shape of a distribution, Determining if
skewness and kurtosis are significantly non-normal; Central Tendency:
Measures of central tendency, Choosing a measure of central tendency;
Variability: Sums of squares, Variance, Standard deviation; The Normal
Distribution; Transformations: Dichotomisation, Z-scores, The standard
normal distribution, Normalising; Correlation and Regression; Descriptive
Statistics Using Data Analysis Software
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C. Onyutha (2021). Research Methods: Lecture Slides, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Kyambogo University, Uganda
What to cover
Presentation of Research
Oral Presentation (Proposal and Viva Voce); Use of Presentation Aides; Use of
Graphics and Animations in Presenting Research; Presentation Language
Inferential Statistics
Introduction; Null and alternative hypotheses; Hypothesis testing; Type I and
Type II Errors; Analysis of Variance (ANOVA); Inferential Statistics using Data
Analysis Software
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C. Onyutha (2021). Research Methods: Lecture Slides, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Kyambogo University, Uganda
Assessments
Mode of Delivery
The course will be taught by using lectures, tutorials, group work
discussions, case studies and assignnments.
Requirements Contribution
Assignments/ Group Case Presentations 10%
Tests 10%
Practical 20%
Final Examination 60%
Total 100%
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References
1. Creswell J.W. (2006). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed
Methods Approaches. Sage Publications, Inc; 3rd Edition. ISBN-10:
1412965578, ISBN-13: 978- 1412965576
2. Marder, M.P. (2011) Research Methods for Science, Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press
3. McBurney D.H., White, T.L. (2006). Research Methods, Wadsworth
Publishing; 7 Edition. ISBN-10: 0495092088, ISBN-13: 978-0495092087
4. Bordens K.S., Abbott B.B (2011) Research Design and Methods: A Process
Approach. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 8th Edition.
ISBN-10: 0073129062, ISBN-13: 978-0073129068
5. Devore J.L. (2008). Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the
Sciences, 7th Edition, Cole Publishing Company. ISBN 10: 0495557447 / 0-
495-55744-7; ISBN 13: 9780495557449
6. Walliman N. (2011) Research Methods, the Basics, Oxford, UK: Routledge
7. Whitbeck, C. (1998) Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research, Cambridge,
UK: Cambridge University Press
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C. Onyutha (2019). Mathematical & Statistical Modelling: Lecture Slides, Department of Civil & Building Engineering, Kyambogo University, Uganda
