N.B. The nature of this module means that in any one year it may not be offered or that there may have to be limits imposed on the numbers of students that could take the module. This is because there may not be appropriate research projects running or planned for students to contribute towards. Some research projects may require particular aptitudes - those suitable for the research projects available in any one year will therefore be selected on the basis of an application, in a similar way to the selection of a research assistant. Students will be counselled about this when making module choices.

One presentation - normally a 30 minute presentation, or equivalent (30%) [1, 2, 3, 4 ]
One 1500-1750-word reflective report incorporating a work diary (70%) [1, 2, 3, 4 ]

Additional Assessment Details:
The 30 minute oral presentation includes time for questions and its purpose is to present and discuss the key findings from the piece of research that the student assisted with.

Formative Assessment: One-to-one sessions with the research placement supervisor will provide students with regular formative feedback and allow them to evaluate their progress. Students will also be provided with the opportunity to receive feedback on their presentation and report plans.

Gomez, B. & Jones, J.P. (2010) Research Methods in Geography. Wiley - Blackwell.
Clifford, N. & Valentine, G. (2010) Key Methods in Geography (2nd Edition). Sage Publications.
Rogers, A., Viles, H. & Goudie, A. (2002) The students' companion to geography. Blackwell.
Hay, I. (2006) Communicating in geography and the environmental sciences. OUP.

The student will primarily be engaged in independent learning involving liaising with research staff, planning and executing aspects of data collection, interpretation and presentation. Support will be given by staff in the form of one-to-one sessions for specific project guidance. The student will effectively be acting as a research assistant. It is envisaged that the research element could be work in concentrated episodes or a more extended period such as, for example, one day per week for ten weeks.

The equivalent of 5 x 1 hour one-to-one project support and review sessions will be held throughout the module to provide the student with guidance specific to the project and assessments.

These will vary according to the nature of the placement, but will commonly include:
University Library, Faculty of Sciences Learning Resource Centre, IT, Internet & email facilities, access to GIS and other software, access to laboratories and laboratory equipment, and access to field equipment.

This module offers a student the opportunity to work under the supervision of a member of staff on a small-scale project or part of a project that relates directly to that member of staff's own research interests. The project would normally be expected to be centred on a problem or issue that can be examined through fieldwork and/or by library/archival investigation or by the analysis and/or presentation of data that has already been collected. The placement could therefore involve adapting to a project that has already begun. The purpose of the module is not only to increase understanding of the particular research topic, but also to offer the student some wider insights into the process of academic research. This module would be particularly suitable for those wanting to go on to do postgraduate research work or a research degree.