When people start a new degree they often feel ill-equipped, and are particularly anxious about the way they will be assessed on their course. Assessment at university often takes the form of researching and writing about your findings. To do this requires a variety of different skills that you won't be taught explicitly, but which are nevertheless crucial for you to complete your assignments in a timely fashion. This course will give you those skills.
Who is this course for?
This course covers the structuring of the writing of essays and empirical research projects from first principles, but could be of benefit to someone studying at any level since it gives a useful reminder of the essential requirements of these two types of research paper. Depending on your subject of study different sections may be more relevant to you. Scientists who won't be writing essays will benefit most from Sections 1, 3, 4 and 5, although Section 2 gives tips about structuring paragraphs that you might find useful. Students who will only be writing essays will benefit most from Sections 1, 2 and 5, though Section 3 may also be useful, since it covers those sections of an empirical study that most resemble an essay. It might also help you consider your work from a new angle. Scientists and Social Scientists of necessity have to consider the methodology they will use in conducting their studies, but how often do students of English Literature say, reflect on the methodological approach implicit in their approach? A cross-pollination of ideas across disciplines can often bring welcome fresh insights.
What does the course cover?
The first section covers skills that are essential to any kind of researcher: how to read texts efficiently; how best to take notes; how to find the sources in the first place, and how to use them effectively. The second section focuses in on essay writing: how to structure them; what the different parts of an essay require, and how best to construct paragraphs. The third section looks at how to write up the first half of an empirical study: the introduction, literature review and methodology. The fourth section looks at the second half: results, discussion and conclusion. Section Five looks at the ending and is common to both the empirical study and essays: do you need a bibliography or a reference list and what is the difference? Should you use footnotes or endnotes? What are the different referencing styles and how can you conform to them? It will also cover what you might put in the Appendix. Throughout the course there are various concrete examples of note taking techniques, essay construction and the features of empirical research projects.
What is the format of the course?
The course is structured to be interactive, with activities spread throughout and a multiple choice quiz after each section. Each section also has a round-up by fictional former student of the course, Mai, whom you may have met in the promotional video for the course. Information is delivered mainly through narrated slideshows. Each slide includes images that have been paired with the ideas and concepts discussed to help make the material easier to understand and remember. There is also a transcript of each video to help you follow the material and know how to spell new terms. If any topic particularly takes your interest then you can access the additional resources section of each lecture, which will enable you to explore further. There is also a discussion group where you can discuss the ideas and concepts you will be studying.
More about the instructor
I've been involved in Education for essentially my whole life. I've amassed 8 GCSEs, 6 A Levels and 4 degrees, as well as completing innumerable short courses. I've also created courses myself in Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy. I've taught students from all over the world, and from age 13 to 60; I've taught undergraduates, Masters students and PhD students and marked dissertations and exam scripts. I have presented research papers at national and international conferences and completed my PhD in eighteenth century literature in less than 3 years. I have been a student or staff at 4 different universities and I used to manage a suite of transferable skills courses at the University of Warwick, which covered topics such as note taking, reading techniques and how to apply critical thinking to your writing. It is from this wealth of experience that I bring to you this course on the reading, writing and research skills that you need to succeed in your chosen programme of study.
