Research Methods

Module Description

This module is designed to help you gain an understanding of research approaches and skills, as well as the ability to deploy research methods in your studies or professional life.  

If you have to conduct research as part of your postgraduate studies and if you would like additional support for self-improvement, then this module is for you.  

It provides a comprehensive introduction to research methods and covers broad topics, including the fundamentals of doing research, research methods, research design, data collection and data analysis.  

In discussing each topic, the ethical implications of research will be covered. Research is a craft and, like any other craft, takes practice to do it well. Therefore, this module places the student experience at the center of our endeavors by engaging you in a range of robust and challenging discussions and exercises.

You will have opportunity to learn through practice in all aspects of the course— during class meetings, online classrooms and even in out-of-class assignments. 

No prior knowledge or experience in research is required to take this course. 

Entry Requirements

Candidates who apply for this course must possess one of the following: 

• a Level 6 degree; 

 OR  

• a Level 5 diploma or higher diploma and 5 years’ work experience in a supervisory or managerial role. 

Preference is given to applicants having a Level 6 degree in a discipline related to the study programme and a minimum of 3 years’ work experience in management.  

Target Audience

This course is targeted at management professionals with supervisory and/or middle management experience such as:  

• Operations Manager/ Coordinator 
• Financial Manager 
• Supply Chain Manager 
• Shop Floor Manager/ Supervisor 
• Marketing and Sales Manager 
• Services Manager/ Supervisor. 
• Retail Managers/ Supervisors 
• Transport Managers 
• Maintenance Managers 
• Marketing Managers 

The target group focuses primarily on people already employed within supervisory and managerial roles who wish to have a more thorough background in the subject in order to progress further in their careers. 

Module / Unit Instructions

The proposed structure comprises a blended approach promoting the building of a community of practice via peer-to-peer learning. The structure uses primarily two dimensions of teaching-learning modes:

1. Face-to-face sessions: 18 hours

2. Online Learning Activities: 12 hours

Face to Face sessions

Face-to-face sessions include lectures, tutorials, discussions, presentations and workshop activities promoting peer-to-peer learning.

Online Learning Activities

Online learning activities incorporate tutorials and asynchronous discussions. These may consist of active interaction, participation and contributions in fora discussions, sharing resources and self-reflection exercises.

Learners also contribute to the building of the community of practice by providing feedback to their peers as critical friends, enhancing the learner’s critical engagement throughout the study period.

The tutor provides continual support during both teaching -learning modes by providing information, readings and tasks relevant to the module in question.

The tutor provides continuous formative feedback as an on-going guidance during the student’s learning experience in preparation for their summative assessment.

How you’ll be assessed

Assessment of each module consists of two assignments, each carrying a weighting as below:

a) One Formative assignment carries 20% of total module mark achieved. b) One Summative assignment carries 80% of total module mark achieved.

For successful completion of a study module the student is required to achieve a minimum of 41% pass mark in both the formative and the summative assignment.

The overall grade achieved for each module is calculated as the sum of: · 20% of the mark achieved for formative assignment; and · 80% of the mark achieved for the summative assignment.

All assignment tasks of both formative and summative assessment aim to provide the learner an opportunity to produce evidence of his/her competences aligned to the learning outcomes of each individual Module.

Assessment

a) Formative assessment tasks are provided in the form of structured online discussions that support learners in their development throughout all of the modules studied.

Such discussions are facilitated and monitored by lecturer who provides students with constructive feedback to help them improve and prepare for summative assignment and dissertation.

For successful completion of a study module the student is required to achieve a minimum of 41% pass mark in the formative assignment.

Formative assessment tasks will contribute to the student’s final mark to acknowledge their work and give chance to improve.

This method allows students to also contribute to the building of the community of practice by providing feedback to their peers as critical friends, enhancing the learner’s critical engagement throughout the study period.

b) Summative assessment is done via one assignment at the end of each module. The mode of assessment varies and may include in-class assignments, and home-based written assignments.

The recommended assessment tool for this module is an essay title or case studies based on relevant real-life scenarios.

Word count range: 3000 ± 10% For successful completion of a study module the student is required to achieve a minimum of 41% pass mark in summative assignment.