Course Title: Qualitative Research Methods

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Qualitative Research Methods

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2016
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	Sem 2 2014
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Internet	Sem 1 2015, Sem 1 2016
HUSO2397	RMIT University Vietnam	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face	Viet2 2020

Flexible Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face	RSCHYr2018 (RT81), RSCHYr2018 (RT83)
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2019 (RT91), RSCHYr2019 (RT93)
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2021 (QT13), RSCHYr2021 (All)
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2022 (All)
HUSO2362	City Campus	Research	365H Global, Urban and Social Studies	Face-to-Face or Internet	RSCHYr2023 (All)

Course Coordinator: Dr Chloe Patton

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 5596

Course Coordinator Email: chloe.patton@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Building 8. Floor 10

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Required Prior Study 

You will have completed a HDR-level research methods course specific to your discipline prior to commencing this course. 

Course Description

This course will enable higher degree by research candidates to explore a range of qualitative data collection and analysis techniques to support and conduct advanced research and create new knowledge. 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

 

 

Course Learning Outcomes 

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1. Further develop your knowledge of the key approaches to qualitative research including, but not limited to: interviewing, observation and action research
2. Deepen your understanding of the range of data collection and analysis techniques and critically evaluate one or more techniques and their appropriateness for various kinds of qualitative research projects
3. Learn how to collect and analyse data using one or more of these data collection and analysis techniques and understand how to produce high-level written accounts of findings
4. Learn how to use appropriate technology to support data collection and analysis and assess the practical implications of implementing different data collection and analysis techniques through writing informed research project plans 
5. Refine your critical and creative thinking skills in the application of one or more of these techniques and gain insight into the issues of   using them in professional research practice
6. Critically engage with debates about the validity and robustness of these data collection and analysis techniques, as well as their practical dimensions 

Overview of Learning Activities

During this course candidates will be involved in some, or all, of the following activities: lectures, tutorials, online exercises and workshops. 

You will be introduced to a range of literature in this course and will be expected to read and find other material as necessary to complete      the assignments. 

Depending on the size of the class, specialised, discipline specific groups will be formed to allow for more in-depth exploration of particular    data collection and analysis techniques. 

In addition to introducing a range of possible approaches to qualitative research, we will spend time discussing and exploring how to: 

• Plan, implement and write about the various approaches presented in relation to your research project 
• Use  appropriate  technology  to support  the  collection,  analysis  and  storage  of  research  data  
• Select the appropriate approach and specific techniques to use in your proposed research project 
• Search and select literature(s) to support the use of different data collection and analysis techniques 

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. 

These resources will include book chapters, journal articles, media articles, bibliographies for supplementary  reading, video, and links to external websites. You will have the opportunity to contribute collectively to class resources by sharing your own research findings and sources with your peers. 

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal. 

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. 

Assessment in this course will typically comprise an extended written assignment related to your doctoral research project. You  will be     expected to discuss the methodological challenges that you encounter in your research, propose a suitable approach for your project and to defend the decisions you make. 

Assessment Tasks 

Assessment Task 1: Draft Plan, 40%, CLO 1, CLO2 and CLO4 (2000 words) 

Assessment Task 2: Final Draft Chapter, 60%, CLO 3, CLO4, CLO5 and CLO6 (5000 words) 

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. 

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.