DC5014 - Evaluating Research (PCDA)

The module aims to further develop your skills and knowledge of what existing research and existing evidence are available to support everyday policing. To unpack this further, learning will be delivered through applied lectures, group discussion, and debate, as well as independent learning (including set tasks and readings). During this intensive one-week of learning, teaching will employ the use of a set of key policing tasks that will be worked through and revisited throughout the lecture and workshop programme. The learning experience will showcase research methods that can be applied to these tasks and will connect more broadly to Evidence-Based Policing. Lectures will introduce the fundamental features of research and the range of data sources available. Lectures will also examine how and when research and evidence can and should be drawn on to support policing. This will aim to provoke your thinking, and further encourage you to identify available valid and reliable research and evidence. Seminars will allow you to engage in both individual and group work and will consist of policing case studies and exercises. You will also have space to develop your thinking and position as a student officer. Finally, the module encourages you to make appropriate connections between theory, research, policy, and practice in terms of policing, partner agencies, and the wider criminal justice system.

You will have academic support throughout the delivery of the module. This will consist of opportunities to have 1-1 tutorials with the module tutor(s), and we encourage you to take this up. As such, there will be opportunities to ask questions and seek guidance from academic staff both within and outside the timetabled teaching sessions. You will also have the opportunity to discuss readings/tasks with module tutors. All academic staff advertise times when they are available to students and there is also the opportunity to book appointments. You will be expected to engage in debate, group discussion, and presentation (when appropriate) and to have prepared for each session through independent study following the electronic reading lists that accompany the module.

As part of your intellectual development, you will receive support from your peers in the classroom and/or virtual classroom. Peer support is valuable for talking through your ideas with other learners and in doing so allows you to develop your knowledge, skills, and confidence.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding (K&U):
1. Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of key principles of research methods and practice in the context of given scenarios encountered by the police.
2. Demonstrate your ability to identify, explain, evaluate and interpret relevant data sources and the role of research evidence in relation to policing.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities (IPSA):
3. Demonstrate an understanding of a range of research methods that can inform Evidence-Based Policing.
4. Communicate that you understand how to identify and analyse research and evidence in an applied context.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Show critical curiosity in connection to sourcing and making use of data sources to assist everyday policing.

The summative assessment task for this module is an open-book exam. The exam will last for two hours, and you will be asked to choose one of the essay questions presented and to write an essay on this. Your essay should consist of an introduction, main body, and conclusion. In the exam, you are expected to demonstrate your competencies in relation to the module learning outcomes. This will involve you critically analysing, evaluating, and synthesising research methods. You will be entitled to draw on lecture notes, books, and journal articles. You are encouraged to identify sources beforehand that you will then bring along, and that should help you during the exam. (K&U 1, 2; IPSA 3, 4; PVA 5)

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In this module, you will learn how existing research can and should be used to support the delivery of policing. There will be a specific focus on the development of research and scientific analysis that can contribute to Evidence-Based Policing and the benefits and limitations associated with this. You will learn how to search, identify, and critically evaluate existing research and available evidence. This is imperative, given the module overall centres on evaluating research methods. You will develop foundational knowledge about Quantitative and qualitative research techniques, including survey design and implementation, research interviews, data analysis, sampling, and the ethics of research. Understanding each of these topics is central to deciding which research and evidence is most relevant and appropriate to an issue. Lastly, this module will enable you to make use of research to assist you in your current and future Police Officer role.