• Description

• Professional fields to which it applies

• Learning objectives and results

At the end of the course, the following skills are expected to be learned:

Enabled methodological block advances

• Mastering of processes and stages of empirical research.
• Successful design of an empirical research study, especially in terms of its descriptive and/or explanatory capacity, selection of cases and variables, combination of techniques and methods, and consideration of technical limitations and resources available to the researcher.
• Mastery of logical empirical research processes: deduction and induction, coherence, observation, causation, data analysis, useful and communicable conclusions.
• Awareness of decisions, challenges and empirical research problems.
• Know the importance of theoretical development and knowledge other research and literature studies when conducting empirical research.

Social Science Research Design Course-Specific Competencies

• Understand the basic principles of empirical social research.
• Know the most important features of research on the interaction of social change and technological innovation.
• Build and ask a proper research question.
• Selection of relevant literature and construction of an analytical model.
• Selection of the most suitable methodology.
• Conceptualization, operationalization and evaluation of variables.
• Empirical study design: determination of analysis units and time dimension.
• Realization of a thesis project (research proposal).

• Content

• View the UOC learning resources used in the subject

• Additional information on support tools and learning resources

In addition to the manual, other texts will be provided for each unit, which will serve as a starting point for our discussion.

• Additional information on bibliography and information sources

Babbie, Earl R. (2015). The Practice of Social Research, 14th edition, Boston: Cengage Learning.

Davis, Gordon Bitter, and Clyde Alvin Parker (1997). Writing the Doctoral Dissertation: A Systematic Approach. Barron's Educational Series.

Denscombe, Martyn (2012). Research Proposals: A Practical Guide. McGraw Hill / Open University Press.

• Methodology

The course is divided into learning units, each unit focuses on a particular skill that we will work together. At the end of each learning unit, you will present the assignment of your learning unit. This is designed to monitor your learning progress and so that feedback is given after each unit.

During the course students are expected to submit the intended assignments (after each unit, 40% of the final grade).

During the course, several discussion sessions will be conducted in our virtual classroom to jointly address the most important and crucial moments (and difficulties) of designing your research. In addition, you will need to review your peers' proposals twice in the course (at the beginning and end). Their commitment and participation in these peer-to-peer discussions and reviews is essential for meeting the subject's learning objectives (10% of the final grade).

This is the last task you will have to present in this course, and also the most important one. All other tasks will actually be a preparation for this. The main objective of this course is to help you develop a solid research proposal (50% of the final grade).

You are expected to be responsible for your own learning process. Reading is essential to assimilate the most important and necessary content and skills of this course. Please make the greatest effort to keep up with the readings, and share all your doubts and questions because we can all participate in this fascinating learning process. Don't forget that meeting the objectives of this course depends on your active work and participation.

It is acceptable and legitimate for you to read, assimilate and use other people's ideas in your work, but you always have to cite the source that has inspired you, and never present how you own the ideas of colleagues, writers or the Internet. Your work will be reviewed by plagiarism and, if detected, the student will fail immediately and be at risk of UOC dismissal. Please protect yourself and give credit to the original authors by always quoting your sources!

It has different spaces, and each of them will play an important role in our process of interaction and learning.

The bulletin board will be our "slate." I'm going to publish the important pieces of information there; from deadlines to general feedback messages to important texts, including the important content I want to work with you. Don't forget to check your bulletin board regularly.

This space is, in a way, our virtual coffee. You can ask questions about the course here, but also ask for help, share your concerns, interests. You can use this space to communicate with each other, but please don't forget to treat everyone with respect, even if you strongly disagree with each other's opinions.

Here we will participate in discussions that will be strictly related to the contents of the course. It's a space for discussion, sharing ideas, questions and possible answers. Courtesy and respect are a "necessity" in all academic discussions.

Your questions have to be posted to the forum or discussion space, so that we can all benefit from the discussion they will generate. However, do not hesitate to contact me via email regarding personal matters. Comments will also be emailed during the course regarding your assignments.

• Guidelines on assessment at the UOC

The assessment process is based on the student's personal work and presupposes authenticity of authorship and originality of the exercises completed.

Lack of authenticity of authorship or originality of assessment tests, copying or plagiarism, the fraudulent attempt to obtain a better academic result, collusion to copy or concealing or abetting copying, use of unauthorized material or devices during assessment, inter alia, are offences that may lead to serious academic or other sanctions.

Firstly, you will fail the course (D/0) if you commit any of these offences when completing activities defined as assessable in the course plan, including the final tests. Offences considered to be misconduct include, among others, the use of unauthorized material or devices during the tests, such as social media or internet search engines, or the copying of text from external sources (internet, class notes, books, articles, other students' essays or tests, etc.) without including the corresponding reference.

And secondly, the UOC's academic regulations state that any misconduct during assessment, in addition to leading to the student failing the course, may also lead to disciplinary procedures and sanctions.

The UOC reserves the right to request that students identify themselves and/or provide evidence of the authorship of their work, throughout the assessment process, and by the means the UOC specifies (synchronous or asynchronous). For this purpose, the UOC may require students to use a microphone, webcam or other devices during the assessment process, and to make sure that they are working correctly.

The checking of students' knowledge to verify authorship of their work will under no circumstances constitute a second assessment.

• View assessment model

• Continuous assessment

Students are expected to submit assignments as planned. Out-of-time submission of orders will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances. Students are expected to notify the instructor if they are not able to meet the deadlines.

As a student of this class I hope you feel responsible for your own learning process. Reading is essential to assimilate the most important and necessary content and skills of this course. Please do your best to keep up with the readings, and share all your doubts and questions with your colleagues and I because we can all participate in this fascinating learning process together. Don't forget that success in achieving the objectives of this course basically depends on your active work and participation.

• Final assessment

• Feedback

A header is a tool because the student understands what elements are considered in each evaluated task. The following is a rubric that explains how tasks are evaluated given a specific set of results.