| CODE | HSC5004 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Dissertation | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 30 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Faculty of Health Sciences | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is targeted to assist students in the conducting and reporting of a research project on diabetes care. Students will be expected to choose a research topic which is relevant to their professional field. They will be expected to conduct a comprehensive and critical review of the literature related to the topic of their dissertation. It is expected that students will choose the most appropriate methodology to address the research question and will implement the proposed methodology. The results of the projects will be compared to that of previous research on diabetes care both on a national and international level. The dissertation would include a discussion of strengths and limitations of the project and present recommendations, including recommendations for diabetes care and practice. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to provide students with the skills to undertake a research project on a particular aspect of diabetes care, by going through each stage of the research process. Students will also learn how to report research findings. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Conduct rigorous research on an aspect of diabetes care, through the dissertation report carried out under academic supervision; b. Systematically review the literature in relation to the topic of diabetes research; c. Use established systematic review guidelines and tools; d. Discuss ethical issues underlying the conduct of the research as identified by the Helsinki Declaration on ethics in research; e. Explain the strengths and limitations of different types of research methodologies; f. Choose the appropriate research methods to address the chosen research question; g. Discuss different methods of data collection and analysis which could be utilized to address the research question; and h. Explain the strengths and limitations of the project undertaken by identifying ways in which research results may have been affected by the chosen research methodology. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: a. Conduct a research study on diabetes care related to the students' professional background; b. Choose the most suitable methodology to address the research question; c. Seek and obtain ethical clearance to conduct a research project from the Faculty and University Research Ethics Committees and any other relevant organisations; d. Collect data; e. Assess data in terms of validity and reliability; f. Apply criteria of rigour during the research process; g. Analyze data; h. Choose the appropriate statistical tests or qualitative data analysis methods; g. Use the relevant data analysis software; i. Report results in a clear and accurate manner; j. Disseminate findings in clinical practice; k. Discuss results in relation to previous research in diabetes care; and l. Identify any new knowledge generated on the area of study. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Aveyard A. (2014) Doing a literature review in health and social care: a practical guide. Open University Press, U.K. - Bazley P. (2013) Qualitative data analysis with NVivo. Sage Publications 2nd edition. - Everett E.L. (2013) Doing your Master's dissertation from start to finish. Sage Publications, U.K. - Field A. (2017) Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS Sage Publications 5th Edition. Supplementary Readings: - Biggam J. (2014) Succeeding with your Master's dissertation: a step-by-step handbook. Open University Press, U.K. - Blaire L. (2016) Writing a graduate thesis or dissertation. Sense publishers, Rotterdam. (Available online via Hydi on Springer e-books.) - Bradley C. (2003) Handbook of psychology and diabetes: a guide to psychological measurement in research and clinical practice. Psychology. - Curtis E. and Drennan A. (2013) Quantitative Health Research: Issues And Methods. Open University Press. - Hart C. (2005) Doing your Masters dissertation. Sage Publications Ltd. - Roden M. (2007) Clinical Diabetes Research: Methods and Techniques. Wiley. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | **September Assessment Session: Students who fail to obtain an overall pass mark will be re-examined in the Dissertation. However, the resit availability for the Oral Examination is at the discretion of the Board of Examiners. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Dissertation | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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