Postgraduate Course: Applied Research Skills in Environment and Society (PGGE11268)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course provides a Masters level introduction to the research approaches, skills and methods that underpin modern social and environmental
sciences, with an emphasis on collecting and analysing data. Through a mixture of practicals, group work, lectures, tutorials and discussion we will explore why and how we do science at the intersection of the social and natural sciences. The course has a focus on mixed methods research by introducing students to quantitative and qualitative skills that can be used independently but that are increasingly used in combination with one another. |
| Course description |
This course provides a Masters level introduction to the research approaches, skills and methods that underpin modern social and environmental
sciences, with an emphasis on collecting and analysing data. Through a mixture of practicals, group work, lectures, tutorials and discussion we will explore why and how we do science at the intersection of the social and natural sciences.
The course will help students prepare for dissertations or projects that involve data collection or analysis. The course has a focus on mixed methods
research by introducing students to quantitative and qualitative skills that can be used independently but that are increasingly used in combination with one another.
The course is structured around lectures followed by small group tutorials, a format which caters for students with very varied backgrounds. There is also a focus on getting your hands dirty, collecting and analysing your own data set, as well as working with other larger data sets. The course is aimed at those with an undergraduate in either social or natural science. It is introductory in the sense that it assumes no prior experience of either, but quickly moves to Masters Level in both.
Wk 1: Course Introduction; overview of doing environmental and social sciences; what makes science 'good'? Introduction to RStudio;
Wk 2: Epistemology case study, theory in social science and starting to plan research
Wk 3: Thinking critically about science
Wk 4: Quantitative Skills 1: Thinking about data, how to describe it and how to visualise it
Wk 5: Quantitative Skills 2: Introduction to statistical models
Wk 6: Qualitative Skills 1: Developing and designing qualitative research tools
Wk 7: Data collection and/or drop-in to class for support on group work Wk 8: Qualitative Skills 2: Analysing Qualitative Data
Wk 9: Quantitative Skills 3: Linear regression
Wk 10: Doing mixed methods research in practice
Wk 11: Course overview and reflections on methods
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 32 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
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 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% Coursework
Assessment 1: Research methods workbook 40%. Starts Wk4, due Friday Wk7 (7 March), 12:00 noon.
For this assignment you will receive a series of short questions that require the students to use quantitative skills to answer. Students will be expected to provide plots, statistical outputs and interpret outputs from statistical tests. In addition, there will be content on epistemology in research.
A2 Research report and self-reflection Starts W2 due Friday wk 11 (4th April), 12:00 noon 60%. Word limit 2000 words.
For this assignment you will design and then execute a small research project. You will be assigned a group and in that group you will design a research question, develop appropriate data collection methods to answer this question, collect the data and analyse the data before writing a
report of the methods and findings. Groups are free to develop different methods to answer their chosen question which could include secondary data collection and analysis, designing a short survey tool and a longer interview protocols. You are expected to use mixed-methods so a mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches is expected. Once the data has been collected it is to be analysed individually and this will be written up as a research report.
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| Feedback |
Students will be given formative feedback through small group discussions, tutorials and practicals each week.
Summative feedback will be provided on the two assessments outlined above
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and appreciate that science is not value neutral, and that it is conducted for a variety of reasons and with different beliefs about reality
- Collect, record and organise qualitative and quantitative data
- Select and then undertake the appropriate type of analysis for a given dataset
- Report your results and analysis in a professional manner appropriate for your audience
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The course allows students to develop their skills in undertaking qualitative and quantitative research, relevant to both the social and natural sciences.
You will develop skills in manipulating, summarising, visualising and analysing data, using the statistical software R, as well as developing your conceptual understanding of how statistics can be used to answer research questions.
You will also develop the skills to collect, analyse and visualise spatial data.
You will also develop skills in qualitative research: how to collect, analyse, code, and summarise data from semi- structured interviews, and how to assess data validity.
You will learn how to generalise from your sample / case study to wider relevance, using theory or statistics.
You will also learn how to mix quantitative and qualitative research methods, and how to report and write up research that spans both.
These skills are important for both undertaking research (e.g. as part of your dissertation or project, or a future PhD), and also provide important skills for those who need to utilise, synthesise or evaluate scientific research in a
professional context. |
| Keywords | applied research skills,environment,social sciences,quantitative,qualitative |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Janet Fisher
Tel: (0131 6)50 5097
Email: Janet.Fisher@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Lynn Taylor
Tel:
Email: Lynn.Taylor@ed.ac.uk |
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