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
• Appraise your research skills and learning needs, identifying strengths and weaknesses in relation to your future career plans
• Critically reflect on your learning experience and skills development
• 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

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

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: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

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