module specification

The module will provide you with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a subject which is of personal and subject interest in the field of the built environment. You may focus your research upon a topic or challenge 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 theoretically informed research.  The module will develop your understanding of the linkages between conceptual issues, subject area, and research methods.

The module will introduce you to research methods and strategies which are appropriate to your chosen area of study. It will provide you with experience in the planning and implementation of a research project and the subsequent writing up of research findings in a dissertation.

You will be introduced to this module before the end of the level 5 academic year.  This introduction will take the form of a briefing session to enable you to begin the process of considering potential areas of study ahead of the next academic year.

The syllabus is informed by the course syllabus and reading material alongside contemporary issues, research, and practice within the built environment. Topics will include:
• Identifying a topical area of study (LO1)
• Refining the topic (LO1)
• 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)
• Elements of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods (LO3,4)
• Methods of data collection, and analysis (LO4)
• Referencing your work (LO5)
• Presenting your findings (LO5)
• The ethics of research (LO5)

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.

Where appropriate, activities will be captured and made available to allow asynchronous access.

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.

Once supervisors are allocated, one-to-one tutorials between supervisors and students will take place at appropriate intervals. Throughout the supervisor stage of the module, it remains 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.

The 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 forward feedback.

On completion of the module the student, operating independently and applying their knowledge and skills, should be able to:
1. Create a considered, topical, applied research project.
2. Appraise complex ideas and analysis in their area of study.
3. Formulate an argument within an appropriate 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 complex information through writing clear, comprehensible narrative in accordance with academic conventions.

Applied research is designed to solve practical problems. It is original investigation directed towards a specific practical aim or objective. The module will be assessed based on the written submissions which represent the outcomes of the students’ applied research. 

The module will encourage students to reflect on their own backgrounds in choosing their project, for example the subject or the location of their study, enabling students with different backgrounds and experiences to participate on level terms. Project proposals which are based on a comparative approach to current UK and international perspectives are welcomed. Students will be assessed based on the project proposal and final report submission.

Coursework 1: Individual - Project Outline (500 words)

Coursework 1 is a formative submission and is the statement that launches the project through the student identifying the proposed subject of their study. 

The submission will be the output of a timetabled workshop during which students will brainstorm together, and present individually, potential subject areas for their study which they will have to defend based on their topicality and relevance to the course.  This will be an interactive, engaging, and beneficial event for all involved

Students will receive formative feedback on their Project Outline which will indicate to the students whether the topic is suitable and capable of being developed as a piece of research.  The submission will provide the basis for the allocation of a supervisor allowing the student to arrange their first supervisor/student formative feedback meeting.

Coursework 2: Individual - Project Proposal (1000 words) 15% weighting

The individual project proposal is a report that states the aim and objectives of the project (academic research or real project), the knowledge gap, the worthiness of the project, and outlines the methods to be used to achieve the aim.

Coursework 3: Applied Research Project (5,500 words) 85% weighting

This coursework requires the student to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of their chosen area of research. The aims and objectives of the research must be clearly expressed. Students will be required to provide a literature review which presents a detailed critique of their chosen subject area based on a wide range of sources.  The research methodology chosen will need to be appropriate with an explicit link between the methodology and the research aim and objectives. Research findings will need to be clearly presented, with appropriate analysis and links back to the existing body of knowledge. The conclusions must relate directly to the stated project aim and objectives alongside realistic real-world recommendations.  Throughout the student must write in an appropriate style and in accordance with recognised 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.

Core:-
Richard F. Fellows (Author),  Anita M. M. Liu   Research Methods for Construction (2021) Wiley Blackwell
Saunders, Mark, Thornhill, Adrian, Lewis, Philip (2019) Research Methods for Business Students, 8th edition, FT Prentice Hall
Richard Pears  (Author), Graham Shields (2022) Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide ( 12th Ed) Bloomsbury Study Skills

There is excellent coverage of topical events within the construction and real estate sector available via a number of online publications, and events which can be found on websites such as:

CIOB Global Construction Review
Association for Project Management news
RICS news and insight