Add a journal entry
Record decisions, changes of mind, insights and tutor feedback as they happen. This journal — with the idea histories — is the raw material for analysing your development process later. Paste a session summary into the Word development record at the end of each working session.
How to use this studio
- Board. Ideas move through Sparks → Exploring → Researching → Shortlist → Chosen, with Archived for ideas set aside — nothing is ever permanently deleted, so changes of mind are cheap and recorded. Drag a card into Archived (or anywhere else) to move it there directly; every move is logged in the idea's history.
- Sparks column. Type an idea in the box at the top: Add spark records it as-is. The Spark generator asks for a fuller picture of a topic area — description, short name, who it's for, the itch, constraints — and how many sparks to spin (1–20). The richer the entry, the more specific the angles: lenses cover scope, stakeholders, evidence, adoption, accountability, regulation, practice, time and combinations, plus lenses built from your audience, problem, constraints and the keywords in your description. It's a mechanical divergence aid, produced locally by rules, not by AI (artificial intelligence) — and your full entry is saved to the Journal with each run. Rate any spark 1–5 for interest and the column ranks highest first. Promote moves a keeper to Exploring; ✕ archives a spark into the Archived column.
- Idea detail. Click a card to sharpen the research question, log research findings with links and takeaways, note pros and cons, and score against your criteria. The search links run a one-click exploratory search on Scholar, Semantic Scholar, Consensus and Connected Papers.
- Compare. Weighted scores put your shortlist side by side, using your 100-point criteria budget from Settings. Treat the numbers as a conversation starter, not a verdict — a low score on curiosity should worry you more than a low score on anything else.
- Journal. The sequential record of decisions and changes of mind. End each working session by adding at least one entry, then use Session summary to copy a digest into the Word development record.
- A suggested rhythm. One 25-minute pass per week until week 5: run the coaching prompt at the top, touch three cards, log one journal entry, Save my data.
Hover any button for a one-line explanation of what it does.
Your data — read this once
- Everything autosaves to this browser on this machine (localStorage). Nothing leaves your computer except what you choose to send through the feedback form.
- Backups use JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) files — plain text, readable anywhere, openable in any editor.
- In Chrome and Edge, Save my data and Load my data remember the last folder you used, so the dialog opens there next time instead of your default Downloads folder. Safari and Firefox don't support this yet — Save/Load work exactly as before, opening the normal system dialog each time.
- Autosave is per browser: open the studio in a different browser or on another machine and it starts fresh.
- The Word development record remains the canonical narrative of the project; this studio feeds it.
- Backward compatibility promise. Updates never cost you data: old JSON backups always import through a migration chain; backups from a newer version are refused rather than half-read; anything unreadable is preserved to a recovery slot instead of overwritten; and the studio snapshots your current board automatically before any import replaces it.
What the practicum asks of you
Three interconnected deliverables, produced over roughly twelve weeks:
| Deliverable | What it is |
|---|---|
| Project Work | A focused dissertation of about 20 pages. Identify a real problem through a literature review, then propose a solution. Suggested structure: Introduction (400–600 words, write it last) → Literature Review (1,200–1,800 words) → Methodology → Solution → Discussion → Conclusion → References (APA). |
| Digital Artefact | A visual or interactive expression of the project — prototype, mock-up, demo video or presentation. Build it in parallel with the writing, not after it. Submit as PDF or link. |
| Video Presentation | About 10 minutes, you presenting the work — it serves as the viva and is reviewed by the academic team. |
The four thematic areas
| Code | Area | Tutor team |
|---|---|---|
| LiU | Data-Driven Decision Systems and Ethical AI Solutions for Business — data, intelligence and responsibility: cybersecurity, risk, compliance, ethics and law of AI (artificial intelligence) in business | Linköping University |
| NOVA | Data Science for Business — the full data science lifecycle with ethics and privacy built in | NOVA IMS, Lisbon |
| NCI | Cloud Computing for Business — cloud fundamentals, NIST, governance and data protection in cloud adoption | National College of Ireland |
| UNIBO | Digital Transformation — strategies, platform business models, digital competences, sustainability and the SDGs | University of Bologna |
Timeline and milestones
Computed from your start date ( — change it in Settings).
Doing the literature work well
- The five-step loop: identify the topic → define your terms → set boundaries → select sources → analyse sources — then loop back as findings reshape the question.
- Search at least two or three databases: Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, DOAJ, CORE, SSRN. Build Boolean strings from a concept map of synonyms.
- Set up Zotero before you start searching, and keep a synthesis matrix (author, year, aims, methods, findings, limitations, relevance).
- Specialised AI research tools (Consensus, Elicit, Research Rabbit, Connected Papers, SciSpace) are fine for exploring — but verify every source in a primary database and read the paper before citing it. General chatbots must never supply citations directly: fabricated references are the most common serious failure.
- Aim for a defined research question and a preliminary set of key sources by the end of week 5. Reading early is what lets you finalise the question.