MSc Cardiovascular Health and Disease (Research)

The Research Methods Course is a 15 credit, interactive blended learning course, which provides students with an introduction to key material and skills required for the design, execution and interpretation of medical, scientific and clinically-related research and the production of a high quality dissertation.

The unit will run over one semester and aims to augment in-person seminars with high quality online self-study materials. 

Course attendee "Good introduction into the world of research. The lectures were delivered really well, gave good insight and were inspiring. The online resources are engaging and provide many different forms of self-assessment and opportunities to develop knowledge retention."

Learning objectives are to develop the skills and knowledge to extend student's knowledge of the range of epidemiological study designs, to enable students to critically design, ethically conduct and clearly communicate research in a clinical/medical setting. Furthermore, at the end of the unit, students will have a clear understanding of the key components of academic writing, be able to critically appraise literature to a high standard and develop a basic working knowledge of handling data.

• Written assignment (incl essay) 34%
• Written assignment 33%
• Report/Statistical Assignment 33%

The course combines formative and summative assessment methods. Formative assessment takes the form of online self-assessment multiple choice questions and self-reflections. Summative assessment includes written assessments and an online exam. Summative assessments contribute to the overall mark for this unit.

Written assessments are moderated by internal and external examiners to maintain objectivity and uniformity in the assessment procedures.

Student feedback will be delivered online using Blackboard. Students can pose questions using the blackboard discussion board to aid their understanding of the course content and assessment methods. Comprehensive feedback will be given on all written assessments fully justifying marks with written comments.

Students will be given the opportunity to complete an online survey to gather feedback on the unit.