HS659-7-FY-CO:
Social Work Dissertation
2024/25
Health and Social Care (School of)
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 27 June 2025
30
28 February 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
HS658
(none)
(none)
The focus on the module is on the support and development of the students to enable them to undertake a study of a negotiated extended piece of work relevant to social work practice. This module will provide the support and development of the students to enable them to negotiate and undertake an extended piece of research relevant to a specific area of social work practice.
The module aims to:
• Support students in planning and carrying out systematic, independent research examining an aspect theory and/or practice.
• Help students develop skills in the collection and recording of data in an effective and reliable manner.
• Enhance students’ abilities in reporting their research methods and findings.
• Advance students’ argumentative and analytical abilities to draw valid and significant conclusions from data.
• Challenge students to critically reflect on the security of their conclusions terms of the validity of methodological choices made in research design and the reliability of the data collected.
On successful completion of this module, the learner will be able to:
1. Plan and propose a systematic, independent extended research project examining an aspect of social work theory and/or practice.
2. Conduct research, collecting and recording data in an effective and reliable manner.
3. Report on the research context, methods and findings of independent enquiry.
4. Draw valid conclusions from data collected via independent enquiry.
5. Critically reflect on the security of the conclusions drawn in terms of the validity of methodological choices made in research design and the reliability of the data collected.
The module delivery will include group sessions, 1 to 1 tutorials, tutor led input and an inter-disciplinary seminar which will include Law Clinic students.
Lectures:
As noted above it is expected that lectures will be incorporated within the scheduled days of teaching and learning activity as outlined in the attached timetable. Lectures will be delivered by module lead, Experts by Experience and colleagues.
Independent:
Small/ PBL group work and independent work on searching the literature and any research related activities. Practice and presentations to be discussed on sphere of practice.
Online:
A range of materials and resources relating to this module are available through the MA Social Work Moodle site. Students should upon registering for this module be able to access this Moodle course by going to https://moodle.essex.ac.uk or by accessing Moodle via the 'my study' section of the main University of Essex website. If you are experiencing any technical difficulties with Moodle then please contact; helpdesk@essex.ac.uk
Tutorials:
On commencing the course students will be allocated an Academic Supervisor, (usually the module leader). Academic Supervisors will support the student in the preparation of the module assessment.
Students will be expected to meet with their Academic Supervisor on a regular basis throughout the course. Arrangements for supervision will be the responsibility of the student. Any student may elect to change his/her Academic Supervisor following discussion with the module or programme Leader or the Director of Education.
Students are expected to maintain contact with their academic and practice Supervisors throughout the module. Tutorial sessions will be negotiated between student and supervisor. It expected that tutorial support and supervision will total no more than 2 full days over the period of the module.
Skills:
As part of their independent learning the student will be expected to engage in a range of research related activities: searching the literature, visiting the library, attending seminars and participating in conferences (where appropriate).
This module does not appear to have a published bibliography.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Social Work Dissertation |
|
100% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
100 per cent Coursework Mark
Reassessment
100 per cent Coursework Mark
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Ms Caroline Bald, email: caroline.bald@essex.ac.uk.
Jakub Kulesza
Student Programme Administrator
pgsocwork@essex.ac.uk
E: socwork@essex.ac.uk
No
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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