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Independent Research Project: Methodology and Methods

Select your methodology, gain ethics approval and identify the evidence needed to support your project.

Independent Research Project: Methodology and Methods

  • Duration

    1 week

  • Weekly study

    4 hours
Overview
Topics
Requirements
Educators

Explore the research methodology and methods required for your research project

Your methodology determines how you will go about gathering evidence and analysing it, in order to answer your research question. This course covers quality, ethics, selecting your methodology, and gathering and analysing evidence.

What topics will you cover?

During this course you will cover the following topics:

  • The link between methods and research design
  • The criteria for judging research quality
  • Practical advice on using different research methods
  • Issues of ethics in research, and how to avoid them

This is supported through the following activities:

  • Considering how you will ensure your research has rigour and will demonstrate quality
  • Investigating the ethics requirements in relation to your research methods
  • Selecting and justifying a methodology for your independent research project
  • Listing the data and evidence you need, including the reasons for it, what resources you need, and how long each piece of evidence would take to collect

Learning on this course

You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

Who is the course for?

Postgraduate students undertaking their final project.

Please note that the individuals detailed in the ‘Who will you learn with?’ section below, are current staff members and may be subject to change.

Who will you learn with?

Hilary Mc Laughlin-Stonham

Dr Hilary Mc Laughlin-Stonham
Associate Lecture for Masters Level Courses. Hilary has taught at Universities both in the UK and abroad and is currently research active. PhD, Ma, Ma, AFHEA.

Who developed the course?

Coventry University

Coventry secured gold in the UK Government’s 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and is University of the Year for Student Experience in The Times & The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019.

  • Established

    1992

  • Location

    Coventry

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

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  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

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