| Unit name | Core Skills in Educational Research |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM5501 |
| Credit points | 0 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Bakopoulou |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| 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 is designed to ensure that students about to embark upon a research degree have acquired the core skills necessary to access information from the library, and the web; particularly the electronic sources that are available. Students are made aware of techniques and resources to improve their level in word processing and use of e-mail, and provided with opportunities to enhance these skills. More cognitive generic skills such as critical thinking and originality, particularly as applied to, for example, reading and reviewing the literature will be developed. All these aspects will be addressed within the general context of starting out on a research programme with the need to turn ideas into researchable questions
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
The unit provides a foundation for the other units on the programme and for students’ dissertation projects. It gives students the opportunity to reflect on and plan how to manage their dissertation project, which will be highly useful as they embark on undertaking their Doctoral/Master projects. The unit also supports participants to adopt a critical and analytical basis for the judgement of the quality of the research literature, which connects directly with tasks and assignments on the other units on the programme and their own research. The unit further introduces opportunities for computer software training that will be useful for students when conducting their own research project as part of their dissertation.
An overview of content
Students are introduced to relevant university services including library services, support from the Bristol Doctoral College and activities of the Research Centres and Networks in the School of Education. They get to know techniques and software that will support them in planning and implementing their research projects, and for managing citations and references. Students also learn about the ethics application procedures at the School of Education and academic integrity.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
After attending this unit, students will feel ready and confident to start their journeys as educational researchers.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the unit students will be able to:
A variety of teaching methods will be employed and include:
This unit does not have a summative assessment; it does not award any credit points.
There will be formative assessment throughout the taught sessions, centred around critical evaluations of research literature and approaches, and presentations of students’ research interest and plans.
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. EDUCM5501).
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.
