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.
