SD4S01 - Conducting Research 01 Sep 2016 - 31 Jul 2026 | Version 3
Associated Module Information
| Module Code: | SD4S01 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Module Title: | Conducting Research | ||
| Faculty: | Faculty of Business and Creative Industries | ||
| Faculty Group: | Leadership and Public Services | ||
| Faculty Sub Group: | Leadership and Public Services | ||
| Module Leader: | Tiansheng Yang | ||
| Module Team: | Mohammad Kabir, Adam Poole, Bharati Rathore, Mohammad Kabir | ||
| First Intended Intake: | SEP 2015 | Final Year of Intake: | |
| Date Closed: | |||
| Credit Value: | 20 | Credit Level: | 7 |
| Language: | English | ||
| Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: | 0 | ||
| Equivalent Module: | |||
| HECOS codes: | 101307 - applied social science | ||
| HECOS Code Weighting: | 100 | ||
Document Version Information
| Version | 3 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 01 Sep 2016 |
| Valid To | 31 Jul 2026 |
Module Aims
To assist students to develop:
A critical understanding of the nature of social and policy research and of how to
construct research-based arguments;
Methodsof applied research and consultancy;
The ability to plan, execute and write up a piece of research that meets the standard of a project
and dissertation at coursework masters level.
Content Summary
This module will introduce students to the basics of how to conduct a small-scale research
project and write a dissertation. The emphasis in the module is on preparing
for working on a dissertation rather than on training students as expert
researchers. It will cover referencing, reviewing literature, case study
research, basic quantitative and survey techniques, qualitative methods,
research ethics and report presentation and writing.
The module also includes a learner-centred component based on an agreement of
defined aims and intended outcomes. For this component students will be
assigned a mentor, selected from the teaching staff within their scheme, who
will have the appropriate skill and expertise to supervise their study.
Within this module Action Learning Sets will be
introduced and utilised to help resolve problematic issues via peer support and
discussion. Action learning posits that we may well already have enough
knowledge and what we need are new ways of applying what we know to new
situations. The emphasis is on
reflecting, deciding to experiment with new action, taking action and, having
moved on to a different place, starting the cycle again.
Learning and Teaching Methods
| Activity Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 40 |
| Independent Study | 160 |
| Total Hours Selected | 200 |
Learning Outcomes
| # | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Critically assess pieces of research against criteria of validity and relevance. |
| LO2 | Critically evaluate the suitability of a range of different research methods and ability to apply the appropriate methods. |
| LO3 | Produce a piece of small scale M level research on a negotiated topic. |
Module Requisites
N/A
Assessment Criteria
| Assessment Category | Assessment Type | Description | Duration | Word Count | Weight (%) | Best of? | Pass Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asynchronous Assessment | Research Plan / Proposal / Project/ Log 1 | Selection of a researchable topic. Identification of an appropriate and achievable aim. Selection and defence of a research method. | 0 | 2000 | 50 | No | 40 |
| Asynchronous Assessment | Essay 1 | The production of a piece of small-scale research on a negotiated topic. | 0 | 2000 | 50 | No | 40 |
Assessment Matrix
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| LO1 | LO2 | LO3 | |
| Research Plan / Proposal / Project/ Log 1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Essay 1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |