Postgraduate Course: Applied Carbon Methods (online) (PGGE11217)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course reflects the cross-disciplinary nature of the programme and the wide range of research projects and reading that may be undertaken now and in the future. Its applied nature centres on developing skills to craft an appropriate design for any research problem (whether academic or professional), including an introduction to a selection of methods and data analysis techniques applicable to Carbon Management. Development of these fundamental research and problem-solving skills will be useful for both the MSc dissertation and future careers in a wide range of areas.
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| Course description |
This course aims to provide students with the building blocks to design and understand what is needed to carry out any research project in general, and the MSc dissertation specifically. Students will have the opportunity to further develop critical analysis skills that are transferable and valuable to non-academic organisations -- from private industry to NGOs; to use an 'evidence-informed' approach to evaluate key areas of carbon management and ultimately to make recommendations on improving the status quo.
The course covers three specific areas of research skills. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
- Research Design: distinguish between the main design approaches that may be used to conduct research, and to understand when and why to use them. A select number of specific research methods for primary data collection are presented and practiced. It should be noted the universe of potential methods for a Carbon Management dissertation is vast. We cannot possibly cover them all, but those included in the course have been typical.
- Communication: tell a story in a compelling and robust manner that engages an audience, a skill integral to generating impact. Weekly Tutorials are used as opportunity to undertake hands-on exercises to develop and communicate our ideas.
- Analysis: critically analyse and synthesise literature, conducting and writing review specifically and research reports in general. Fundamental and more advanced statistical data analysis tools and techniques will also feature, to provide a basis for more comprehensive future self-study of where warranted.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework 100%:
20%: Elevator Pitch
30%: InfoGraphic
50%: Research/Project Proposal
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Justify and apply appropriate research design & methods for any project
- Identify, synthesise, and critically evaluate literature in a given field
- Communicate content of a complex nature to a range of audiences
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Reading List
The following are texts are preparatory. Additional texts are assigned throughout the course for the relevant lectures. Details of further reading for individual lectures can be found in the full course Resource List on the VLE and Learn.
Research Design in Social Research. David de Vaus, 2001. SAGE Publications, London. This text forms the basis for much of the first half of the course.
Research Design (International Student Edition). John W Creswell, 2013. SAGE Publications, London. This text will be used more selectively than the preceding, but is highly recommended for developing the research proposal.
The Craft of Research. Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams, 2008. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. This is one of the most comprehensive and accessible books addressing how to undertake academic research. It is aimed at all researchers and addresses many of the topics in this course. Written as a general 'how to' guide in setting and writing up research rather than a traditional textbook format. (Available as an e-book. The 2016 version is practically identical, though only available in print.) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
After completing this course, students should be able to:
- develop analytical, numerical and problem solving skills;
- critically assess existing understanding in a defined area of knowledge;
- recognise qualitative and quantitative techniques as appropriate to the analysis of particular circumstances;
- apply a range of relevant quantitative and qualitative research methods; and,
- use relevant literature and data reference materials. |
| Keywords | Qualitative Research,Quantitative Research,Literature Review,Critical Reading |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Stephen Porter
Tel: (0131 6)51 4545
Email: stephen.porter@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Karolina Galera
Tel: (0131 6)50 2572
Email: k.galera@ed.ac.uk |
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