Course Catalogue

Module Code and Title: RSP301 Undergraduate Research Project I


Programme(s): BSc Environmental Management


Credit Value: 24


Module Tutor(s): Samir Patel (Coordinator)

All other environment faculty


General objective(s) of the module:


RSP301 is the first part of a two-part year-long research course taught alongside the conduct of individual student research projects. It is intended to be half instructional and half guided independent study. Within the research project, students will individually conceptualize, design, implement, and analyse research. The Undergraduate Research Project Is intended to build on and be a culmination of the skills acquired through previous modules within the programme. Students should have already gained field experience and technical skills (statistics, GIS) previously. During the project, students will gain research experience that will facilitate future employment or future research in further studies. By means of the final product, students are expected to show proficiency in both the theory and practice of research. In the first part of the research course, students will learn about what research means, research methods, how to design a research project, and write an individual research proposal along with a substantial literature review. They will also learn about data collection, allowing them to proceed with that phase of their research projects as soon as the semester ends.


Learning outcomes – Upon successful completion of the module, students will be able to:


  • Describe the characteristics of research.

  • Explain a generalized overall research process.

  • Describe the various types and categorizations of research.

  • Rationalize the selection of specific research methods to address different types of research questions.

  • Identify an appropriate sub-field of research within Environmental Management to begin a research project on.

  • Choose a research question and formulate an applicable hypothesis.

  • Identify and choose research methods appropriate for a particular project.

  • Plan a research project relevant to the chosen subject area.

  • Explain the merits of different sampling strategies.

  • Discuss the relative advantages and applications of quantitative vs. qualitative methods.

  • Analyse published primary literature.

  • Select and gather information from relevant large datasets / databases.

  • Compile an annotated bibliography.

  • Write a literature review on a specific topic within the chosen subject area.

  • Write a research proposal.

  • Present and defend a research proposal.

  • Demonstrate initial research skills related to subjects studied during the earlier modules of the program.


Skills to be developed:


  • Students should learn how to think through and plan an individual research project, culminating in a written research proposal.


Learning and teaching approaches used:


The module will be conducted over 15 teaching weeks as follows:

  • First 7 weeks:

    • 5 hrs/wk of lecture

    • 3 hrs/wk of primary literature reading and discussions

    • 8 hrs/wk of independent study

  • Next 7 weeks:

    • 3 hrs/wk of lecture

    • 3 hrs/wk of primary literature reading and discussions

    • 2 hrs/wk of small group guidance on individual project proposals

    • 8 hrs/wk of independent study

  • Final week:

    • Research proposal presentations and defence


Research supervisors will be identified by the module coordinator from among the Environmental Management faculty once students have finalized their topic selections, based on a rough matching of topics with faculty specializations. Approximately four faculty members in total will handle student supervision for up to 10 projects each. These faculty will be involved in the small group guidance time at the latter half of the semester.


Assessment:


Semester-End Examination (SE):30%

Continuous Assessment (CA): 70%

CA Assessment

Weight

Assessment Detail

Annotated Bibliography

5%

Week 5.

Annotated bibliography with a minimum of 5 reference sources researched.

Draft literature review

10%

Week 8.

Literature review of 1500 words.

Draft research design

10%

Week 11.

Research paradigms to be employed along with justifications of their applicability to the research question; objectives, outline of methods for data collection and analysis; practical plan for operationalizing the study; 2500 words.

Compiled final research proposal

25%

Week 14.

A complete research proposal with all requisite sections, commonly found in a proposal (as per Zhib Tshol: RUB Research Policies); 4000 words.

Research proposal presentation and defence

10%

Week 15.

Presentation of 15 min and Q&A for 10 min.

Midterm Exam

10%



Pre-requisite knowledge: EAP102 English for Academic Purposes II, IPS101 IT and Basic Problem Solving, STS101 Applied Statistics


Subject matter:


  1. Understanding research

    1. What is research?

    2. Philosophy of research

    3. Experience/reasoning vs. research

      1. Deduction: theory guides research

      2. Induction: theory is an outcome of research

    4. Empiricism

    5. Principles of scientific inquiry; overview of scientific research

    6. Overview of the research process in the social sciences

    7. Types of research

      1. Basic vs. applied

      2. Primary vs. secondary

      3. Based on purpose: Exploratory, Descriptive, Correlative, Explanatory

      4. Quantitative vs. qualitative

    8. Characteristics of research

  2. Overview of the research process

  3. Designing a research project

    1. Narrowing in on a project: Research topics, research problems, research purpose, research questions, hypotheses

    2. Developing the research question

      1. Raising research questions and developing testable hypotheses

      2. Developing research objectives and specific aims

    3. Constructing an appropriate research design

    4. Sample selection: considerations of size, representativeness, randomness, level of significance obtainable, possibilities of bias

    5. Types of designs and their quantitative and qualitative tools and implementations

      1. Experimental

      2. Cross-sectional

      3. Longitudinal

      4. Case studies

      5. Comparative

    6. Reliability and validity; controlling bias

  4. Quantitative methods

    1. Overview, measurement, and data management

    2. Experimental

      1. Characteristics of experiments

      2. Types of experimental design

      3. Experimental validity

    3. Descriptive and correlational

      1. Causation and prediction

      2. Data collection and analysis

    4. Review of data management and analysis using SPSS

  5. Qualitative methods

    1. Overview and introduction to qualitative research

    2. Measurement and data collection

    3. Designing qualitative research and sampling

    4. Broad types of qualitative methods

      1. Ethnography

      2. Phenomenology

      3. Case studies

      4. Textual analysis

      5. Applied research

    5. Qualitative research tools (e.g. interviews, focus groups, observation)

  6. Sources of previously gathered data

    1. Primary literature; common literature search techniques and journal collations

    2. Online published datasets and databases

    3. Data repositories, e.g. government archives, special library collections

  7. Literature Reviews and Research Proposals

    1. Overview; what is a research proposal and why write one

    2. Parts of a research proposal

    3. Special focus on: Purpose, features, and techniques for writing good literature reviews

  8. Select topics in research ethics

    1. Overview of ethical considerations in research

    2. Responsible conduct of research

    3. Protection of research subjects

    4. Ethics approval and informed consent

    5. Avoiding biases, common errors in question formulation and data analysis

    6. Avoiding conflicts of interests


Essential Readings:


  1. AAAS: American Association for the Advancement of Science. (n.d.). Integrity in Scientific Research – Resource Guide. http://www.aaas.org/spp/video/website.htm

  2. Black, T. R. (1999). Doing quantitative research in the social sciences: An integrated approach to research design, measurement, and statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

  3. Bromage, A. (2008). A brief note on research ethics. A page from the website 'Higher education resources', Birmingham: Higher education resources. http://highereducationresources.atspace.com/ethics.htm

  4. Burge, S. (n.d.) Bias in Research. http://familymed.uthscsa.edu/facultydevelopment/elearning/biasinresearch.htm

  5. Danya International, Inc. (2003). Formulating a research question. http://www.theresearchassistant.com/tutorial/2.asp

  6. Isaac, W.L. (2009). Podcast on research ethics. Part I at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG1ymKBLCK8 and Part II at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV-1I8geHVU

  7. Keifer-Boyd, K. (2006). Formulating a research problem. http://explorations.sva.psu.edu/lapland/LitRev/prob1.html

  8. Kumar, R. (2006). Research Methodology, 2nd Ed. Delhi: Dorling Kindersley (Pearson).

  9. NIAID: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2010). Laying the groundwork for your research plan. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/researchfunding/newsletter/2010/pages/1027.aspx

  10. Nuffield Council on Bioethics. (2011). Ethical Issues. http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/animal-research/animal-research-ethical-issues

  11. Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, US National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Qualitative Methods In Health Research: Opportunities and Considerations In Application and Review. http://obssr.od.nih.gov/pdf/Qualitative.pdf

  12. Physioprof. (2009). Structure Of An R01: Specific Aims. http://scienceblogs.com/drugmonkey/2009/03/structure_of_an_r01_specific_a.php

  13. RREE: Resources for Research Ethics Education, University of California, San Diego. (2010). http://research-ethics.net/

  14. Steneck, N. (2006). ORI Introduction to the Responsible Conduct of Research. Office of Research Integrity, US Department of Human and Health Services. http://ori.dhhs.gov/education/products/RCRintro/index.html

  15. Withen, P. (2002). Outline on research instruments. http://www2.uvawise.edu/pww8y/Resources/MERes/ResInstruments/00ResInstruments.html

  16. Wong, P. (n.d.). How to write a research proposal. http://www.meaning.ca/archives/archive/art_how_to_write_P_Wong.htm
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