WM284-15 Research and Professional Skills
Introductory description
This module is designed to familiarise students with researching cross-cutting issues in cyber security contexts, introduce them to a range of data collection methods and analytical options relevant to this, and help them develop relevant skills in data collection and analysis. Students will also be introduced to ethical issues in cyber security research, as well as provided with guidance on how to design, plan and manage their dissertation effectively. Lastly, the module will present students with careers-oriented tasks, giving them the opportunity to consider their professional skills and career aspirations.
Module aims
The module aims to equip students with the knowledge and general research tools to correctly execute a project in cyber security. The focus is on the design of a research project, as well as providing students with the professional and teamwork skills to support the course and their overall career in cyber security.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
- Research Methods:
- Evaluating literature.
- Quantitative research method.
- Qualitative research methods.
- Experimental and computational research methods.
- Professional Skills:
- Regulatory requirements.
- Team roles and personal responsibility.
- Ethics.
- Project management.
- Communication methods.
- Careers guidance.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Apply appropriate criteria and techniques to critically evaluate current and emerging research/technology in a chosen cyber security field.
- Appraise a range of research methods and justify the most appropriate to solve an individual research problem.
- Critically evaluate different approaches to project management, and identify and justify a suitable approach for a given scenario.
- Communicate using a range of techniques on complex cyber security matters, with technical and non-technical audiences, and evaluate the effectiveness of the methods used.
Indicative reading list
Fielding, N., Lee, R. M., & Blank, G. (2017). The SAGE handbook of online research methods (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Flick, U. (Ed.). (2017). The SAGE handbook of qualitative data analysis. SAGE.
Hesse-Biber, S. N., & Johnson, B. (Eds.). (2016). The Oxford handbook of multimethod and mixed methods research inquiry. Oxford University Press.
Muijs, D. (2010). Doing quantitative research in education with SPSS. SAGE Publications.
Cottrell, S. (2017). Dissertations and Project Reports: A step by step guide. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Oliver, P. (2012). Succeeding With Your Literature Review: A Handbook For Students.
Yin, R.K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Oliver, P. (2010). The student’s guide to research ethics (2nd ed.). Open University Press.
Quan-Haase, A., & Sloan, L. (Eds.). (2017). The SAGE handbook of social media research methods. Sage Publications.
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Subject specific skills
Discerning appropriate methods for researching cyber security topics.
Negotiating, designing and planing a research project.
Transferable skills
Problem-solving, communication, ethical values, self-management, professionalism.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 18 sessions of 1 hour (12%) |
| Supervised practical classes | 18 sessions of 1 hour (12%) |
| Private study | 54 hours (36%) |
| Assessment | 60 hours (40%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
Independent activity between workshops, following up on activities initiated in previous workshops or preparing for upcoming workshops.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Report on a research paper | 50% | 30 hours | Yes (extension) |
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The report will review one of the two specific published research papers provided. For their chosen paper, students will: a) consider the fundamental research question and the associated objectives for the work documented; b) critically evaluate the corpus of research and formulate relevant ideas into a referenced literature review; c) select appropriate research method(s) to suit the requirements of a specific research question, including justification; d) anticipate and address ethical and safety constraints in the conduct of research; e) manage project risks by applying suitable mitigations; and f) present findings with clarity, appropriately evaluating the confidence that should be placed in each finding. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Devising research investigation | 50% | 30 hours | Yes (extension) |
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Students will devise an investigation into their own topic of interest. This will be provided in the form of research proposal consisting of: a) research aim/questions/objectives; b) scoping literature review to provide background; c) relevant methods aligned with previously identified problem/questions/objectives; d) considerations for ethical and safety constrains in the conduct of research; and e) performance measurement baseline. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Written feedback for each assignment.
Verbal feedback during tutorial sessions.
Summative feedback on assignments.
Courses
This module is Core for:
-
UWMA-H651 Undergraduate Cyber Security
- Year 2 of H651 Cyber Security
- Year 2 of H651 Cyber Security
- Year 2 of H651 Cyber Security