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2019/20 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

PSYC5900M Advanced Research Issues in Psychology

15 creditsClass Size: 60

Module manager: Dr Jonathan Benn
Email: J.Benn2@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2019/20

Pre-requisite qualifications

At least an upper second class honours degree in Psychology or a discipline containing a substantial amount of psychology and research, or upper second class average across levels 2 and 3 on the MPsyc Advanced Psychology programme (University of Leeds)

This module is mutually exclusive with

PSYC5908MMPsyc Advanced Psychology Research Project

Module replaces

Masters-level elective option

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module explores advanced issues and approaches associated with running research projects in psychology. The structure of the module will broadly follow the steps taken in a research project, from conception, participant access and ethical consideration, through to data management and dissemination. These issues will be considered in the context of psychology research, with examples discussed in the fields of developmental, neuropsychological, health, and forensic psychology.

Objectives

The primary objective of this module is to explore advanced issues and approaches associated with running research projects in psychology. The module will aim to engage students with the latest debates and approaches regarding running high quality and impactful research. After completion of the module, students should have a greater understanding and appreciation of these issues, and how to apply them to their own work. Objectives of the module are closely aligned to learning outcomes.

Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
• understand the different stages of a research project in the context of psychology.
• understand how to conduct research in a transparent and accessible manner, and the benefits of this to a research field.
• understand the importance of interdisciplinary / collaborative research and discuss ways to achieve this.
• understand how to access and work with different target populations.
• evaluate the ethical issues associated with different populations and research methodologies, and how to manage these in different organizational settings.
• understand how to manage complex and sensitive datasets.
• understand how to disseminate research outcomes and communicate with different population groups.

Skills outcomes
This module will develop subject-specific skills across the range of research issues and techniques covered in the syllabus.


Syllabus

The syllabus covers the following advanced research issues:
- Pre-registration and open science.
- Collaboration and networking within and across disciplines.
- Population access and participant recruitment (e.g. access to schools, clinical groups, and/or forensic settings).
- Ethical issues of conducting research with different populations, methodologies, and organisations.
- Data management.
- Patient and service user engagement
- Achieving research impact through academic and non-academic dissemination, peer review, and communication.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Lecture71.5010.50
Seminar22.004.00
Private study hours135.50
Total Contact hours14.50
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)150.00

Private study

Students will have 135.5 private study hours. We envisage that this time will be spent thus:

Reading for each lecture: 7 x 5 hours 35 hours
Preparing for seminar 1 (ethics): 5.5 hours
Preparing for seminar 2
(academic dissemination and peer review): 10 hours
Preparing and writing coursework 20 hours
Revision and exam practice 30 hours
For the remaining 35 hours we anticipate that students will use electronic materials, participate in e-learning, and on-line discussion.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored, and formative feedback provided, as following:
- Via in-class discussion in all taught sessions.
- In the two seminars (on ethics, and academic dissemination). These will take the form of interactive group-work sessions, in which students will discuss issues and present outcomes of this discussion to the class. The second of these seminars will take the form of a ‘flipped classroom’, with students submitting a short manuscript review online (to Minerva) prior to the session. Students will be able to view each other’s submissions, with the seminar leader then providing the opportunity to discuss and gain feedback on their submitted work. This piece of coursework is formative and will not be assessed.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
-------------------------Manuscript review (max 500 words). Formative work associated with seminar 2 (see Rationale for teaching and learning methods section)0.00
-------------------------Press release (500 words)40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)40.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc) (S1)1 hr 30 mins60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)60.00

The exam will require students to provide short written answers to questions covering each of the different topics across the module.

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 17/09/2019

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