CSU invites students to try IT doctorate for free

Charles Sturt University

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is offering a free, five week long, online course to give prospective students a sense of what it would be like to undertake an IT doctorate.

CSU adjunct senior lecturer at Charles Sturt University and CEO of IT Masters Mr Martin Hale said the course is designed for anyone who might be interested in doing an IT professional doctorate but wanted to “try before they buy”.

“We believe it’s the first massive open online course (MOOC) anywhere in the world focussed on an IT doctorate,” he said.

The ‘Free Short Course: Doctorate of Information Technology’ is open to all and participants who pass the final exam will receive a certificate. The top three students in the final exam will get prize packs of wine from the Charles Sturt University Winery.

Students who meet the University’s standard entrance requirements can then elect to enrol in the full doctorate.

The free course has been developed and will be presented by Dr Craig Wright, a digital forensics expert and adjunct lecturer at CSU who is passionate about applied, real world IT research.

“The series of lectures is designed to help you understand what is required in doctoral level research,” Dr Wright said.

“We’ll review a variety of research methods – experimental design, ethnography, case study, survey methods – and we’ll compare qualitative and quantitative research methods and techniques in computing.”

Enrolments are open for the course, which starts on 18 April and runs for four weeks. It will include weekly webinars on Thursday nights from 7-8:30pm.

Topics covered in each of the four webinars will be: qualitative and quantitative research methods and techniques in computing; quantitative and/or qualitative data collection and analysis techniques; limitations of different research approaches; and, presenting and interpreting research findings.

The final exam will be held from 7-8:30pm on Thursday 12 May. It will be an online, multiple choice, open book exam designed to test students’ knowledge of research methodologies.