Objectives
Many lecturers have previously worked as practitioners before entering university teaching, and have therefore joined the university sector as teachers in mid-career. The Postgraduate Diploma in Research Informed Teaching has been designed for such academic staff. It offers a teaching and learning experience for lecturers who wish to familiarise themselves with the skills and perspectives that inform current research practice, and who wish to gain direct experience in conducting high-quality empirical research.
There are different conceptualisations of what is meant by research-informed-teaching, and of the relationship between teaching and research. For some, research is conducted into the teaching and learning process itself with the aim of improving pedagogical competencies. However, our course is not pedagogically driven it has been designed with a different intention in mind. By providing you with opportunities to design and carry out empirical social research, we aim to help you to become better equipped for \'real world\' teaching. The course aims to alert you to the possibilities that research may open-up for you in terms of providing the insights, knowledge, and skills necessary for you to supervise research projects and contribute to teaching on research methods modules more effectively and with greater confidence. It will also be of benefit to you if you do not currently have a supervisory role. Also if you teach in an area where the findings from empirical research have prominence within your discipline. Having such research experience will enable you to engage more effectively with your subject.
Course description
PGDip Research Informed Teaching
Course content
The postgraduate diploma in research informed teaching comprises three modules:
1. Quantitative and qualitative methodology (20 m level credit points). This compulsory module aims to raise your awareness of the range of research methods commonly used in social science research, and to alert you to the methodological issues involved in deploying these methods in research. You will explore the process of research within political, practical and philosophical contexts. The module will therefore provide you with a general intellectual background for conducting empirical social research. It is assessed by completion of a reflective research report based on completion of a small-scale pilot project.
2. Research design and planning (20 m level credit points). This compulsory module is concerned with the practical and academic issues involved in the preparation and drafting of a research proposal. It provides time for you to work with your supervisor to develop your own research interests, by providing time for working on the design of a practical research project, including the background literature review. You will receive individual supervision (4 hours) for the research design and planning module. The module culminates in the submission for assessment of a formal proposal to conduct this research. This proposal relates to research to be conducted for the final dissertation module, but will also be used as the basis of an application to an external funding agency (such as the Nuffield foundation’s small grants scheme).
3. Dissertation module (80 m level credit points). This compulsory module builds on the research proposal which you will have completed during the rdp module, providing you with the opportunity carry out a small scale empirical research project of your own design, in a research area of your choosing, under the supervision of an experienced researcher. Supervision for the dissertation module will be set at 8 hours. Following completion of this project, you will be required to give a formal presentation of your research and write a 15,000-word dissertation both of which will explore the methodological issues which arose throughout the research experience. The production of the dissertation, therefore, will enable you to consolidate your learning and reflect upon all of the ideas raised throughout the course. This research dissertation will then be re-worked as an 8,000-word research article for submission to a learned journal.
Research-informed teaching
In addition to these three assessed modules, there will be a series of sessions devoted to the principles of research-informed teaching, and how experiences and insights gained through research practice may be used to enrich and enhance teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. These sessions will not be formally assessed.
Assessment
You will be assessed using a variety of assessment techniques. Subject knowledge and understanding is assessed via coursework, research projects, individual presentations, and the final dissertation. These also assess a range of practical, professional and transferable skills.
While carrying out your dissertation you will be required to conduct an extended research project, present/defend your findings and your chosen methodology and write this project up as a 15,000 word dissertation. You will also be required to use the dissertation as the basis of an 8,000-word article submission to a learned journal.
Resources and facilities
You will be based at the City campus, which is ideally situated in Nottingham city centre and close to the £13 million Boots Library. The University offers extensive postgraduate facilities including state of the art electronic library resources, which include access to a wide variety of online databases and journal collections. Many of these are available to you both on campus, and via an Internet linked computer anywhere in the world. The University also prides itself on having a modern network of computer resource rooms, supplying the latest versions of popular and specialist software.
General support for IT resources is provided by specialist technicians in the university’s Information Systems unit, while more specific issues concerning usage of the VLP are dealt with by a dedicated VLP team.
Study routes
The course is studied on a part-time Basis. There are three modules, and the timetable will be:
September 2007 to January 2008 - Quantitative and qualitative methods (usually 2-3 hour classes each week)
January 2008 to May 2008 – Research design and planning (usually 2 hour classes each week)
June 2008 to December 2008 – Dissertation module (primarily supervised independent research, although there will be 3-4 two hour workshops)
Each module will typically involve a minimum of 15 hours study per week, including 2-3 hours class contact, with the remainder comprising independent and directed study
Special benefits
The course provides you with a unique opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of empirical research methods and research issues, and enable you to acquire key research skills so that you become better placed to teach and to supervise projects at undergraduate / postgraduate / PhD level. It will also provide you with the opportunity to develop a piece of research on your own topic as a platform for a research career, and the practical experience of developing a project to publication stage under structured supervision.
Two innovative features of this c are that it will provide you with opportunities to develop an application for external research funding, as well as the completion of an empirically-based research article for submission to a learned journal.
Accreditation
The Postgraduate Diploma in Research Informed Teaching is drawn from the MSc Research Methods course which itself has a long history and a proven track record in providing high quality research training for diverse student groups. This MSc is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which leaves us secure in the knowledge that we are developing our research training in appropriate ways, and providing the type, level and quality of support that you should expect as you undertake your studies. Consequently, we have confidence that our Postgraduate Diploma in Research Informed Teaching will equip you with high-level skills that will underpin your teaching and research aspirations.
