SHN6734 - Dissertation

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

(1) define and justify a proposal suitable for a study of 10,000 words.
(2) plan and carry out a piece of research in a logical, ethically acceptable and systematic manner using the appropriate data collection methods;
(3) analyse and interpret results
(4) present finding and conclusions clearly and concisely and evaluate the research process in reponse to questioning;
(5) write and appropriately sectioned dissertation of 10,000 words.

Content:

The individual student will negotiate with a turor a topic for research reflecting personal interest and areas, or approaches, previously introduced in the programme. This will include original research and data collection and will involve the use of techniques such as case studies, dietary survey, laboratory work, interviews and surveys. Students may undertake a discipline-based, or professionally focused, study, e.g developing and testing a marketing initiative, a nutritional behaviour change programme, or an educational intervention.
Students will be required to comment on the significance of their results in relation to the work of other researchers and communicate their findings coherently.
There will also be opportunities for students to undertake research for external organisations under careful supervision with both the tutor and outside mentor. Only students undertaking the 40 credit module will be eligible for this opportunity. Proposals requiring ethics approval are submitted to the department Ethics Committee.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Lectures
Contact hours:4
Number of groups:1
Tutorials and viva
Contact hours:5
Number of Groups: per student

Other relevant information
Students are not permitted to take a half module.

in order to undertake this module, students will need to gain permission from the module tutor before module commencement.

Students should normally have 60% plus in both the exam and the research proposal components (001 and 002) of Research Methods at level 5 (SHL5302, SHL5482, SHN5662, SHN5852) and an overall 2i mean score for all Level 5 modules is required.

Assessment: