Choose one track. Master’s proposals target Spring 2027. Final scope and programme approval are agreed with the supervisor; bachelor scopes are suggested adaptations.
TRACK 01 · IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDED
Technical track
Develop a working solution and test whether it addresses the problem.
Possible research question
How can a scheduling system make trade-offs between continuity of care, travel and capacity understandable and revisable?
Suggested tasks
Read research on home-care scheduling and compare existing solutions.
Identify one problem faced by home-care coordinators.
Write a research question and define what the solution should do.
Create fictional staff, patients, visits and travel times for a small home-care team.
Build a scheduling tool that considers travel, staff availability and continuity of care, with options for manual changes.
Compare it with a schedule focused on travel time. Measure travel, repeated staff visits and the effort needed to change the plan.
Explain what worked, what did not, and how the results compare with earlier research.
Evaluation, degree scope and deliverables
Study and evaluation
Compare the implemented solution with a travel-first scheduling heuristic. Combine reproducible technical tests with an appropriate empirical evaluation.
Continuity of assigned carers
Travel time and capacity violations
Coordinator ability to explain and revise plans
Degree scope
Bachelor’s
Build a scheduling board with a simple heuristic and manual changes. Validate visit coverage, staff capacity and continuity indicators.
Master’s
Evaluate whether explicit continuity trade-offs change planning decisions and understanding compared with a travel-first baseline.
Background
Programming
Basic optimisation
Data modelling
Possible deliverables
A focused literature review, justified problem and research question
A working prototype with source code and setup instructions
A reproducible comparison and an appropriate study of use
A report explaining design lessons, results and limitations
TRACK 02 · NO IMPLEMENTATION REQUIRED
Non-technical track
Study existing systems, information or work practices. You do not need to develop software.
Possible research question
How do coordinators balance continuity of carers, travel time and staffing constraints?
Suggested tasks
Read earlier studies of home-care scheduling.
Choose one problem and write a research question the study can answer.
Interview coordinators about the priorities and exceptions behind a workable care schedule.
Discuss fictional schedules that make continuity and travel trade-offs explicit.
Map when coordinators override planning recommendations and how they justify those choices.
Analyse the interviews, observations or documents using a clearly described method. Look for disagreements as well as common patterns.
Explain the findings, compare them with earlier research and suggest practical improvements.
Evaluation, degree scope and deliverables
Study and evaluation
Use a bounded empirical study of home-care scheduling. Justify case selection, recruitment and the analysis method. Distinguish observed behaviour from participants’ perceptions; use triangulation or a comparison where it serves the research question.
Continuity priorities and reasons for overrides
Organisational constraints and perceived acceptability of plans
Evidence for the findings, conflicting cases and limits of the study
Degree scope
Bachelor’s
Study one case or a small set of existing materials. Agree the interviews, documents or scenario tasks with the supervisor. Describe the method, analyse the findings and give practical recommendations.
Master’s
Use a clear research question and relevant IS theory. Justify the cases, participants and analysis method. Explain what the findings add to earlier research and where they may apply. No software development is required.
Background
Literature review and academic writing
Qualitative or quantitative research methods
Interest in home-care scheduling; no programming prerequisite
Possible deliverables
A literature review and research question
A study plan and approved research material
An analysis supported by interviews, observations, documents or scenario results
A thesis with findings, recommendations and limitations
Scope and access
Use a small synthetic district and fixed staffing assumptions. Treat fairness and continuity as explicitly defined measures, not universal conclusions. These implementation-related limits apply when developing or testing a technical solution. For a non-technical study, agree access to participants or existing materials early, use approved or fictional cases where appropriate, and distinguish perceptions from observed outcomes.
Agree access to data, participants or existing materials and any required ethics or privacy review before committing. A non-technical track needs a systematic study, not a working prototype.
Full academic proposal
Working topic
Continuity-Aware Home-Care Scheduling
Brief outline
This proposal examines home-care scheduling in the work and information needs of home-care coordinators. The technical track combines a literature review and justified gap with requirements, design, implementation and evaluation of a bounded solution. The non-technical track investigates practices, experiences or organisational conditions through a systematic study of existing systems, documents or scenarios, without requiring implementation. Choose one track and agree the final research question, degree scope and contribution with the supervisor.
Programme fit
Information Systems. These are suggested research approaches, not a statement of confirmed programme policy. Agree the final title, track, degree scope and contribution with the supervisor and programme.
Shared research foundation
Review the literature; identify and justify a gap; formulate research questions; conduct a systematic study; analyse the evidence; explain the contribution relative to prior research and discuss limitations. The technical track additionally includes requirements, design, implementation and evaluation of an artifact.
