Course Coordinator:May El Haddad (melhadda@usc.edu.au) School:School of Health - Nursing
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement. |
Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
Qualitative research is used in everyday settings to answer questions related to issues of interest and their underpinning phenomena. You will attain a sound grounding in applying appropriate qualitative research methods. Theoretical content covers: qualitative methodologies, qualitative research methods, and presenting qualitative results. Course workshops promote critical thinking and provide opportunities to practice using qualitative research methods. While learning is self-directed, workshops and online forums allow discussion of theoretical and practical questions throughout the course.
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Online | |||
| Online – Online asynchronous learning and teaching materials. | 3hrs | Week 1 | 12 times |
Perspectives, principles , underlying assumptions and application to methodologies and methods
Collecting Qualitative Data (process and practice)
Analysing Qualitative Data
Reporting and Dissemination
700 Level (Specialised)
12 units
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | |
| 1 | Critically appraise different qualitative methodologies. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
| 2 | Apply a research method to a qualitative research topic. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
| 3 | Effectively communicate an informed argument on a qualitative research topic area. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker |
| 4 | Apply principles and practices of academic writing and referencing | Ethical |
| 5 | Demonstrate ethical use of intellectual property | Ethical |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Enrolled in any PGRD level Program or SC420 or SC423
Not applicable
Not applicable
Fundamental research methods knowledge and understanding of research procedures including ethics in human research.
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Feedback will be provided in sessions to assist with subsequent assessment tasks.
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Written Piece | Individual | 25% | 1000 words |
Week 4 | Online Submission |
| All | 2 | Artefact - Technical and Scientific | Individual | 25% | 1000 -1250 words |
Week 8 | Online Submission |
| All | 3 | Plan | Individual | 50% | 3000 words |
Week 12 | Online Submission |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Written assignment. Qualitative research fundamentals | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal is for you to present your formative understanding of fundamental principles and underlying assumptions of qualitative research. You will receive feedback and guidance to develop your knowledge and skills in the course and to support your completion of assessment tasks 2 and 3. |
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| Product: | Written Piece | ||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | Choose two published qualitative research papers that address a topic/issue of interest to you. They should use different methodologies to investigate the topic/issue. For each paper briefly summarise the aim, research question and rationale for undertaking the study. Provide an overview of the principles and underlying assumptions that inform the aims, question(s) and methodologies used in the two studies and critically appraise the application of these in the reports presented. Briefly identify what your review contributes to your plan for investigating a topic/issue using a qualitative approach |
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| Criteria: |
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| Generic Skills: | |||||||||||||||||||
| All - Assessment Task 2:Digital presentation. Data collection and analysis | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal is for you to represent your engagement and learning about qualitative data collection and analysis approaches and practices. |
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| Product: | Artefact - Technical and Scientific | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Format: | You will produce a short PowerPoint presentation designed to share with peers which sets out your understanding of principles/ assumptions and procedures in qualitative data collection and analysis. You will produce one slide for each of the following content items: Preparing to collect data Data collection process and procedures Preparing to analyse data Analysis process and procedures You will also include a title slide and a reference slide. Notes: For each content slide you will complete 'notes' to illuminate and explain the slide content. Each content note is to be written using academic written communication structure and grammar and include appropriate citations. Each content note is to be no longer than 200 words in length. |
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| All - Assessment Task 3:Written assignment. Plan for a qualitative research study | |||||||||||||||||||
| Goal: | The goal is for you to apply qualitative research principles, underlying assumptions, methods and procedures to a plan for a research study. |
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| Product: | Plan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Authorship Statement: | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format: | In your plan you will: Set out a research aim and question, and provide a case for the conduct of a qualitative study to investigate the question Set out a suitable methodology for the proposed study and justify the use of this methodology Set out the research method and procedures that would be used to conduct the study including: Context Population and sample Data Analysis approach and procedures Ethics Reflexivity and rigor |
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A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Virginia Braun,Victoria Clarke | 2013 | Successful Qualitative Research | n/a | SAGE Publications Limited |
You will require a computer headset with a microphone and audio for web conferencing activities.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.
The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
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