Postgraduate Course: Research Based Instructional Strategies in the Science Classroom (PGPH11083)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy | 
College | College of Science and Engineering | 
 
| Course type | Standard | 
Availability | Not available to visiting students | 
 
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) | 
Credits | 20 | 
 
| Home subject area | Postgraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) | 
Other subject area | None | 
   
| Course website | 
None | 
Taught in Gaelic? | No | 
 
| Course description | This course will give students the framework and contextual knowledge they need to formulate a research question and plan and execute a small-scale educational research project in the science education research tradition. Students will develop key skills in research design including key methods in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. They will also learn how position their research within science education research and measure the impact of their research on practice. 
 
The course will be delivered wholly online. A variety of synchronous and asynchronous teaching methods will be used; planned activities include: 
 
-Introductory induction activities based on pre-reading and one or more virtual classroom sessions to build trust and to demonstrate the new way of learning; 
-Activities carried out online and offline that provide opportunities to construct artifacts with other students e.g. wikis, joint reports, presentations; 
-Individual research and reading tasks; 
-Live "expert session" using virtual classrooms. This will be recorded for those who can&Št attend and for future use; 
-Informal, student-led synchronous session (virtual classroom or chat room); 
-Asynchronous discussions; 
-Research and learning logs. | 
 
 
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites | 
 | 
Co-requisites |  | 
 
| Prohibited Combinations |  | 
Other requirements |  None | 
 
| Additional Costs |  None | 
 
 
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |   
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes 
On completion of the course students will be able to: 
-demonstrate an awareness of the key epistemological issues in science 
education research; 
-locate and critically evaluate relevant literature; 
-identify appropriate research questions and how they might be addressed by particular methodological approaches; 
-engage with an appropriate range of data collection methods; 
-have a critical awareness of issues relating to research reliability and validity, and ethical considerations; 
-demonstrate appropriate skills in the analysis of quantitative and/or qualitative data; 
-evaluate the cognitive benefits of instructional strategies; 
-gauge the impact of science education research on practice. | 
 
 
Assessment Information 
| 100% Coursework |  
 
Special Arrangements 
| None |   
 
Additional Information 
| Academic description | 
Not entered | 
 
| Syllabus | 
The context of science education research 
The key objectives and epistemological questions of science education research Examples of science education research in published papers that have impacted on practice. 
 
The nature of educational research. 
Ethics 
Designing a research question 
Selecting qualitative, quantitative and correlational research methods 
How data are collected and analysed 
Validity and reliability. 
 
Measuring impact 
Evaluating the cognitive benefits instructional strategies 
Measuring the impact of science education research on practice 
 | 
 
| Transferable skills | 
Not entered | 
 
| Reading list | 
Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K., 2008. Research Methods in Education, Routledge | 
 
| Study Abroad | 
Not entered | 
 
| Study Pattern | 
Not entered | 
 
| Keywords | RBIS | 
 
 
Contacts 
| Course organiser | Dr Judy Hardy 
Tel: (0131 6)50 6716 
Email:  | 
Course secretary |  Yuhua Lei 
Tel: (0131 6) 517067 
Email:  | 
   
 
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