EUN705 Conducting Research in Education


To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.


Unit Outline: Flexible Period - 04A 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal (Start Date: 08 Jan 2024)

Unit code:EUN705
Credit points:18
Equivalent:EUN703
Anti-requisite:EDR703
Coordinator:Karen Dooley | k.dooley@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

This unit will build your capacity to undertake a research project in Education. You will learn about the essential characteristics of scholarly research. You will explore research in Education with the intent of locating your proposed project in a broad field of inquiry that draws from a multiplicity of disciplines to produce a cumulative body of knowledge or evidence--sometimes over many decades. You will have opportunities to identify emerging educational challenges, and to consider the contribution that your research might make to understanding and addressing these. You will acquire skills for writing a persuasive research proposal. The unit will culminate in the preparation of a written research proposal for your proposed project, and an oral presentation of that proposal to an audience of scholarly researchers.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Use thinking, critical and reflective skills to demonstrate mastery of theory, and professional practice and knowledge, relevant to a proposed research project in learning/education (CLO2)
  2. Use thinking, technical and creative skills with intellectual independence to design a research project likely to generate research-based knowledge for professional contexts of learning/education (CLO3)
  3. Write and present a persuasive research proposal for a project in learning/education (CLO4)

Content

The unit will cover the following content areas:

  • The characteristics of scholarly research
  • Disciplines, theories, methodologies and methods in Educational research
  • Making a contribution to educational practice through scholarly research
  • Producing a persuasive research project
  • Managing a research project
  • Authentic assessment tasks designed to support real-world application of unit content in your scholarly research project.

Learning Approaches

In this unit you will learn through activities that may include but are not limited to:

  • A series of activities designed to scaffold the development of your research project and research proposal;
  • Mini-lectures and hands-on workshop activities to build research knowledge and skills;
  • Flipped classroom activities to enable you to build a deep understanding of unit readings;
  • Opportunities to share your ideas for formative feedback from a community of researchers; and
  • Information sessions on managing your higher degree research candidature.

The pedagogy leverages the professional knowledge of your cohort to provide opportunities for learning from the diverse knowledge and expertise of others with education interests and experience. There will be opportunities to reflect on the assumptions, limitations, biases and efficacy of professional knowledge in particular areas of education.

The pedagogy will intentionally blend digital and other modes of learning.

All internal and online students are required to attend the Study School which is delivered on campus in early January of the first year of enrolment. During February-May all students can choose synchronous or asynchronous online tutorial sessions. All students may choose either online or on campus participation in work-in-progress seminars in June.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

In this unit, formative and summative feedback will be available as follows:

  • Formative feedback will be provided by peers and the teaching team during unit activities. This will include feedback on brief presentations of the whole or parts of your developing research proposal to give you early feedback for your successful completion of your assessment tasks.
  • Structured opportunities for formative self-feedback on your developing research project and proposal
  • Formative and summative oral and written feedback on your project and written research proposal by your supervisors
  • Formative oral feedback on your work-in-progress seminar by your peers
  • Formative oral and written feedback on your work-in-progress document and presentation by your EUN705 teaching team.

Assessment

Overview

There are two assessment tasks for this unit. These tasks are related in that they require you to:

  • Create a research proposal for a project in learning/education
  • Present a seminar on your research proposal

These assessment tasks are designed to enable you to demonstrate your ability to develop a research project, write a persuasive research proposal for the project, and present your proposal to an audience of researchers. The purposes of these two assessments are for you to develop your research project while acquiring essential research skills.

Unit Grading Scheme

S (Satisfactory) / U (Unsatisfactory)

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Written research proposal

You will produce a research proposal that includes the following elements: (i) title; (ii) background and literature review; (iii) research aim and problem/questions; (iv) research design and methods; (v) ethics; (vi) timeline for completion of the project; (vii) appendices, if required; and (viii) reference list. The appendices and reference list are not included in the word count.

You should begin work on the research proposal in consultation with your supervisors as early as is reasonable.

This assessment is an assignment for the purposes of extension. This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Weight: 60
Length: 3600 words, excluding appendices and reference list
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): late May
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3

Assessment: Research proposal seminar

You will deliver a 45-minute seminar to an audience of researchers. The seminar should normally include a 25-30 minute presentation of your research proposal and 15-20 minutes of questions or feedback from the audience. You will submit your presentation slides in advance.

 

Weight: 40
Length: 45 minutes
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Mid June
A schedule of presentations will be organised, enabling students to select from a list of presentation dates/times. These will be at least 2 weeks after submission of the written assignment.
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Requirements to Study

Requirements

Access to internet.

Resources

Any required readings for the use of all students enrolled in EUN703 will be made available through QUT Readings and will be accessible through the QUT library. EUN705 materials will include references that you might like to follow up.

It is expected that you will work with your supervisors to identify readings specific to your particular research project and research proposal. To access these, you should make use of the resources and services provided by the QUT library.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no identified physical risks associated with the completion of this unit.