Developing research skills: practice-based learning

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Develop an action plan aimed at addressing your skills need or deficit
• Critically reflect on your learning experience and skills development
• Appraise your research skills and learning needs, identifying strengths and weaknesses in relation to your future career plans
• Develop research skills to apply your knowledge in future evidence-based research

For this module, you will work with the module lead who will work with you to identify a suitable research task and identify a suitable research supervisor within a Faculty of Health Sciences Research Group or in an alternative health research setting (for example, on an ethics panel, or clinical trials unit). (http://www.southampton.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/groups.page?).

You will work with the module leader to identify an aspect of research practice that you would like to explore further and to match this to an appropriate research task. Examples of learning opportunities available within the research groups might include one or more of the following: proposal writing; literature review; laboratory analysis skills; secondary data analysis; clinical data collection and management; physiological measurement; presentation and dissemination. Not all opportunities will be available in all Research Groups at all times and external opportunities will depend on availability. The choice of area for study must be negotiated with the module lead.

You will be required to:

• Negotiate learning opportunities within the Research Group that will enable you to meet your identified development need
• Self manage and regulate your activities effectively so that you meet the aims and learning outcomes on time and in an appropriate manner;
• Reflect on and evaluate the process of learning and the results achieved in a systematic and critical way;
• Use feedback from colleagues and academic advisors constructively;
• Take responsibility for collecting evidence to demonstrate learning;
• Sustain your commitment to devising and carrying out an agreed research task .

Tutorials and learning group sessions will underpin this module. The learning group will enable you to reflect on and consolidate learning. Indicative content for these groups will include:

• The self-assessment of research skills and learning needs
• Self-evaluation and reflection
• Future learning needs and career planning
• Evaluation of the context for the chosen research task
• Negotiation of an appropriate output and form of presentation

An induction session will be provided to:

• Identify the module philosophy and purpose.
• Identify your research mentor
• Assist with identification of a research output and form of presentation for the assignment

You will be required to:

• Identify and justify activities/methods/issues suitable for research skills development
• Negotiate, develop and complete a research skills activity
• Develop suitable formats for presentation and assessment

Teaching and learning methods

Negotiated lecture content, self-directed learning, group working, negotiation with research mentor/supervisor, learning groups, tutorials.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Foundations of Clinical Research. Applications to Practice.

Foundations of Clinical Research. Applications to Practice.

Clinical Research in Practice: a guide for the bedside scientist.

Assessment strategy

The formative assessment will comprise a short written summary of the identified research task and the rationale for this in relation to clinical/health research. The summary should be 500 words +/-10%.

Completion of the summative assessment for this module, as follows:

You will identify a research task relevant to a specified clinical or practice context and carry out a reflective essay. You will describe what was the task undertaken and your skills to develop this task (skills you have and skills the task brought you). You will use this to identify what were your learning needs and critically reflect on the task and learning process. The essay should be 3,500 words +/-10%.

Feedback Method

For the formative assessment, students will receive brief written feedback via e-mail on their assignment plan/extract from the module leader, in line with the policy on reading drafts.

For the summative assignment, detailed written feedback highlighting strengths of the assignment and areas for development will be provided by the marker.

A pass mark of 50% must be achieved in this summative assessment to successfully complete this module.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Formative Assessment

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Written feedback, by e-mail from module lead
• Final Assessment:
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.