Handbook

This course is designed to  develop research and communication skills and strategies that would support your research program, and in particular, to prepare you for progression from year 1 to year 2 of your research program. There are weekly guest lectures and tutorials,  Moodle course activities and assignments. The course themes include: Formulating a research topic, managing a research project, locating and critically evaluating the literature, engineering research methods,  writing about research, speaking about research, academic integrity. The course concludes with a  mini-conference on  students proposed research topics.

The course objectives are to develop:

- an increased awareness about the ways successful academic writers structure their writing, and the register of language appropriate for thesis and research writing

- systematic approach in managing research reading and research writing

- increased confidence and improved skills in speaking about research to a range of audiences

- awareness of strengths and weaknesses in communicating and appropriate strategies for improvement.