RESEARCHING IN HIGHER AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module provides participants with the skills and knowledge required to design a piece of research in Higher and/or Professional Education. It recognises that participants come from various disciplinary backgrounds and hence participants can choose the research methods they would like to focus on based on their background and research area. All participants will cover the basics of research strategies, research methods and using quantitative and qualitative data in Higher and/or Professional Education. It will help draw out the ¿burning questions/interests¿ that participants raise in their previous modules and encourage them to research one of these areas. Participants will need to produce a research proposal at the end of the module which they can further investigate in the Research Dissertation module.

Module provider

Surrey Institute of Education

Module Leader

HOSEIN Anesa (Sy Inst Educ)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

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

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

The module content relates to helping participants develop a research proposal that they can execute in their dissertation module. The content covers the key areas required for writing the research proposal as well as allowing participants to tailor the module for the research techniques and analysis that is needed for their research proposal.

Indicative content includes:

• Structuring a Research Proposal (developing the research question, the literature review and methodology)


• Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology


• Research Strategies in Higher and Professional Education (e.g. ethnography, surveys, experiments, case studies)


•  Data Collection Methods in Higher and Professional Education (e.g. observations, questionnaires, interviews and documents/images/text)


• Ethics


• Analysis of Quantitative and Qualitative Data

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to:

Provide participants with the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the learning outcomes by planning and designing a feasible small-scale research study within Higher and/or Professional Education in consultation with their tutor.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• A written research proposal of 2500-3000 words.

The preparation of the research proposal will meet LO5 and will consist of the following elements:

• Introduction: the participant provides a rationale for their identified research question (LO1 & 2).


• Literature Review: the participant builds a detailed argument for the research with reference to theories using appropriate literature (LO2 & 3).


• Methodology: the participant describes the research strategy, design and collection methods with appropriate justifications (LO3 & LO4).


• Analysis: participants indicate the approach to their analysis (LO4).


• Timeline/Gantt Chart: A timeline for the implementation of the research (LO5)

Formative assessment:

Participants will be asked to submit an outline of headings and a portion of any part of their proposal at least 7 weeks before final submission for some feedback on their writing (i.e. academic argument, referencing style), cohesiveness of the proposal and appropriateness of the research idea.

Feedback:

Participants will receive either written and/or verbal feedback from their module tutor on drafts/ ideas/formative assessments of their proposal at each tutorial. They will also receive feedback via the discussion boards.

Module aims

• Aid participants in writing rigourous academic arguments using the literature
• Build participants¿ confidence in planning and designing a research study in Higher and/or Professional Education
• Provide exposure to a repetoire of research methods/tools/techniques that can be selected when planning and designing research studies in Higher and/or Professional Education

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Enable participants to develop a research idea into an effective research proposal. Related to Surrey Institute of Education's (SIoE) core values, it enables participants to reflect and interrogate current practices within higher and/or professional education and consider the current evidence for these practices. The strategy allows participants to work independently and construct their own learning pathways on possible methods for collecting additional evidence for these practices under tutor guidance. The SIoE's underpinning philosophy imbues the values of respect, trust, dialogue and honesty. Of particular importance is the respect afforded to each participant's disciplinary and professional backgrounds, and acknowledgement of the different challenges or epistemological views on research approaches or methods. This module, hence, allows participants to create a learning journey by providing options of research strategies and methods to interrogate throughout the module that suits their ambitions and epistemological views. The values of trust, dialogue and honesty are reinforced through the expectation that participants share their research ideas and methods through discussion forums with the aim that participants will learn from each other, provide feedback to their peers and suggest resources. Participants will, therefore, be scaffolded to support and extend each other's knowledge. Further, the tutorials are designed to enable honest and frank discussions surrounding the feasibility and direction of the research proposal.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Formal Online Interactions:
  
  
  
  • Pre-Entry and Mid-Semester Questionnaires
  
  
  • Asynchronous / Synchronous Seminars / Discussion Boards
  
  
  • Asynchronous / Synchronous One-to-One Tutorials
  
  
  • Synchronous Meet and Greet with the cohort
  
  
  
  


• Guided Study (including captured content such as videos, as well as readings and reflective diaries)


• Independent Study

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: GCAM021

Other information

The MA in Higher and Professional Education is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow participants to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

Digital capabilities: The module enables participants to gain valuable digital literacy skills in searching for literature as well as organizing literature through bibliographic software.

Employability: Participants will be researching a challenge in higher and/or professional education. This can aid their understanding and expertise in the chosen area, which can aid their employability. Further, participants become aware of, and have knowledge of, different research strategies and methods they can use.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: There is a high level of critical and problem-solving skills that participants develop when having to create arguments to justify the need for investigating their research area, and they would have to be resourceful in recognizing the most appropriate literature for their argument.

Sustainability: The development of an evidence-informed outline of a research project aimed at investigating practice supports the Sustainable Development Goal of developing Quality Education.

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.