CARE06019 2022 RBSS 2: Supporting the transition of Research Based Study Skills to Higher Education

Demonstrate an understanding of evidence-informed learning and competency in Social Care Academia and Practice (Domains 2;7, 5;1, 5;5)

Explore the basic processes of primary and secondary research and the relationship of these to evidence- informed social care academia and practice. (Domain 5;5).

Assess the reliability, validity and effectiveness of various sources of ‘evidence’ of relevance to Social Care phenomena and practice contexts. (Domain 5;1, 5:5).

Demonstrate an understanding of Social Care Communities of Practice and an ability to work in groups to facilitate collaborative inquiry in Social Care. (Domain 2;13, 2:16).

Identify and demonstrate a variety of key transferrable skills and competencies involved in individual and group presentations. (Domain 2;13)

Students will attend a one hour lecture and two hour tutorial each week. The lectures will introduce students to the relevant knowledge and theory necessary to support acquisition of a variety of research- based study skills. As with RBSS 1, the weekly tutorials will be instructional and skills/competency-based, with all theoretical work supplemented by guided practical application. At all stages throughout the module, students will be continuously encouraged to reflect on the relevance and transferability of academic skills and competencies introduced for their wider SCP programme and learning and for the broader professional context of social care practice and the standards of proficiency for same.

This module will be assessed by continuous assessment only in the form of 2 assessments (comprising formative and summative components).

Assessment 1: Research based study skills portfolio. (60% of module mark)- (Assesses LOs 1,2,3,)

The portfolio will comprise of a suite of transferrable skills that students can refer to and use as a competency/skill toolkit throughout their academic studies in stage 2 of the programme and beyond. Portfolio tasks will be completed with guided facilitation from lecturer and peers in tutorials. The focus on formative assessment (i.e. the idea of Learning for Assessment) will be a predominant focus throughout the portfolio process. Skills relating to: formulation of research questions, sourcing and critiquing different forms of ‘evidence’, understanding hierarchies of evidence for SCP, use of concept mapping tools, working as part of a community of practice and presenting evidence in a  variety of formats e.g. poster presentations, elevator pitches, will be included in this assessment. (This assessment maps to CORU SOPs as follows: Domain 2;7, 5;1, 5;5)

Assessment 2: Collaborative Inquiry Project (40%) (Los 3,4,5)

Students will work in small groups to engage in a collaborative inquiry project, conducting a systematic review of a topic/challenge of relevance to their professional studies' module or other module occurring in parallel with RBSS2. They will collaboratively present the outcomes of the review in the form of a poster presentation (20% of module mark). Provisional work on the process and outcomes of the systematic review will be formatively assessed in the form of an elevator pitch presentation to lecturers and peers in tutorials). Students will then individually compile and write-up an annotated bibliography of the review (20% of module mark). This Assessment maps to CORU SOPs as follows: 2;13, 2;16, 5;1, 5;5)

The repeat assessment strategy will be dependent on overall grades and will be decided and documented at the Progression and Award Boards.

Repeat submissions will be capped at 40%.

Repeat failed element. 

LO 1: Demonstrate an understanding of evidence-informed learning and competency in Social Care Academia and Practice (Domains 2;7, 5;1, 5;5)

Building on the learning intentions of RBSS1, students will be supported in their exploration of key academic concepts of relevance to Social Care, including evidence-based learning, evidence- informed practice and the relationship of these to proficiency in Social Care Practice (SCP). Facilitated through guided practical application in a tutorial context, students will be introduced to the cycle involved in evidence-based learning and practice, including: ‘Asking questions of relevance to Social Care problems/scenarios/phenomena’ -; ‘Acquiring the evidence to help address these questions’; ‘Appraising the available Evidence’ and ‘Reflecting on the perceived value and transferability of evidence for SCP’.

LO2: Explore the basic processes of primary and secondary research and the relationship of these to evidence- informed social care academia and practice. (Domain 5;5)

Students will be introduced to the idea of becoming and being ‘research minded’ (student) practitioners throughout their Social Care programme and professional practice careers. They will explore the basic processes involved in conducting secondary and primary research and different forms of research of relevance to SC academia/practice e.g. qualitative, quantitative and participatory research. Facilitated through guided practical application in a tutorial context, they will critically reflect on the utility of these research approaches/outputs for evidence- informed debates of relevance to SCP.

LO3: Assess the reliability, validity and effectiveness of various sources of ‘evidence’ of relevance to Social Care phenomena and practice contexts (Domains 5;1,' 5;5).

Again, building on the learning introduced in RBSS1, students will actively locate and review a variety of academic sources (on student- selected topics of relevance to parallel SCP modules) inclusive of peer reviewed scholarly journals, academic texts, online sources, grey literature, ‘anecdotal’ and ‘practice’ evidence etc. Students will be introduced to and supported in their use of formalised/standardised tools to critique and evaluate these sources in relation to their reliability and validity and complete a systematic annotated bibliography.

LO4 Demonstrate an understanding of Social Care Communities of Practice and an ability to work in groups to facilitate collaborative inquiry in Social Care (Domains 2;13, 2;16).

Extending on the content introduced in RBSS1 around working in teams, students will be encouraged to explore the concept of communities of practice and collaborative inquiry in (i) the SCP Higher Education community and (ii) the Social Care Practice context and reflect on how these resonate with CORU’s standards of proficiency-Domain 2: Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamworking. Facilitated through guided practical application in tutorials, students will reflect on their experiences of group learning and project work in their SCP learning journey to date and throughout this module. They will examine their experiences through the lens of a variety of team development and process theories including team Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development and Belbin’s Team Role Theory.

LO5: Identify and demonstrate a variety of key transferrable skills and competencies involved in individual and group presentations

Again, building on the skill set introduced in RBSS1, students will be introduced to and have the opportunity to practice a variety of skills involved in presenting, communicating and disseminating evidence- informed ideas and debates of relevance to academic and applied SCP. Specifically, they will focus on developing, delivering/communicating poster presentations, elevator pitch presentations and Concept Maps (with guided use of formal concept mapping tools).