During the last week, I have been marking ‘podcasts’ produced by students as part of the assessment on a Level 5 (second year undergraduate) Research Methods module. I thought it might be interesting to share some thoughts on the module, the assignment and on the work produced by students.
The module, called Topics in Business Research is deliberately different to previous ‘research methods’ modules that I have taught. It was created about 3 years ago to replace a traditional, and slightly boring, module which took students through the usual topics in the hope that this would prepare them for the dissertation in their final year. That module was dry, abstract and difficult for the students to relate to. The new module focuses on showing students a range of studies and demonstrating that an interest in high-quality information is shared by academics and those running organisations of all sorts. The module, then, is one that seeks to develop professional skills and confidence as well as preparing students for a research project in their final year. Here’s a list of the topics that were presented to students in lectures this semester (5 members of our department, 3 external speakers):
| Speaker | Topic |
|---|---|
| Prof David Gill | Economic Value of Tourism at World Heritage Sites in Greece |
| Dr Will Thomas | Understanding the Shopping Habits of Older People |
| Dr Sule Akkoyunlu | Migration and Empowerment |
| Fiona Hotson-Moore (Chartered Accountant) | Forensic Accountancy |
| Michelle Emerson-Gray (Marketing Manager) | Understanding Theatre Audiences |
| Jo Fox (Chartered Accountant) | Larking Gowen Tourism Survey |
| Dr Suzanne Nolan | Authenticity and Identity in Organisations |
| Dr Fran Hyde | Researching ‘Difficult’ Marketing Practice |
There are two assignments for the module - a ‘podcast’ and a more traditional long-form comparison of the design of 4 of the studies introduced in the lectures. The ‘podcast’ assignment asks students to find, and discuss, a research project carried out by an organisation of their choice. They produce a 5 minute recording in which they describe the purpose and methods of the work, some brief findings and how these findings have (or might be) put into practice. In doing so, they demonstrate an awareness of key features of a research project (aims, objectives, methods etc.) and show that they can relate findings to practice.
The resulting work helps to reinforce the relationship between ‘research’ and organisational practice - we certainly don’t want students to see research as something that academics do and that businesses have little or no interest in. Most students do this really well and demonstrate excellent levels of understanding. Some students produce creative and engaging pieces which contain music, jingles, multiple ‘voices’, pretend Twitter polls and even phone-ins.
Whilst many students describe the module as ‘difficult’ its also clear that the approach we’ve taken builds confidence and develops skills for a career as well as for the dissertation. The feedback from students is generally positive and we have started to see dissertations that have a closer connection to practice.