| Unit name | Researching Education in the City |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUC20003 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Barg |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
Researching Educational Questions or Introduction to Psychology in Education |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit introduces students to ways of planning and conducting a small-scale research study into learning and education in a city. Practical exercises in online and face to face research will help students investigate the diversity of educational and learning activity in the city environment and reflect on how that diversity can best be captured and understood using different research tools. In analysing data, students will consider how material, physical and social spaces shape education possibilities and will report on the diversity of learning experiences that characterise learning in the city. The unit also serves as further consolidation of research methods in education.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
By planning real world research, exploring questions about learning and education in the city, students will develop a critical appreciation of what is involved in the design and conduct of a small-scale research study. The learning from this unit, and the experience of practicing research methods in the context of Bristol, will support their work on your dissertation study in their final year of study. Then by comparing their experience of evaluating a range of research methods, students will be able to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of different research approaches and reflect on how they can best be used to answer different kinds of research questions, which further supports their preparation for their dissertation.
An overview of content
The content of the units aims to:
• Introduce students to a range of methodologies and research methods that can be used to explore the diversity of educational experiences in the city;
• Provide students with an opportunity to apply these research methods in learning about and exploring learning in the city;
• Enable students to recognise the range of ethical issues that are involved in real world research and how to plan to uphold ethical standards in practice;
• Enable students to critically reflect on their experience as researchers, taking into account the difference between a research plan and its execution;
• Enable students to compare findings, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the approaches they have adopted.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
As a result of the unit, students will have a greater knowledge of the educational landscape in the city of Bristol. This will provide them with a situational context to consider their wider knowledge of concepts covered across their programme of study. Additionally, students will have the skills and knowledge, as well as the confidence, to be able to plan and carry out their own dissertation research study in the following academic year. This unit provides a safe and lower stakes opportunity to experiment with their thinking about research in education, to enable them to prepare for designing their own project in the following year.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course unit students will be able to:
This unit will be taught using a mixture of activities including seminars, lectures, reading and discussions.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
ILO 3&4: individual Powepoint presentation
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
ILO 1-4: A 2,500-word research proposal plan to study a particular educational question in a particular area of the city (100%).
When assessment does not go to plan
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, failed components will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUC20003).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
