module specification

The module will provide you with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a subject that is of personal and academic interest within your field. You should focus your research on a topic or problem relevant to your current programme of study, based on an academic subject of interest, your current work practice, or recent work experience or placement. The submission will take the form of a dissertation.

You are encouraged to develop your critical thinking skills and undertake rigorous, theoretically-informed research. The module will deepen your understanding of the links between conceptual issues, the subject area, and research methods.

The module will introduce you to research methods and strategies that are appropriate to your area of study. It will provide you with experience in the planning and implementation of a research project, as well as the subsequent writing up of research findings in a dissertation, while encouraging you to engage in critical thinking throughout the process.

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The syllabus is informed by contemporary research and practice. Topics will include:

• Elements of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods. (LO3, 4)
• Approaches to identifying a topical area of study and the process of refining the topic and establishing your research question, hypothesis, aims and objectives. (LO1)
• The existing body of knowledge and how to bring this into your writing through a critical review of the literature. (LO2,3,4)
• Methods of data collection, and analysis. (LO4)
• Referencing your work. (LO5)
• Presenting your findings. (LO5)
• The ethics of research. (LO5)

The module will build a strong foundation on research methods, which will be delivered through formal contact sessions supported by online content. The contact sessions will encourage students to discuss ideas and consider a variety of research strategies and data-collection techniques. The online content will provide students with a formal, structured framework within which to approach their research.

Workshops will be held in which students will engage in discussions about topical areas within the Built Environment sector. This, coupled with independent research, will help guide students in identifying and justifying a subject to study.
The principal emphasis throughout the module is on self-directed learning. Students will be required to take responsibility for identifying their own research goals and planning their own research programme.

Once supervisors are allocated, one-to-one tutorials between supervisors and students will take place at appropriate intervals. However, it remains the student’s responsibility to arrange and attend tutorials at a frequency appropriate to the stage of the work and at times mutually convenient to both students and supervisors.

Learning and teaching will be supported by the University’s VLE and a blended learning approach, sharing class materials, recommended reading, and case studies. Group tutorials will also be offered to support students in the preparation of their assessments, with opportunities for students to receive formative feedback.

On completion of the module the learner, operating independently and applying their knowledge and skills, should be able to:

1. Create a considered, topical, applied research project.
2. Evaluate complex ideas and analysis in their area of study.
3. Formulate a complex argument within a theoretical and practical framework.
4. Demonstrate self-direction, confidence, resilience, ambition, and creativity in carrying out independent and evidence informed study in an area of the built environment.
5. Communicate research findings through writing clear, comprehensible narrative in accordance with academic conventions.

There is no single text currently in publication that provides a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of this module. There are several books which cover various parts of the module in some detail, and these are listed in the core text list.

Link to library reading list