Unit information: Research Methods in 2015/16

Unit name	Research Methods
Unit code	MEEDM0001
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Fowler
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	PG Cert core units 1-4
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Teaching and Learning for Health Professionals
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

This will be a core Unit for those progressing to the MSc in Teaching and Learning for Health Professionals. The Unit is important in providing students with appropriate knowledge of and skills in research so that they will be able to carry out their dissertation confidently and competently, whatever their background in relation to research may be. For this reason this will be a mandatory Unit. The Unit will cover critical appraisal of research, research design, data management and an introduction to data analysis. It is based on the tutor's experience in teaching the sorts of staff who would be applying for the Programme. Participants who have already done research themselves may well have some of the relevant skills, but this unit is important in highlighting the processes of applying them to an educational focus rather than a clinical or scientific one.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The Unit will develop students' ability to:

• read and appraise the literature
• use online databases to search for relevant publications
• use data management tools more efficiently
• write of a research protocol.

It will also develop students' knowledge of:

• study design
• questionnaire design
• quantitative and qualitative methods in research

Teaching Information

The principle teaching and learning methods will include the following:

Workshops, demonstration, discussion, group exercises, tutorials, computers and online learning.

Assessment Information

An assignment comprising 3,000 words.

Provisional deadlines: within 12 weeks of the first study day for a Unit.

Students will be required to write a research proposal designed to explore the research focus that they are thinking of for their thesis. The proposal must contain a suitable literature review, choice of methodology with a justification for the methodology chosen, sample size calculation, data analysis section and a consideration of research ethics.

Reading and References

• Bell J (1993). Doing Your Research Project: A guide for first time researchers in education and social science. Buckingham, Philadelphia: Open University Press.

• Borg W and Gall M (1989). Educational research: an introduction. New York: Longman.

• Burgess RG (1989). The Ethics of Educational Research. (Edn: 8) London: Falmer Press.

• Cohen L and Manion L (1994). Research Methods in Education. New York: Routledge.

• Punch K (1998). Introduction to social research. London: Sage.

• Sapsford R and Jupp V (1996). Data collection and analysis. London: Sage.