Concepts & Skills

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Understand current debates regarding the quality of scientific research
• Understand how to assess the quality of scientific research

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Plan and manage practical aspects of conducting research with human participants
• Use appropriate software and technical skills for spoken presentations and written reports

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Manage and research current debates and summarise them clearly and succinctly in written form
• Produce high-quality spoken presentations

This module comprises of weekly 2-hour sessions. Some sessions will include a lecture component, others will include a workshop component. For most sessions, students will be asked to read a set of articles and papers which will be discussed during the sessions. Students will also have the opportunity to practice key academic skills such presenting own research ideas and critically evaluating other research.

The module will likely cover topics such as:

• Working in academia, government, and industry in a research-focused role
• CV building, time management, and work-life balance
• Technical skills and software relevant to conducting and presenting research
• PhD and grant funding
• Publications and peer review
• Presentations and teaching
• Assessing the quality of scientific research
• Critical thinking and evaluating evidence

Teaching and learning methods

The teaching methods are varied, but all emphasise active learning and encourage students to apply their acquired skills to their own experience and research interests. The weekly sessions typically consist of small group lectures and/or staff-led seminars in which students develop their evaluation and presentation skills. Students are also expected to contribute to the formative evaluation and feedback of other students in the group.

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

All resources will be via published research or online documents/guides/information. There will be no set textbook for this course..

Assessment strategy

Presentation: Students will be asked to present a ‘Job Talk’ for a job that they might apply for. This will be in line with job talks given for research-related jobs, such as PhD or Postdoc positions, and lectureships. Students will submit a recording of their job talk presentation for assessment.

Review: A selection of empirical papers will be provided across a range of subject matters. Students will choose one of these papers and write a review of the article (treating it as if it were an unpublished manuscript that has been sent to them by a journal editor for peer review as part of the publication process).

Summative

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

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal