EDUC 7054 - Research Design

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2015

This course provides an introduction to post-graduate research processes including managing candidature, project planning and ethical research practices.

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Course Details

Course Code	EDUC 7054
Course	Research Design
Coordinating Unit	School of Education
Term	Semester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	1.5hr Lecture & 1.5hr Seminar per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Incompatible	Educational Inquiry
Assessment	Research proposal presentation (20%), reflective blog postings and essay (40%), critical review or research proposal (40%)

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Michelle Picard

Lecturer and Co-ordinator Sem 2, 2015:
Mr Richard Warner

Phone: 08 8313 36038
Email: richard.warner@adelaide.edu.au

Campus: North Terrace

Rooms: Floor 8, Room 07, Nexus 10 Building, 10 Pultney Street, North Terrace

Office hours: 2 – 4:00 Wednesdays

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Develop a research focus and convey research goals clearly in oral and written form

2. Demonstrate self-evaluation skills through engaging in reflective practice and clearly articulating insights gained in oral and written form

3. Access resources necessary for individual and group research projects

4. Use print and electronic resources effectively to convey research goals

5. Evaluate and synthesize written materials

6. Critically review key research content in spoken and written form

7. Interact and network effectively with peers

8. Demonstrate ethical research considerations in both research practices and communication.

9. Demonstrate an understanding of how ontology, epistemology, methodology and data collection and analysis methods work together in a well-designed research project (Education/Social Sciences students only)

最新糖心Vlog Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised.	1,3,4,6,8, 9
The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner.	2,3,4,5,6,8
An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems.	2,3,7,8, 9
Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication.	1,2,7,8
A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies.	3,4,8
A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life.	3,6,7, 9
A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community.	2,3,8,9
An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities.	2, 8, 9

Learning & Teaching Modes

The course is built around a series of lectures covering the fundamental research design processes. These are complemented by seminars 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.

1 x 1.5 hour lecture/ workshop per week (x12) = 18 hours
1 x 1.5 hour seminar per week or additional reading = 18 hours
1x 4 hour reading per week (x12) = 48 hours
2 hours x 5 blogs = 10 hours
Preparation for formative and summative seminar presentations = 20 hours
Research proposal reading and writing = 42 hours
Total = 156

Learning Activities Summary

Week	Lecture/ Workshop	Seminar
1	Understanding the nature of research. (all)	Designing a group project question. Understanding the role of reflective practice in research. (all)
2	The context of research and research project presentations (all)	Research paradigms & causation. (Education/Social Sc)
3	EndNote seminar: Downloading or entering citation information. (all)	Effective searches and caching of sources: databases, evaluating quality of sources, Discipline-based library and search engine introduction. Taking notes.(all)
4	Visit subject librarians and set up a search strategy. Group appointments advising on project. (all)	Critically examining discipline-specific texts, exploring document macro-structure, and conducting genre analysis (micro-level) on introduction stage of an article (all)
5	Introducing a research focus through the literature. Writing an introduction to group project. (all)	Introduction to validity & Reliability in Quantitative & Qualitative Research (Education/Social Sc).
6	Reviewing literature, building an argument, categorising and contrasting. (all)	Exploring exemplars and selecting appropriate methodologies in harmony with research paradigm. (Education/Social Sciences)
7	Developing a theoretical framework and language in theoretical framework and methodologies. (all)	Planning of research paradigm, research design, data collection and analysis appropriate to research questions Reliability and Validity (continued).(Ed & SocS)
8	Ethics: integrity and good practice, (all).	Validity and reliability and ethics in quantitative and qualitative research. Fitness of purpose and its link to validity, reliability and ethics (Ed & SocS).
9	Codes and completing ethics documentation, analysing case studies (all).	Exemplars of data collection and analysis methods (Ed & Soc S).
10	The research process and developing a research proposal and presentation (all).	Exemplars of data collection and analysis methods (Ed & SocS).
11	Presenting seminar of research proposal (all)	Presenting seminar of research proposal (all)
12	Examination of assessment items and evaluating exemplars (all)	Presenting seminar of research proposal (remaining students) (all)

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.

The 最新糖心Vlog'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

This course follows criterion-based assessment. This means that student grades are determined by the standard of work in terms of meeting a number of criteria that represent the requirements for a particular course. In other words, work is judged according to a pre-determined standard of task completion rather than by comparing it to the work of other students undertaking the same course.

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

Assessment task	Task description	Due date	Weight	Learning Objectives
Reflective journal & essay	Students will produce 5+ 400 - 600 words of reflective blog entries. (Formative & Summative)	Week 2- 11 (individual weekly reflections)	20%	1,2, 4, 5,6 and 8
Seminar presentation & participation	Short presentation of a critique on selected readings and a final presentation of the research proposal (Formative & Summative)	Weeks 5, 11 & 12 (activities)	20%	1,3 4,5,7 and 9
Research Proposal	5000 word research proposal following appropriate Faculty template	Week 13	60%	4,5 and 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 .

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