EDUC 7058 - Research Processes

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2019

This course provides an introduction to post-graduate research processes including managing people and candidature, project planning and ethical research practices. It focuses particularly on the writing up of research project data.

Open All

Course Details

Course Code	EDUC 7058
Course	Research Processes
Coordinating Unit	School of Education
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Assessment	Annotated bibliography 20%,Research article (2000 words) 50%, Presentation of short paper 20%, Class & home exercise (methods) 5%,Class exercise 5%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Igusti Darmawan

School of Education
The University of Adelaide
Level 8, Room 8.09
Nexus 10 Building, 10 Pulteney
Adelaide, 5005 SA
Ph: +61 8 8313 5630
Email: sivakumar.alagumalai@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1	Explain the processes associated with inquiry and research.
2	Recognise the key domains of the Research Development Framework (UofA – CaRST).
3	Generate broad topics and elicit key research problems.
4	State the rationale and importance of informed consent, and ethics approval process.
5	Analyse, synthesize and report research through a synthesis matrix.
6	Generate a conceptual/theoretical framework for a research study in chosen discipline.
7	Identify key methodological elements which need to be presented in a research report/presentation.
8	Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative research methods.
9	Identify the steps for the preparation and trial of questionnaires/tests for research.
10	Communicate a research study through various forms (poster, paper, presentation).

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)	1, 3, 4, 6, 8
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, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9
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	4, 9, 10
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	2, 10
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	2, 4, 6, 9
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	5, 7, 10

Learning Resources

Required Resources

The course uses a number of textbooks which provide information to key concepts and processes highlighted in the learning outcomes. Most of these references are available through the UofA library, and include the following:

Booth, W.C., Colomb, G.G., Williams, J.M., Bizup, J., & FitzGerald, W.T. (2016). The Craft of Research. (4th Ed.). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. [Available at the UofA Library - Online Proquest Ebook Central Academic Complete International Edition]

Creswell, J.W. (2012). Educational research : planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Singapore: Pearson Education.[Available at Barr Smith Library Main collection (370.72 C923e.4)]

de Vaus, D.A. (2001). Research Design in Social Research. SAGE Publications

McMillan, J.H. & Schumacher, S. (2010). Research in Education: Evidence-Based Inquiry. Boston: Pearson.

Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks: SAGE. [Available at Barr Smith Library Main collection (300.72 M643q.2 )]

Recommended Resources

These resources are available online:

BERA - Ethics and Educational Research. http://www.learnersfirst.net/private/wp-content/uploads/Ethics-and-Educational-Research.pdf

Bruniges, M. (2005). An evidence-based approach to teaching and learning. http://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference_2005/15

Sanderson, L. (2010). Informed Consent in Educational Settings and the Novice Researcher. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ925408.pdf

Siniscalco, M.T., & Auriat, N. (2005). Module 8: Questionnaire design. UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002145/214555E.pdf

The Research Development Framework (CaRST) - https://www.adelaide.edu.au/carst/program-structure/research-skills/

Writing A Literature Review and Using a Synthesis Matrix https://writingcenter.fiu.edu/resources/synthesis-matrix-2.pdf

Online Learning

Additional course-related material is available through MyUni.

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course is built around a series of seminars covering the design, writing and presentation of research. These are complemented by SGDE activities addressing the practical aspects of creating research documents/ presentations reporting on primary data.

Workload

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

Workload	Total Hours
1 x 2-hour lecture/workshop per week	24 hours per semester
1 x 1-hour seminar per week or additional reading	12 hours per semester
1 x 3 hours reading per week and Annotated Bibliography	36 hours per semester
Conference preparation in groups	10 hours per semester
Written assignment preparation	74 hours per semester
	Total = 156 hours per semester

Learning Activities Summary

Week	Seminar (Topic)
1	Preparation for Research: Knowledge & Skills. Inquiry → Research → Outputs (incl. policy). Importance of data/information and evidence. Scrutinise evidence-based approach/practice [EBA/P] Note taking / annotated bibliographies (UNE/UniMelb)
2	The Research Process Cycle. The Research Development Framework (CaRST). Generating ideas and scoping. Identifying and defining the problem.
3	Ethics and Informed consent: What, why, how, and when? Human Research Ethics @ the UofA
4	Review of literature and synthesis. Systematic and Critical reviews
5	Making an Argument: Claims → Reasons (Warrants) → Evidence. Writing your argument.
6	Focusing and Bounding: Building a Conceptual Framework. Strategies of Inquiry: Tools & Translations
7	Hypothesis, Research Question and Problem Statement. Refine Research Question (operationalise key constructs)
8	Research Design. Plan Research Methodology.
9	Instrumentation: Questionnaires and Tests.
10	Information/Data Analyses and Reporting/Interpretation of Findings
11	Putting it all together: Reports and Presentations
12	Course conference

Specific Course Requirements

n/a

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 documents and presentations. 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

Task	Due date(s)	Weights	Learning Outcomes
Weekly Flipped-Classroom Quiz*. [5% each week]	Start of each tutorial workshop [8 weeks; starting on Week02]	40%	1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
Individual Poster (Peer reviewed)	Sunday Week 4	10%	1, 2, 3, 4
Synthesis of literature	Sunday Week 8	20%	3, 4, 5, 6
Group presentation of planned research (report to include introduction, literature review, research question(s), methodology, instrumentation and proposed pilot study)	Week 12	30%	3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

*Weekly Flipped-Classroom: Pre-workshop Quizzes
Pre-workshop quizzes are an essential way of demonstrating your preparation for seminars and workshops. As the name implies, each quiz must be completed before the start of each week’s seminar/workshop. The Quiz for each week will be made available at the start of each session, and then will close within 20 minutes. Ensure you have completed each quiz before it closes to avoid missing out on the opportunity to get marks and show that you have prepared for the week. When you have completed the Quiz you will be presented the answers and references which you should save, download or print to be used for discussion.

Assessment Related Requirements

Note that attendance at seminars is compulsory. Students who are unable to provide documents for non-attendance (as per the assessment policy) will fail the course.

All assessments are graded according to rubrics distributed in class.

Lateness policy

Extensions
Extensions can only be sought under the provisions of the Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy or the Reasonable Adjustments for Teaching and Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy.

Lateness
For work that is late without formal extension, 2 marks will be deducted from the percentage mark for every day (or part thereof) the work is late to a maximum of 7 days (including weekends and public holidays). For example, an assignment that is 3 days late: raw score of 80% - 6 marks lateness deduction = 74% final mark.
For work with a formal extension, lateness policy will apply from the extended due date.
Cut-off date
There will be a cut-off date for each assignment 7 days after the original due date unless otherwise stipulated in the course guide. After the cut-off the work will not be accepted, and a mark of zero will automatically be awarded.

Assessment Detail

Assessment detail will be provided on introduction of each assignment.

Submission

Please refer to the Lateness policy above

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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator