Welcome

Welcome to the course.

In this course, you’ll develop strategies and approaches you can use to help you carry out research online. The skills you learn will be useful to you in research for projects, assignments, or just for general interest. From understanding how search engines work to knowing how to critically evaluate the information you read, this course will help you get the most out of your online research.

What will you study?

Week 1 focuses on preparing for research. You’ll think carefully about what you’re trying to find out, and how to refine your research question. Once you’ve got your question, you’ll then look at search techniques and how to maximise the number of results you find.

In Week 2, you’ll move on to consider the types of sources you are likely to find in your research. Some sources are more suitable for certain research topics, and you will evaluate which ones you’re likely to find most useful for your own research. You’ll also explore a model to help you critically evaluate your sources and formulate your own opinions.

Your tutor on this course is Neil Morris. He is Chair of Educational Technology, Innovation and Change in the School of Education, and Dean of Digital Education at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom (UK).

Throughout the course, you may find terms you are not familiar with; you can use the Glossary in the Downloads section below for key definitions. You may wish to download this now so you can refer to it when needed.

You can use the course map to help you explore the course. Select the image below to access it, or you can download the map from the Downloads section below.

Have your say:

Now we’d like to hear from you. Please use the Comments to introduce yourself to other learners and add a short description of your own experience of research online.

• What experience do you have of research?
• How would you like to improve your research skills?

Please also share a little about where you are from – this course is open to learners worldwide and you’ll get a sense of what modern learning looks like across the globe.

If you are mentioning the course on social media, remember to tag comments with #FLresearchOnline. You can also follow us on Twitter or Facebook where you can find the latest news and updates about all our online courses.

Get started

When you are ready to move on, select Mark as Complete, and then select the name of the next step below.