Postgraduate Course: Qualitative Research Skills for Science Communication, Public Engagement and Informal Learning (BIME11202)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Biomedical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Qualitative Research Skills for Science Communication and Public Engagement is a 20 credit course which will explore the application of qualitative social research methods to contemporary questions in science communication and public engagement scholarship. Through seminars and practical workshops students will be supported to develop essential skills to be able to critically engage with this growing field of study.
While being grounded in the theory of qualitative methodology, the course will have a practical focus around skills development. Practical workshops running throughout the course will support students to develop and practice skills in collecting, analysing and reporting qualitative data. Learning will be facilitated through a mixture of formative and summative tasks.
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| Course description |
Qualitative Research Skills for Science Communication and Public Engagement is a 20 credit course, which will explore the application of qualitative social research methods to contemporary questions in science communication and public engagement scholarship.
Students will analyse examples of research projects before progressing to using data to develop appropriate methods.
The emphasis is on learning and understanding by doing, using 'real' data and practice in class. The aim of the course is to ensure that students understand basic qualitative methods.
Topics covered will include:
- The theoretical and conceptual basis for doing qualitative research in science communication and public engagement scholarship.
- The stages of undertaking qualitative research, from planning to reporting.
- Data types and generation methods commonly encountered in science communication and public engagement scholarship, such as interviews, focus groups, observation, mass media data, and social media data.
- Qualitative data analysis methods used in science communication and public engagement scholarship, e.g. thematic analysis and visual analysis.
- Ethics and quality in qualitative research.
This course builds on a growing interest in and use of various qualitative methods in science communication and public engagement scholarship. The seminars, practical workshops, and directed readings will provide students with a basic understanding of qualitative research theory and practice as it applies to science communication and public engagement and the ability to confidently use different data generation and analytical techniques in their own work.
Learning outcomes:
- Students will be able to identify and critically discuss the appropriateness, strengths and limitations of a range of qualitative research methods as applied to their own work and their field of interest.
- Students will have a critical understanding of best practices in qualitative data generation, including different sampling approaches, elicitation methods and extant data sources.
- Students will have an understanding of the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data and will be able to confidently use different analytical techniques, identifying which method is most appropriate for different research questions.
- Students will be able to competently report and visualise qualitative results.
- Students will be able to identify ethical considerations and assess quality when designing, conducting, presenting and evaluating qualitative research.
- Students will understand the strengths and limitations of CAQDAS (computer assisted qualitative data analysis) and be able to use digital tools in their own work.
Overall, this course aims to provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of qualitative research approaches and methodologies as applied to science communication and public engagement scholarship.
This course builds on a growing interest in and use of various qualitative methods in science communication and public engagement scholarship. It will provide students with a contextual understanding of the field and enable them to position their own programme of research within this broader context of enquiry.
Assessment:
Interim assessment: 30%
Initial research plan: including research questions, data selection and sampling, research methods to be utilised.
Final assessment: 70%
Essay which provides a justification of choices for above.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
146 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework 100 %
Interim assessment: 30%
Initial research plan: including research questions, data selection and sampling, research methods to be utilised.
Final assessment: 70%
Essay which provides a justification of choices for above. |
| Feedback |
Formative and summative assessments will receive written feedback delivered with summative mark.
Informal feedback will be provided throughout the course in non-assessed activities to allow feedback to aid student understanding and enhance subsequent submissions.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Students will be able to identify and critically discuss the appropriateness, strengths and limitations of a range of qualitative research methods as applied to their own work and their field of interest.
- Students will have a critical understanding of best practices in qualitative data generation, including different sampling approaches, elicitation methods and extant data sources.
- Students will have a basic understanding of the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data and will be able to confidently use different analytical techniques, identifying which method is most appropriate for different research questions.
- Students will be able to competently report and visualise qualitative results.
- Students will be able to identify ethical considerations and assess quality when designing, conducting, presenting and evaluating qualitative research.
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Reading List
Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2013) Successful Qualitative Research: A Practical Guide for Beginners SAGE.
Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2021) Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide SAGE.
Braun, V., Clarke, V. and Gray, D. (2017) Collecting Qualitative Data: A Practical Guide to Textual, Media and Virtual Techniques Cambridge University Press.
Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S., Giardina, M.D. and Cannella, G.S. (eds.) (2023) The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Sixth edition. SAGE Publications, Inc.
Grbich, C. (2012) Qualitative Data Analysis: An Introduction SAGE.
Mayring, P. (2021) Qualitative Content Analysis: A Step-by-Step Guide SAGE.
Miles, M.B., Huberman, A.M. and Saldana, J. (2018) Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook SAGE Publications.
SAGE Research Methods - Home. (no date) [online]. Available from: https://methods.sagepub.com/ [Accessed 17 January 2023].
Saldana, J. (2021) The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers Fourth edition. Thousand Oaks, California, SAGE Publications Ltd.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Enquiry and lifelong learning
Aspiration and personal development
Outlook and engagement
Research and enquiry
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Personal effectiveness
Communication
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| Keywords | qualitative research,science communication,public engagement,qualitative methods |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Elizabeth Stevenson
Tel: (0131 6)50 3258
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Katherine Shaw
Tel: (0131 6)50 8349
Email: |
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