| Unit name | Understanding Educational Research |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM5502 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lucas |
| 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 | |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit develops concepts and practices to enable participants to develop a reasoned evaluation of published educational research. The unit provides an overview of paradigmatic differences that operate in social science research and facilitates participants in considering the implications of these for understanding and evaluating research in their own field of interest. Particular attention will be paid to associated issues concerning the relationship between evaluation and educational values; research ethics; implications for research design and methodology; research quality criteria; and the intended applications and audiences of the research. Participants will critically engage with these issues by evaluating one or more published studies in their field of interest as group activities during the unit and as the basis for individually prepared assessed work.
Aims:
After taking this unit, the student should:
The unit is taught intensively. The course includes practical activities, reading tasks, discussion and opportunities to relate course material to participants’ own research ideas. Students also engage in a group presentation of a critical evaluation of a research text.
Formative assessment tasks include the oral presentation of an evaluation of published research undertaken in groups of approximately four students to the whole class.Summative assessment consists of a 4000 word evaluation of a student selected report of research concerned with evaluating research in the student’s area of interest.
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. EDUCM5502).
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.
