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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Moray House School of Education and Sport : Research (EDU)

Postgraduate Course: Dissertation (MSc Education all pathways) (REDU11083)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education and Sport CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeDissertation AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits60 ECTS Credits30
SummaryThe Dissertation is a major study that demands a high level of individual application and commitment to research and enquiry. It provides students with the opportunity to identify, reflect on and explore a relevant topic that is of interest to them and/or has implications for their own professional development.
Course description There are a number of possible types of dissertation that may be considered appropriate (e.g. empirical research, desk-based research, research proposal, practicum/work-based research placement or journal article style dissertation). Students in discussion with their supervisors and with the MSc Dissertation Director should decide the focus and design of the study. Whether empirical or not, the dissertation should demonstrate an understanding of research design, data collection and analysis, presentation and research ethics.

Before writing the dissertation and/or collecting any data, students must submit a detailed dissertation proposal and they must obtain ethical approval for their project. If the proposal is satisfactory, a student may begin work on the dissertation. Students will receive support and guidance from their supervisor while developing their proposals and while carrying out the project.

In addition students will be able to access school level support in the form of eveing lectures and a week of sessions covering different aspects of research design, data collection and data analysis.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Full Year
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 600 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 12, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 588 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework 100%
The Dissertation is a single essay composed of 12,000 words. The dissertation director will provide general direction about the nature of the assessment task. Supervisors will also provide specific guidance to students about the assessment task via a series of group and/or individual supervision meetings.

To pass the course students are also required to submit a research proposal of 1000- 2000 words.
Feedback Students will receive significant feedforward guidance on various aspects of their dissertation from their supervisor including detailed individualised comments on one draft chapter.

Students will present a poster outlining their proposals for formative feedback at a 'conference' to which all academic staff and doctoral students are invited.

Students will receive feedback/ forward on their written proposals from their dissertation supervisor.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Specify a topic of enquiry suitable for a dissertation and justify its theoretical significance, professional relevance and practical feasibility;
  2. Identify and reflect critically on relevant up-to-date literature, research, reports, policy and other scholarly evidence with specific reference to the research process used;
  3. Collect and analyse evidence, justifying the approaches and techniques used, and identify the implications of these decisions in terms of the status of the evidence, and the findings based upon it as well as demonstrate that the study complies with relevant ethical guidelines;
  4. Examine critically the contribution and limitations of the study undertaken and consider what implications the findings have for future education research, policy, theory and/or practice;
  5. Present work, observing appropriate academic conventions in relation to style, tone, structure, paragraphing, paraphrasing, sectioning of the text, proof-reading and referencing.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Keywordsdissertation,research
Contacts
Course organiserMr Omar Kaissi
Tel:
Email: Omar.Kaissi@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Mariana Duarte
Tel:
Email: mariana.duarte@ed.ac.uk
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