Workshop 1: Design Science Research – How to Scientifically Solve Problems?

lecturer: Dr. Alfred Benedikt Brendel, Göttingen
target group: beginners
language: English
location: big seminar room, convention centre by the observatory

content:
The term “Design Science Research” describes research that seeks to increase and understand utility, e.g. solve relevant problems. During the iterative research process, the problem domain is analyzed, potentially helpful references and theories are gathered, and eventually an artificial solution (e.g. methods, models, software) is designed to solve the addressed problem. In the end, knowledge is generated on how to design solutions to solve certain problems, e.g. a design theory is developed.

In this workshop, a comprehensive and hands-on introduction into Design Science Research will be given. The research process and related methods will not only be presented but also traversed by the participants. In the end, each participant has conducted a small-scale research project, following Design Science Research principles. By doing so, common pitfalls and challenges of this type of research will not only be described but also experienced.

required reading:

Hevner A.R., March S.T., Park J., Ram S. (2004) Design Science in Information Systems Research. MISQ 28:75–105.
Gregor S., Jones D. (2007) The anatomy of a design theory. JAIS 8:312–334.
Iivari J. (2015) Distinguishing and Contrasting two Strategies for Design Science Research. EJIS 24:107–115.
Peffers K., Tuunanen T., Niehaves B. (2018) Design science research genres: introduction to the special issue on exemplars and criteria for applicable design science research. EJIS 27:129–139.
Gregory, R. W., and Muntermann, J. (2014) Heuristic theorizing: Proactively generating design theories. ISR 25:639–653.

course requirements (2 credits):
Presentation (20 minutes) and Discussion (10 minutes) of pre-read article
Conduction (during course), presentation (15 minutes) and documentation (2 pages) of design research project