Compendium of effective practice in higher education: Volume 2

members of staff. This allows them greater insight into the realities of the research process from the perspective of researchactive
staff, and enables them to develop a greater sense of affiliation with the department.
Social Research Principles is taken in semester one of level two. It aims to build on theoretical and practical experience gained
at level one and enhance students’ understanding of the principles of social research and related philosophical debates.
Learning about a variety of methodological techniques, students are asked to judge which are appropriate to particular
research problems and how to identify the merits and limitations of different research designs. This includes an explicit
understanding of issues of sampling, objectivity, reliability and validity. In addition students are required to complete four IBL
quantitative workbooks. Social Research Skills aims to equip students with the skills to plan, organise, and undertake qualitative
and quantitative empirical research in sociological fields and asks them to use both primary and secondary data in order to
produce research. This level two, semester two module is partly designed to pre-empt the difficulties students face whilst
conducting research-based dissertations and involves proposal design. By explicitly requiring students to experience aspects of
the research process and asking them to reflect on the process, it prepares students for the realities of doing research before
they embark on their final-year dissertations.
The Dissertation in Sociology/Social Policy is taken throughout level three and involves gathering primary data, secondary
analysis or desk-based theoretical enquiry. The dissertation is the culmination of the entire methods spine and gives students
the opportunity, in the context of an original piece of research on a topic of their own choosing, to undertake an independent
research project drawing upon their knowledge and experience of research from their training.
How the intervention engages students
Whilst it will always be a challenge to change the perception that research method courses are ‘dry’, the new research spine
has certainly enhanced students’ capabilities and enjoyment. By encouraging a reflexive approach to ‘finding out’, the methods
spine has been designed to allow students to clearly chart how their skills develop across the degree and it offers specifically
delineated ‘benchmarks’ from which students can see their progress. This includes the successful completion of four discrete
student-led research projects that require the deployment of a variety of quantitative and qualitative techniques as well as the
skills that support the production of research and of critically informed knowledge more generally. Furthermore, the
assessments within the spine also require students to: experience the problems of working within team-contexts and negotiate
them; develop the confidence to work with autonomy; make critically informed decisions or seek supervision where
appropriate; develop the flexibility to produce written, oral and visual material according to conventional requirements of
format and style; and think reflexively about their practice in order to improve it. Therefore, students are engaged through a
variety of IBL methods, tasks and activities which incorporate a variety of different learning styles and therefore enhance the
likelihood of engagement with the principles and skills involved in social research.
Link to the What Works? findings
Our new IBL curriculum conforms to several of the What Works? principles. The student-focused content and research-led
pedagogy clearly motivates students to engage with research and encourages them to be successful through a range of active,
collaborative and inter-connected research projects. Taken together, the modules specifically require students to develop a
range of tangible skills that can be used to solve research questions in a variety of contexts and culminates in a research-based
dissertation. It is also evident that the teaching activities introduced facilitate greater interaction between students and
members of staff. This is particularly apparent in the Doing Social Research module, which also resonates with What Works?
principles of ‘belonging’, and is closely aligned with general department engagement and identity. Furthermore, the relevant
examples used throughout the modules, and research skills that are developed there, allow students to shape the content to
their own interests and provide them with tangible skills that they are encouraged to reflect upon and recognise. As such, the
students are provided with clear evidence of the transferability of the various skills they have developed in terms of future
employability.
Evidence of effectiveness/impact
Initial reception to the modules has been very positive from students, staff and external examiners. Indeed, some of the
comments from our external examiners have been extremely encouraging:
“The sociology degree is a very strong one. It is certainly the best that I am aware of in the country. It is interesting, topical and rigorous .
. . The real strength for me as an external of your programme is the dissertations and extended essays where I think your students
demonstrate a real maturity in their work as well as the chance to show how they have built on their knowledge across the three years.”
Another suggested:
“For me, dissertation work reflects the level of student engagement across a degree programme as a whole, and the work I read shows
that students at Sheffield are very successfully applying sociological theory and methods to a very wide range of current substantive topics
and current debates. The breadth and novelty of topics was very impressive, and reflects the scope and originality of modules offered at
levels 2 and 3. Students are also clearly developing strong academic writing and researching skills, and engaging robustly with theory, all
of which will stand them in very good stead for postgraduate study.”
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