1.Students will produce an ethics form detailing their proposed research project. This will need to pass ethical approval in order for students to conduct their planned methodology (LO 3)
2. Students will undertake a small scale research project on a problem provided by local criminal justice employers/ professionals either focusing on internal problems within the organisation or external problems regarding members of the public or service users. Students will design the study using methods they have learnt about on the module and using techniques learnt about and practiced in workshops regarding data analysis. This will be presented as a results report, incorporating published literature to contextualise the results. (LOs 1, 2 and 3).
3. Students will create a 15minute presentation to deliver to the employers who provided the research project to disseminate the project findings and contextualise them in relation to existing research and knowledge. (LO 4)

This module gives learners step-by-step guidance and support to design and write up a project that seeks to investigate or respond to a current problem or issue faced in the criminal justice sector. Problems will be identified to learners from industry professionals and will either be organisational based or society based problems that need researching. Learners will be introduced to a range of quantitative and qualitative research method techniques that will aid their investigation of a current issue. Learners will also develop practical skills and competencies in the retrieval, analysis and writing up of quantitative and qualitative data.

1. Design, plan and execute research, utilising appropriate research methods for data collection.

University Learning Outcome: Application, Problem solving, Knowledge and understanding, Learning

2. Collect, analyse and evaluate data, contextualising findings in the light of other published literature

University Learning Outcome: Analysis, Enquiry, Problem Solving

3. Safely and ethically plan and execute appropriate research work to conduct a largely independent¿research project into a real-world problem

University Learning Outcome: Problem solving, Application, Learning

4. Communicate the conclusions of your independent research to a specialist audience, utilising interpersonal skills, communication and assertiveness to constructively persuade and influence.

University Learning Outcome: Communication, Knowledge and understanding, Application, Reflection

Lectures and workshops introducing the information.
Practical workshops on data handling.
Non-contact time will involve extensive reading of the course material with a view to developing knowledge from recommended reading material and conducting independent research to prepare for the assessment.

VLE
Lecture and tutorial room equipped with means to fulfil the teaching strategies
Computer labs with appropriate research software available
Placement support

Bell, J., and Waters, S., (2018). Doing your Research project: A Guide for First Time Researchers. Seventh Edition. Open University Press
Bryman, A., (2015). Social Research methods. Fifth Edition. Oxford. Oxford University Press
Hagan FE., (2014). Research methods in Criminal Justice and Criminology. Ninth edition. Harlow. Pearson
Mason, J., (2018). Qualitative Researching. Third Edition. London. Sage

This module gives you step-by-step guidance and support to design and write up a project that seeks to investigate or respond to a current problem or issue faced in the criminal justice sector. You will be introduced to a range of quantitative and qualitative research method techniques that will aid your investigation of a current issue. You will also develop practical skills and competencies in the retrieval, analysis and writing up of quantitative and qualitative data.