RESEARCH METHODS - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module will provide you with an introduction to research methods and the types of skills necessary for the planning and dissemination stages of research for your technical project. There are two aspects to this module; firstly, the Literature Review is intended to provide you with the experience of writing a literature review on a technical topic, which will assist you in writing the Technical Project. While the Project Progress report will allow you to develop a project plan for your technical project (a different topic to the literature review), considering possible risks and challenges, and how to mitigate them.

Module provider

Music & Media

Module Leader

ADEYEMI-EJEYE Femi (Music & Med)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

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

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

1. An initial session will outline the module's purpose, and advice will be given on planning and suitable topics.
    


2. Lectures on academic research methods, literature review, writing style, report structure and referencing.
    


3. Regular one-to-one tutorials with your assigned supervisor to allow detailed discussion of your topic of study and gain regular formative feedback on your progress.

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate research and technical writing skills in the form of a literature review, and a technical project progress report. Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Coursework 1  - Literature Review. Literature Review on a subject of your choosing. The literature review (addresses learning outcomes 1 -5).


• Coursework 2  - Project Progress Report. The project progress report on the topic of the technical project. This will include motivation for the project, research questions and timelines for the project.

These summative assessments are designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate in-depth knowledge of their chosen specialist subject.

Formative assessment

Formative feedback will be provided on drafts of Coursework 1 and 2 by supervisors. Such feedback will be provided either in written form or via a tutorial. 

Feedback

Students receive written feedback on their Literature Review and Project Progress report. Verbal and/or written feedback may also be given throughout the year.

Module aims

• Introduce methods of academic research
• Increase knowledge of a specialised area of engineering
• Increase skills in academic writing
• Develop confidence in presenting ideas to academic researchers
• Enable preliminary research on a technical topic of the student's choosing
• Introduce presentation of academic research

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: foster independent technical and research skills. Students will be supported in their independent work through structured guidance in research and technical writing. The learning and teaching methods include:

• Lectures in Semester 1 


• Coursework assignments and feedback


• Tutorial supervision

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: FVP3014

Other information

The Department of Music and Media is committed to developing graduates with attributes encompassing employability, digital skills, global and cultural awareness, sustainability as it relates to media production and broadcast engineering and, finally, resourcefulness and resilience.

This module provides opportunities to engage deeply with these in a number of ways including:

Digital capabilities: The research methods module will enable you to develop digital capabilities with tools for referencing literature and writing reports. This includes tools for creating reports and diagrams, tools for referencing, tools to optimise your literature search and tools for planning your research.

Employability: Irrespective of the topic of choice, this module will encourage you to develop professional skills related to researching a topic, literature searching and report writing.

Resourcefulness and resilience: Both pieces of coursework will challenge and stretch you and encourage you to develop long-term planning and time management skills. In particular, the timing of the Technical project progress report submission is designed to give you ample time to investigate a topic within video engineering and plan future experiments whilst benefiting from formative feedback during your one-to-one tutorials.

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 2025/6 academic year.