Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025

Module EDUC48210: Experiments in Education

Department: Education

EDUC48210: Experiments in Education

Type Open Level 4 Credits 10 Availability Available in 2024/2025 Module Cap

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • Appreciate and contribute to the debate about the role of experimentation in educational research.
  • Recognise and make choices from a range of experimental designs.
  • Identify threats to the validity of causal inferences.
  • Understand strategies for minimising threats to the validity of causal inferences.
  • Analyse, synthesise and interpret data from experimental research.
  • Judge the quality of experiments.

Content

  • The case for and against experimenting in education
  • The concept of an experiment: types of experimental designs
  • The concept of intervention in education
  • Design issues: threats to validity of causal inferences
  • Design issues: precautions, ethical issues
  • Analysis of experimental data: effect size

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • appreciate and contribute to the debate about the role of experimentation in educational research;
  • recognise and make choices from a range of experimental designs;
  • identify threats to the validity of causal inferences;
  • understand strategies for minimising threats to the validity of causal inferences;
  • analyse, synthesise and interpret data from experimental research.
  • Be able to apply criteria for judging the quality of experiments
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Critical understanding of the rationale behind the necessary steps to prepare, undertake, analyse and disseminate research in education that aims at causal inferences.
Key Skills:
  • Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
  • Work with a high level of autonomy.
  • Access and use literature.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Students will take part in a range of learning activities, including reading, discussion, listening to presentations, conducting presentations, critiquing published research, analysing and interpreting data, designing experiments, searching literature and synthesising the results of multiple studies. Learning assessment will be about developing a causal research question and demonstrating a reasonable research design (or critique of existing experimental designs) and plan for analysis.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Workshop 5 Weekly 1 hour 5
Lecture 5 Weekly 1 hour 5
Private study and summative report preparation 90
Total 100

Summative Assessment

Component: Assignment Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Assignment 2000 words 100% Yes

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment comprises of staged learning activities that are targeted at the summative assignment. These activities are either taking place during class or are assigned after class sessions and students receive written and oral feedback at the next session.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University