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Facilitating independent research at Level 1/2: a research based module

Contact details

Dr. John H. McKendrick
Centre for Research on Families and Relationships
23 Buccleuch Place
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH8 9LN
Tel: 0775-998-5508 / 0131-651-1940
Fax: 0131-651-1833 / 01292-220045
Email: : jmckndrk@aol.com / j.mckendrick@ed.ac.uk

Also involved are:
Dr. Elizabeth Mooney
Dr. Chris McWilliams
School of Law and Social Sciences
Glasgow Caledonian University

Classification Category

• Developing student appreciation of research in the discipline.
• Development of student research skills (explicitly, in addition to other disciplinary and generic skills).
• Using teaching and learning processes which simulate research processes (e.g. project-based modules, dissertation modules, problem based learning etc).
• Using assignments which involve elements of research processes (e.g. literature reviews, bidding for grants, drafting bids or project outlines, analysing existing project data, presenting at a 'conference').
  

Context

• Course/unit/module title: Practising Geography: The Isle of Bute Module
• Course title: Geography subject pathway within the BA Social Sciences degree
• Level 2 in Scotland (4 years Honours Degree)

What does the teacher do?

'Practising geography: the Isle of Bute field study' is presented as a Level 2 module in Human Geography at Glasgow Caledonian University (Level 1/2 equivalent in three-year degree programmes). Successful completion of the module is based on submission of three pieces of coursework (group oral presentation, personal fieldwork diary and personal research output). Practising geography is presented to part-time and full-time degree students in Semester B of each academic year.

The principles which guide the module are that:

1. students are able to produce work which would be of interest to the wider community
2. students are able to produce work of a 'publishable' standard in the early stages of their degree, provided that they have access to appropriate resources, guidance and support, and
3. student motivation is enhanced when they perceive that they are undertaking 'useful' work.

Students undertake a four-part class programme in advance of the field course, the field course is staged to lead the students toward independent research. Locality resources are made readily available to students. From the outset, there is a clear emphasis on students doing geography (hence the verb 'to practise' in the module title). Students are afforded the opportunity to publish their coursework, subject to quality control [refer to the case studies on 'Writing for research users: briefing papers as coursework' and 'Appreciating the value of background research: pre-fieldwork literature reviews']

Class programme

1. The first class focuses on students perceptions, experiences and awareness of the Isle of Bute. Students complete two surveys in class, which lecturers use to produce sample coursework [refer to the 'Learning through the class survey: pre-fieldwork locale familiarisation exercises' case study]
2. The second class comprises a video-based review of Rothesay's built environment. Six themes are explored and a group of students (typically five-six) are allocated to each theme. Each group summarises their findings in an oral presentation at the end of the class. After the class, each group prepares an A4 summary of their findings, sends this to the lecturer as an e-mail attachment; the lecturer then collates these and distributes them as a set of papers to each student.
3. The third class is a map skills workshop
4. Between the third and the fourth class, there is a gap of four-five weeks. During this time, small groups of students (typically three) are required to undertake some background research on one aspect of the geography of the island (e.g. 'the economy'). The groups prepare an A4 summary, send an electronic copy of this to the lecturer, who then collates them, formats them into the 'house style' and distributes one complete set of papers to each student (one week in advance of the field visit). The best papers are published. [refer to the Appreciating the value of background research: pre-fieldwork literature reviews' case study]
5. The fourth class is a series of short 5 minute group presentations based on the pre-fieldwork literature reviews (see 'iv' above).
   Through this programme, students' awareness of the field locality is heightened in advance on the field visit and students become comfortable with 'practising' geography.

Resources

To support both the class and field programme, it is necessary to provide adequate resources and support.

1. the Module Guide is very comprehensive, providing specific detail on each aspect of the module
2. a Directory of WWW sites that pertain to the island can be accessed through the Module website (students are introduced to this resource in the first week of the module).
3. An on-line bibliography of published works that pertain to the island is hosted on the Module website. The bibliography indicates multiple sites at which students can access these resources. (Students are introduced to this resource in the first week of the module).
4. The three island trails are now (March 2003) being converted into Virtual Field Trails, which will be published on the module website. The Virtual Field Trails will provide more detail and will cover more sites than is possible to cover in the field.
5. The department subscribes to the local newspaper ('The Buteman') and students have access to back-copies of this publication.
6. A visitor attraction leaflet resource file has been compiled. Students can consult these resources at any time. Similarly, all Ordnance Survey maps for the island have been purchased for student use.
7. Exemplar copies of coursework are provided for 'Thematic Introductions to the Geography of the Isle of Bute', briefing papers and teachers' resource packs.
8. Students can access the coursework provided by students in previous years.

Field Programme

The residential field visit (three days, two nights) to the Isle of Bute continues to place emphasis on students' ability to learn in/from/for the field.

1. The first day of the field programme consists of a four-part comprehensive introduction to the island (a) Field trail on 'historical urban change in Rothesay' (b) Island minibus tour on the theme of 'people and environment through time' (c) tutor-led excursion on 'contemporary Rothesay', and (d) visits to Bute Museum and Bute Discovery Centre.
2. The second day of the field programme is given over to a group project, which is designed in conjunction with local interest groups.
3. The whole class and early field programme lead to the final field day in which individual students pursue their own independent research project.

This module developed into the StuP project (STUdent Publishing of fieldwork geography). StuP is a self-contained project that supports undergraduate geography students to publish briefing papers and teachers' resource packs on the environment/geography of the Isle of Bute. It is funded by LTSN-GEES.

Hot tips and things to look out for

• Use the StuP resources! The production of these resources has been time-consuming and, under the terms of the GEES project grant, they are being now being made available for adaption/adoption in other institutions.
• Develop contacts with key informants from the fieldwork locality. This has proven invaluable for access to local knowledge and people. Arguably this is more important when students are undertaking project work than it is when fieldwork is lecturer-led (as the range of subjects being studied is broader).
  

Does it work?

Four evidence streams lead to the conclusion that the case study works.

First, student performance is highly satisfactory, despite:

1. students completing briefing papers for the first time
2. being completed by students for whom geography is a 'minority' subject - human geography is a subsidiary part of a BA Social Sciences degree, and
3. Glasgow Caledonian University being typical of 'new' universities in that student performance is generally lower than that from the 'older' universities (particularly in the early years of their degree).

The mean mark for the module is 60, with 43% attaining 2nd class (upper) grade or higher.

Second, results from a post-module student survey (40 students, a 71% response rate) suggest that the module and the publishing project associated with the module is successful. The resources to support the students' writing were considered to be effective; 76% judged the guidance notes to be 'very useful' or 'useful' (19% considering them to be useful in parts). Students find the production of research-based coursework to be a rewarding challenge. For example, for briefing papers, almost half (46%) found it 'difficult' or 'very difficult' to write it (38% perceived it neither difficult nor easy). Yet, this was a challenge worth pursuing: 78% considered briefing papers to be either 'much more' or 'more' rewarding to complete than other forms of coursework and 67% reported that they now felt 'much more' or 'more' confident about undertaking an Honours Level dissertation having successfully completed research for their briefing paper. Finally, the prospect of publication is welcomed. Some students reported that they were motivated to produce 'better coursework' given the possibility of publication (30%), and 76% expressed a desire to revise their briefing paper -in their own time - for publication. 57% reported that they 'welcomed' the prospect of an independent referee reviewing their paper, 35% were 'not bothered' and only 5% were 'worried' by this prospect.

Third, seven of these papers have been published. In each case, only minor editorial changes were required beforehand. To access these papers please click here. Furthermore, of the independent research-based coursework which students wished to be considered for publication, 18 papers (41%) were considered ready to be reviewed by referees. A further 26 papers (59%) required some revisions prior to being sent to referees for review. 76% of students surveyed wanted their briefing paper to be considered for publication; a further 11% were unsure.

Fourth, the module is well-received in end-of-module student evaluations.

What problems/issues have arisen?

An on-going process of implementation, reflection and revision has addressed early problems with the resources which have been made available to support student learning.

The intensive pre-fieldwork preparation, extensive module resource base and the scale of the field locality (a small island with a population of ca. 8,000) each contribute to the success of the exercise: without any one of these key components, there may be the need to develop supplementary support for students.

It has proven more difficult to implement teachers' resource packs than briefing papers. Some high quality outputs from very able students have been produced, but most students prefer to produce briefing papers.

Details of support material/course work/assessment methods

StuP has been conceived as a demonstration project for LTSN-GEES in the UK. A key objective of this project was to make the project resources available for lecturers to adopt/adapt in other departments of geography, earth and environmental sciences.

Many resources can be downloaded as Microsoft Word files from the StuP section of the module.

Relevant references

More information on resources can be found on other StuP case studies on this Directory and from the relevant resource/exercise pages of the StuP project web pages at Glasgow Caledonian University For example,

WWW Directory
On-Line Bibliography
Virtual Field Trails
Student-Authored 'Thematic Introductions to the Isle of Bute'
Student-Authored Briefing Papers
Student-Authored Teachers' Resource Packs

More information on the StuP project can be found within the StuP pages of the module website at Glasgow Caledonian University