EDUC 7054NA - Research Design

Ngee Ann Academy - Quadmester 1 - 2017

This course provides an introduction to all elements of designing a research project from developing a researchable question to ethical issues. It supports students in becoming critical consumers of research and provides strategies for searching for and critiquing literature. It also provides guidance on writing a research proposal.

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Course Details

Course Code	EDUC 7054NA
Course	Research Design
Coordinating Unit	School of Education
Term	Quadmester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Ngee Ann Academy
Units	3
Contact	Up to 4 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Incompatible	EDUC 7001 Educational Inquiry
Assessment	Research proposal 60%, Seminar presentation 20%, Reflective blogs 20%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Nishani Singh

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course successful students will be able to

1. Evaluate and synthesize research materials to identify relevant areas for research
2. Convey research goals clearly in a variety of formats
3. Interact and network effectively with peers in a team environment
4. Demonstrate an understanding of ethical research considerations
5. Demonstrate an understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	4,5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	2,3
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	3
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	4
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	3

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There is no compulsory textbook for this course. Rather students will be required to read selected literature on key research design processes covered in the course and disciplinary texts as appropriate. Key texts will be available on MyUni.

Recommended Resources

Education/Social Sciences students are encouraged to purchase the following textbook for the course and their future development:

Cohen, Manion & Morrison (2011), Research Methods in Education 7th Edition, Routledge.

Additional resources for Education/Social Sciences students are also available at the website for this book:

http://cw.routledge.com/textbooks/cohen7e/

Online Learning

An online version of the materials is provided in modular form on MyUni along with additional resources.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course is built around a series of workshops covering the fundamental research design processes. These are complemented by workshops addressing the practical application of these processes. Related assignments are designed to consolidate the learning of key principles and development of skills in the appropriate research design processes.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Workload	Total Hours
2 X Intensives of 16 hours each	32 hours
Blog Writing and responding to others' formative presentations	18 hours
Reading and reviewing literature	36 hours
Preparation for formative and summative seminar presentation	20 hours
Research proposal reading and writing	50 hours
	Total = 156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

Week	Theory Topic	Practice Topic
Intensive 1: Day 1	Understanding the nature of research. Research Design components.	Designing a research question. Understanding the role of reflective practice in research.
Intensive 1: Day 2	Research Paradigms and lenses; the role of theory in designing research;	Reviewing literature and searching strategies; taking effective notes; Referral to Endnote Workshops online. Homework: Develop a research question and reflect on this process in a blog entry.
Intensive 1: Day 3	Writing and presenting introductions; selecting an overall research design (e.g. ethnography, case study, survey) & theory	Action research project; Presenting introductions; Issue + Evidence, Literature Categories, Gap, Lens + Research Question.
Break between intensives	Work on and finalise written and/or oral introductions
Intensive 2: Day 4	Revision overall research design, paradigms and the role of theory; causation; extreme inductive & deductive reasoning	Grounded theory: as an extreme inductive methodology; Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analysisand surveys as more deductive methodologies;
Intensive 2: Day 5	Interviews & observations as qualitative and quantitative methods; historical and documentary research; validity and reliability;	Ethics general module Relationship of paradigm to research design/methodology to data collection and analysis methods; overall research design; ethics exercises
Intensive 2: Day 6	Example proposals and presentations; putting the project together	Grading of examples; Opportunity to present whole proposal and receive feedback from colleagues and lecturer
9	Writing ethics applications (human and animal) (all)	Presenting on different methodologies, historical and documentary research (Education & other Arts only)
After second Intensive	Send presentations as a narrated powerpoint one week after 2nd intensive or arrange Skype interview for presentation	Complete full research proposal with all essential elements.

Specific Course Requirements

Note that at least 80% attendance at seminars is compulsory and that students must complete at least 3 assessment items (i.e. the presentation of the research proposal (group or individual), critical review OR research proposal AND reflective essay.

Small Group Discovery Experience

This class focusses entirely on research skills development. Students meet twice at least in small groups to receive individual and peer feedback on their research proposals. Numerous small group activities with the Senior research active academic are included throughout the course.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Research proposal	Written proposal	60%	4, 5, 6, 8, 9
Seminar presentation	Oral presentation	20% (with 5% formative)	1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9
Reflective blogs & activities	2 Written blogs and 2 online exercises/peer feedback	20%	1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8

Assessment Related Requirements

Students who are unable to provide justification for non-attendance will fail the course. Also completion of AT LEAST the group seminar presentation and either the critical review and reflective essay OR the research proposal are mandatory.

Assessment Detail

Reflective Journal
Students will produce 2 blog entries and take part in an additional 2 online interactive activities. (Formative & Summative)
Due Date: During and between two intensives
Weighting: 20%
Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8

Seminar Presentation & Participation
Short presentation of a critique on selected readings and a final presentation of the research proposal. (Formative & Summative)
Due Date: Day 3 Intensive 1; Day 6 & After Intensive 2 (activities)
Weighting: 20%
Learning Objectivities: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9

Research Proposal
4000 word research proposal following appropriate Faculty template. Can be done in two parts: Introduction (including literature review and research questions; Research Design
Due Date: 3 weeks after 2nd intensive
Weighting: 60%
Learning Objectivities: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9

Submission

All assignments must be submitted electronically either as blogs or as email attachments to the lecturer by 12:00 midnight of the Friday of the due week.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
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Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator