RESEARCH TRAINING FOR PRACTITIONERS A - 2020/1

Module Overview

The purpose of this module is to enable you to reflect on and contextualise your practice. To facilitate this process you will be trained in relevant research skills and methodologies. The module brings together practitioners working in different but complementary areas in order to encourage fruitful cross-fertilisation.

Module provider

Music and Media

Module Leader

ARMSTRONG Thomas (Music & Med)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

• Using library databases.


• Critical writing.


• Presentation skills.


• Theories of reflective practice.


• Research presentations by staff in relevant areas.


• Research presentations by visiting speakers in relevant areas.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A This module is core and will require students to pass every unit of assessment

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

• The ability to present a practice-related research topic in oral and written form LO1-6


• Knowledge of the practice-based and intellectual context of their own work LO4-5


• A professional approach to the academic presentation of research LO2-4, 6

• A 20-minute oral presentation illustrated with audiovisual resources and including an abstract. An additional 10 minutes is provided for questions


• A 300-word artist’s statement in which students indicate the lineage of their practice and their artistic preoccupations


• A 2000 word essay in which students can either extend the topic from the presentation of undertake further research in a related area

• 5-minute practice presentation in week 7


• Opportunity to submit drafts of their artist statements

• Class discussion


• Written/oral feedback on practice presentations


• University-standard written feedback on presentation and essay

Module aims

• Writing and oral presentation
• Framing research questions related to practice as research
• Library skills
• General and specialist computer skills.
• To explore research issues and topics common to practitioners from varied disciplines and traditions.
• To introduce some of the methodologies relevant to practice-based research, for example reflective practice, phenomenology, action research, etc.
• To develop, through research, a critical awareness of your own practice and its context.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: facilitate students’ understanding of ways in which their own practice may be researched through introducing key concepts and literature with opportunities for discussion and personal exemplification. Students have contact with external speakers who are experienced practitioner-researchers by way of exposing them to professional norms of research and presentation. 

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Seminars.


• Plenary sessions reflecting on visiting speaker presentations.


• Guided reading and listening.


• Tutorials.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MUSM048

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.