9.1. Research based development vs. project work / under construction

Students work on various projects since the first year of their studies. Project work prepares students for their thesis work, especially in terms of project planning, implementation, and reporting. Many students choose a practical project for their thesis, eg. practice-based thesis, because they have previous experience of a project-type learning assignments. During their studies, projects are often carried out in small groups and the knowledge base in project reports is less detailed than in a thesis.

What is the difference between project work and a ‘practice-based thesis’?
The duration of a project is pre-defined with start and end dates. Project work is based on an assignment, which defines the precise objective of the project, i.e. the concrete problem to be solved. The objective is to provide the client with a solution to the given mandate, cf. for example the mandates and solution models of Innovation Week.

A practice-based thesis is also based on a working life-based mandate. It produces outputs/results and development proposals for the client. In addition, the thesis must meet the criteria set for a thesis and must demonstrate the student’s expertise and university-level competence.

Figure 1: The intersection of research and development in theses (adapted and translated from Roikko & Rantanen 2009.)

In an M.Sc. thesis, a student demonstrates his/her ability to produce a thesis in his/her professional field that develops him/herself, the work community and the field. He or she demonstrates mastery of critical, investigative working methods and the ability to work independently and with a sense of purpose when carrying out specific research and development projects in working life. The student demonstrates the ability to communicate orally and in writing the results of a research and development project and their potential for exploitation by different actors.

In accordance with the definition of the VET thesis, the functional thesis must reflect the student’s independent work, developmental, critical and investigative approach. Functional thesis can also be classified as a research or development project. In addition, the thesis is a sample of the student’s communication skills

Students in the Master’s degree programme demonstrate their ability to apply research knowledge and use selected methods to analyse and solve problems in working life in a thesis as a work-life development project. He/she demonstrates the ability to work independently and in a demanding professional capacity.

The thesis emphasises the application of evidence-based knowledge/research and the reasoned and independent use of the methods chosen for the thesis. The Master’s thesis demonstrates the student’s ability to carry out demanding expert work as a developer of working life.

The differences between a project report and a thesis can be examined by comparing the basic structures of the reports. A project report is often a short and concise account of why and how the project was carried out and what the results of the project were and how they can be used. The project report is often written according to a template provided by the donor or directly from the donor’s database. Project reports also include financial and publication reports. Project reports are more comprehensive and include the theoretical background, methodology, data collection and analysis, description of the results or output, and a reflection. The reflection will examine the results or output obtained in relation to the theoretical premises of the thesis. In addition, the reflection section of a thesis also includes an examination of the reliability and ethics of the thesis.

Figure 2: Comparison of the structure of the project report and the different types of thesis