module specification

The module follows on from CO7P00S and will provide students with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a subject that is of personal interest in your field. You should focus your research upon a topic or problem relevant to your current programme of study and based upon 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 and undertake rigorous and theoretically informed research. The module will allow you to apply your learning from CO7P00S and compose an in-depth critical analysis on a subject that is of interest to you in the Built Environment. The final submission is a dissertation.

Throughout the two semesters of this module, students will be supported by their supervisor with whom they can discuss their ideas, seek advice, and gain valuable formative feedback.

The module does not have any formal taught elements as research methods were taught in CO7P00S. This module requires students to work with the supervisor in the collection of any outstanding primary data (LO2), the analysis of their research (LO3) , and writing up their findings in the form of a dissertation (LO1, LO4)Students are expected to arrange their supervisor meetings in good time and are able to have 1:1 meetings with their supervisor during the course of this module to support them and provide formative feedback.

The Research Methods programme 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, which, coupled with independent research, will help guide students in their identification and justification of 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.

1:1 tutorials between supervisors and students will take place at appropriate intervals. It is the students’ responsibility to arrange and attend tutorials at a frequency appropriate to the stage of the work and at times mutually convenient to students and supervisors.

Some group tutorials will also be offered to support students in the preparation of their assessments, with opportunities for students to receive forward 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. demonstrate sound skills for this level of study in applying research methods and data collection.
3. demonstrate sound analytical skills for this level of study in interpreting data from research, whether quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods.
4. 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