MMN225007 Research Project Module Handbook Tri A 2025/26 | GCU London

Contents

1 Introduction to the Module
1.1 Module Learning Outcomes:

2 Attendance

3 Module Team
3.1 External Examiner

4 Additional Module Support
4.1 Academic Development Tutors

5 Module Timetable
5.1 Preparation

6 Accessibility
6.1 Reporting issues with accessibility in this module

7 GCU Learn

8 Assessment
8. 1Coursework 1: Research Proposal
8.1.1 Purpose of this assessment
8.1.2 Research Proposal structure
8.1.3 Coursework 1 assessment criteria

8.2 Coursework 2: Research Project
8.2.1 Structure of your Research Project
8.2.2 Presentation and Layout
8.2.3 Coursework 2 assessment criteria

9 Referencing
10 Choosing or changing Your Topic
11 Your Research Project Supervisor
12 Ethical Considerations

13 Late Submission of assessment/ Failure to submit assessments
13.1 Fit to Sit

14 Extensions
15 Student Feedback

16 Module Evaluation
16.1 Student Staff Consultative Groups (SSCG)
16.2 Module Feedback

17Module descriptor

Reading

Introduction to the Module

The main purpose of this module handbook is to provide you with a comprehensive guide for this module. In this handbook you will find information and advice that should prove helpful as you progress through the module.

The aim of this module is to enable students to develop an understanding and obtain practical experience of the research process and research skills required to undertake a supervised independent research project. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to conduct advanced research, which is based on a wide and extensive critical review of the literature relevant to their field of study. Before the student commences their research project, they must develop an assessed research proposal for their intended project. During the research process and in co-operation with their allocated supervisor, students are required to demonstrate critical awareness of practice in their applied field, relevant theories, research techniques and approaches. They must demonstrate methodological and analytical rigour supported by well- constructed argument and debate. Both the proposal and project elements of the module offer students the opportunity to apply course concepts, theories and techniques, draw on internationally published literature and good practice, and develop and interpret knowledge about practice in their area of study. The project's subject matter involves the theoretical and empirical investigation of a relevant industry related issue and focuses upon topics covered in the student's programme of study. Regardless of the nature of the output selected, the project is required to be theoretically robust and methodologically sound to meet the academic requirements of the module. Equivalence in the assessment of all three projects is maintained. The research project can assume one of 2 forms: An Applied Research Project or a Business Consultancy Project.

• The Applied Research Project involves collection of primary or secondary data.
• The Business Consultancy Project is normally primary data based and requires the student to adopt the role of a consultant. Students intending to choose this option are required to secure an agreement from the Module Leader and external organization.

Module Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module you should be able to:-

1. Critically assess research gaps and generate research aims and objectives applicable for an appropriate research project relevant to field of study
2. Demonstrate a systematic and critical understanding of relevant theory pertaining to the chosen topic
3. Design a research project to answer a particular research question
4. Demonstrate the use of appropriate methodological framework to meet the aim and objectives of the project
5. Synthesise a range of information
6. Conduct empirical research
7. Present and intellectually robust and evidence based analysis and develop appropriate recommendations
   Please read this document carefully and if you have any questions, contact the module leader.

Attendance

Promoting and encouraging student engagement with all aspects of their learning is a key part of the University’s commitment to providing a student experience of the highest quality. For the University, providing a supportive learning environment includes the monitoring of student attendance. The University expects all students to attend all classes in all their modules (including online). If at any time you have a personal matter that is impacting your ability to attend class then you should book an appointment to discuss this with your Programme Leader or a member of your Programme Team and inform advice@gculondon.ac.uk or +44 (0)203 369 3000. It is vital that you maintain contact with the University and allow us to help resolve problems where possible. Further information please consult to the University Attendance Policy.

As you will not normally be attending taught modules this trimester, it is important that students keep regular contact with their supervisors. This is not just to monitor engagement but also to ensure that students are not experiencing issues that are impeding progress on this module. Moreover, you are expected to engage with other university learning services such as library and academic development activities. Therefore, students are expected to swipe their card every two weeks on the GCU London campus. If you do have any issues, please try as far as possible to let your supervisors or module leader know.

Module Team

The University is committed to ensuring that you are supported to achieve a successful outcome on your chosen programme and associated modules.

If you have a particular problem with the academic content of the module, please contact the module leader in the first instance. Further module contacts are detailed below.

ResearchProject@gcu.ac.uk | Dr. Andrew Henck Programme Leader
Dr. Constantinos Choromides Deputy Programme Leader

IMBDPC@gculondon.ac.uk |    Laura Issawi Programme Coordinator

External Examiner

The University attaches great importance to the role of External Examiners as a key means of assuring that academic standards are at an appropriate level, comparable to those of other higher education institutions and that assessment processes are rigorous and fair. External examiners also make a valuable contribution to the enhancement of programmes and their associated modules.

The External Examiner(s) for your programme/module are:

Dr Carmen Lopez, Lecturer in Marketing, Southampton Business School, University of Southampton (MSc International Marketing)

Dr Charlotte Smith, Senior Lecturer/Programme Leader, Department of Management, Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln (MSc International Management Business Development)
Clare Harris, Senior Teaching Fellow in Creativity and Design, School of Engineering and Informatics, University of Sussex (MSc Fashion and Lifestyle Marketing)

Kathrine Boxall, Head of Postgraduate Studies, Berlin School of Business and Innovation (MSc Luxury Brand Marketing)

Carol Cloughton, Course Leader, York Business School, York St John University (MSc Fashion Business Creation)

Dr Simon Ashby, Associate Professor of Financial Services, Vlerick Buisinss School (MSc Insurance and Sustainable Risk Management)

Please note that External Examiners have a specified term of office which means they may be subject to change within the duration of your studies.

The details of the External Examiner are for information only. It is inappropriate for students to make direct contact with External Examiners, in particular regarding their individual performance in assessments. If you have a concern about your performance, please note the policies relating to Mitigating Circumstances, Appeals, Complaints and Section 3.2 Personal Tutor.

Additional Module Support

Academic Development Tutors

In addition to receiving support from the module team, Academic Development Tutors are based at GCU London, who provide one-to-one tutorials in academic skills and teach skills development workshops.

If you would like to book an appointment with the London Academic Development Tutor, please use the booking links provided in the weekly newsletter (sent as a GCU Learn announcement to your GCU email inbox), or drop-in during the advertised times listed.

Personal Tutor

Further support can be obtained from your Personal Tutor (previously known as Academic Adviser). All students are assigned a Personal Tutor at the start of their course. All Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate students will have a named Personal Tutor who is a member of academic staff from their department, and who has knowledge of their programme (in most cases, for GCU London Masters programmes, this will be your Programme Leader).

Module Timetable

Please note that this is not a taught module. This is a research module where you are required to work on your research project independently. Information regarding research methods and skills required to help you conduct your research, were provided in your relevant research methods module and additional preparation session(s) related to this module. A number of workshops on general issues related to conducting and writing-up your research, will be provided in addition to individual supervision with a member of academic staff.

Preparation

It is strongly recommended that you revisit the information provided in your relevant research methods module, including any additional reading and development of your assessments, and resources provided in Research Project preparation sessions, to help you prepare for this module. You are expected to read research articles, extensively in your chosen research area, both to inform your research but also to help develop your understanding of how to conduct research, at a more advanced level.

Accessibility

GCU Learn Module-Level Accessibility Statement

The University has an accessibility statement specific to learning and teaching relating to the GCU Learn platform (Blackboard), third-party plug-ins and content uploaded by staff and students. You can read the statement in full using this link to the GCU Learn Institution Page.

GCU Learn enables you to download your module content in five different formats, depending upon your learning preferences and requirements. You can learn more about how to access the different formats in this module via this video.

Reporting issues with accessibility in this module

If you are experiencing issues accessing content within a module, please contact your Module Leader in the first instance.
If you are a student with existing arrangements or reasonable adjustments, please contact the GCU Disability Service.

We’re always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we’re not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: accessibility@gcu.ac.uk.

GCU Learn

GCU Learn provides access to a range of additional module materials such as slides/visuals from lectures, web links relevant to the topic, further reading and details of seminar and assessment tasks. It is not, however, a replacement for timetabled class contact.

It also provides access to other features to help you manage your studies, including setting and tracking tasks and keeping a calendar. You will find a lot of useful study information there.

The module site will be regularly updated and you should therefore get into the habit of logging on to GCU Learn every day.

As GCU Learn is a web-based system, you can access it through any computer that is connected to the Internet. Click on GCU Learn to access from this document; or click on the GCU Learn link from the Student home page.

Assessment

In accordance with the University’s Digital Assessment Policy and Online Similarity Checking Policy all standard academic summative submissions of coursework will be submitted online through Turnitin via GCU Learn to ascertain whether or not there is a suspicion of plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined in the Assessment Regulations as “the deliberate and substantial unacknowledged incorporation in students' work of material derived from the work (published or unpublished) of another”. It is considered by the University to be a very serious offence and can result in severe penalties.

Where plagiarism is detected this will be dealt with under the Code of Student Conduct.

Coursework 1: Research Proposal

Purpose of this assessment

You are required to produce and submit a research proposal based on a topic area that you are interested in and will be the proposal for your research project. This write- up will be an individual assessment. The recommended format is below

Research Proposal structure:

This table indicates the sections and areas that should be covered in your Coursework 1- Research Proposal. You are supposed to write to proposal as a text proposal with specific headings, rather than fill in this table.

Coursework 1 assessment criteria:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING (30%)

• Demonstrates a critical understanding of the research topic area including theories and concepts, critical awareness of current issues in relevant specialist areas (e.g. evident in understanding of literature and background to research; development of rationale for the project proposal)
• Demonstrates a critical understanding of research methodology (e.g. evident in rationale developed for the methodology, including consideration of epistemological and theoretical underpinnings appropriate and relevant to the project)

PRACTICE: APPLIED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING (25%)

• Applies appropriate and significant range of theoretical frameworks (e.g. evident in introduction and background to project, development of rationale for project)
• Applies appropriate research skills and techniques in the conduct of research, including methods of data collection and analysis (e.g. evident in rationale for methodology)
• Demonstrates appropriate and relevant planning and execution of research (e.g. evident in the articulation of the justification for methodology development and understanding of research methodology, methods and analysis)
• Demonstrates originality and/or creativity (e.g. evident in developing rationale for research project based on understanding of topic area and research methodology which is relevant to the project)

GENERIC COGNITIVE SKILLS (20%)

• Applies critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information, and relevant issues (e.g. evident in understanding of literature and background and rationale for the research project)
• Identifies, conceptualises and defines new and abstract problems and issues (can be demonstrated in developing cogent arguments for rationale for research project, justification of methodology)

COMMUNICATION, ICT AND NUMERACY SKILLS (10%)

• Proposal is written clearly, in appropriate academic/scientific language; there is a clearly organised structure which takes reader in a logical and easy-to-follow way through arguments/narrative being developed;
• Meets requirements of presentation and formatting, which also supports the structure and clarity of the narrative of the report
• Demonstrates good standards of grammar, punctuation and spelling

AUTONOMY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND WORKING WITH OTHERS (15%)

• Demonstrates good clear planning (evident throughout the proposal).
• Demonstrates understanding and application of appropriate ethical and professional practice, makes informed judgements on relevant issues (demonstrated in articulation of proposed methodology and discussion of planning, ethics and critical analysis)
• Demonstrates critical reflection on research proposal and implications, including limitations and weaknesses and potential impact on findings (demonstrated in planning and critical analysis)

Coursework 2: Research Project

Structure of your Research Project

The research project can assume one of two forms: An Applied Research Project; a Management Inquiry Project or a Business Consultancy Project.

• The Applied Research Project involves collection of primary or secondary data.
• The Business Consultancy Project is normally primary data based and requires the student to adopt the role of a consultant. Students intending to choose this option are required to secure an agreement in principal from the client organisation prior to the finalisation of the project.

The Research Project can take the form of one of the following formats depending on which form of project you will be conducting.

1.Option 1 – Research Project format for an Applied Research Project. Choose this option if you are planning to undertake an applied research project (standard dissertation).
2. Option 2 – Research Project format for a practice-based Business Consultancy Project. Choose this option if you are planning to undertake a business consultancy project.

Regardless of the nature of the output selected, the Research Project is required to be theoretically robust and methodologically sound to meet the academic requirements of the module. Equivalence in the assessment of both projects is maintained.

Option 1 – Research Project format for an Applied Research Project

Option 2 – Research Project format for a practice-based Business Consultancy Project

It is strongly recommended that you retain an additional copy of your Research Project/project for your own records. This may be useful if you are called for a viva voce (oral) examination or in the case of resubmission.

Viva Voce Examination

All post-graduate students undertaking Research Projects may be called upon for a viva voce examination. You will be advised of this after submission and marking of the Research Project if relevant to you.

Presentation and Layout

When you come to prepare your Research Project for final submission, please follow strictly the rules on Research Project layout and presentation as outlined

• Word count: 15000 words (+/- 10% tolerance). The count includes all text from the first word to the last word of your report. It does not include: abstract/executive summary, title page, table of contents, list of figures, tables and charts in the report (including caption and description), reference list and the appendices;
• Presentation: Font – Arial 12pt with 1.5 line spacing. Margins: 2.5 cm top/bottom/left/right.
• Only reports submitted via GCULearn - Turnitin will be accepted. Email or file transfer submissions will not be accepted.
• You are expected to allow yourself enough time to successfully upload your assignment and check that the submission has been accepted. Work handed in after the deadline (or via the wrong platform) will be counted as a non-submission;
• You should keep an electronic copy of all your written and digital work.

Coursework 2 assessment criteria:

In line with GCU London’s Integrated Feedback Matrices the following criteria will be used to assess the Research Project. Please note that the way in which the criteria are applied, the evidence required and weightings are all indicative.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING (30%)

• Demonstrates a critical understanding of the research topic area including theories and concepts, critical awareness of current issues in relevant specialist areas (evident in the introduction, critical literature review, development of rationale for the project, and discussion of how findings contribute to knowledge/practice in topic area)
• Demonstrates a critical understanding of research methodology (evident in rationale developed for the methodology, including consideration of epistemological and theoretical underpinnings appropriate and relevant to their project)

PRACTICE: APPLIED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING (25%)

• Applies appropriate and significant range of theoretical frameworks (evident in critical literature review, development of rationale for project and interpretation of findings)
• Applies appropriate research skills and techniques in the conduct of research, including methods of data collection and analysis (evident in rationale for methodology and articulation of how research was executed)
• Demonstrates appropriate and relevant planning and execution of research (evident. in the articulation of the justification for methodology, development and understanding of research methodology, methods and analysis)
• Demonstrates originality and/or creativity (evident in developing rationale for research project based on understanding of topic area and research methodology which is relevant to the project)

GENERIC COGNITIVE SKILLS (20%)

• Applies critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information, and relevant issues (evident in the critical literature review, rationale for the research project and interpretation of results)
• Identifies, conceptualises and defines new and abstract problems and issues (can be demonstrated in developing cogent arguments for rationale for research project, justification of methodology, and interpretation and discussion of findings)

COMMUNICATION, ICT AND NUMERACY SKILLS (10%)

• Report is written clearly, in appropriate academic/scientific language; there is a clearly organised structure which takes reader in a logical and east-to-follow way through arguments/narrative being developed;
• Meets requirements of presentation and formatting, which also supports the structure and clarity of the narrative of the report
• Demonstrates good standards of grammar, punctuation and spelling

AUTONOMY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND WORKING WITH OTHERS (15%)

• Demonstrates good clear planning (evident throughout the report).
• Demonstrates understanding and application of appropriate ethical and professional practice, makes informed judgements on relevant issues (demonstrated in articulation of research conduct and discussion)
• Demonstrates critical reflection on execution of research and implications of findings, including limitations and weaknesses in research conduct and findings (demonstrated in the discussion of findings and conclusions)

Referencing

Referencing shows the breadth of your research and provides details of the sources that you have used to support your arguments and conclusions. By acknowledging the sources used in the preparation of your work, you will also avoid plagiarism. You are expected to cite sources and list references by following the Harvard Referencing conventions (style format: British Standard Harvard BS ISO 690:2010). A detailed

guise on how to apply Harvard Referencing is available via GCU e-Library / Referencing / Harvard Referencing page.

Choosing or changing Your Topic

If you keep the same project idea as the one which you developed for your Research Proposal, this has already been approved. If you want to change this topic, you must discuss this with your supervisor and if in agreement, notify the module leader, Dr Dane Lukic (Dane.Lukic@gcu.ac.uk) by email as soon as possible.

Altering your Research Project topic after supervisors have already been allocated to students complicates the process of your Research Project considerably. Students opting to make such changes do so at their own risk and should note this will neither qualify them for an extension to the Research Project submission deadline, nor a change of Supervisor.

Your Research Project Supervisor

The Research Project is above all your project, and its success or failure will ultimately depend on your commitment, effort and organisation. The role of the Supervisor is to offer general advice and guidance and to be an appropriate point of contact during the researching and writing of the Research Project in terms of discussing ideas, in helping you to come up with a suitable structure and reading draft chapters. You must be in regular contact with your supervisor throughout the Research Project process.

You will not have an infinite amount of access to your Supervisor so you will need to prepare well for each meeting you have with them. Responsibility for arranging meetings and making sure you attend regular consultations is very much yours. Be sure to establish at the start of the process if there are times when your supervisor will be unavailable so you can take account of this in your planning. It is advised that you can expect up to 5 meetings with your supervisor throughout the course of the module.

Experience shows overwhelmingly that students who do not maintain regular contact with their supervisor do very badly in, and in some cases fail, the Research Project. Though most tutors are happy to accept e-mail communications from their students, you must remember that they have many other demands on their time and they cannot guarantee to respond to unsolicited e-mails quickly.

If you choose not to reply to written or email requests from your supervisor to attend a meeting, without offering a valid reason for your non-appearance, this will be taken into account in the assessment of your performance.

The following is a summary of the responsibilities of each party, student and Supervisor.    

What is expected of students:

• to be independent
• to seek advice and comment on their work
• to have regular meetings with the Supervisor
• Keeping meeting records with their supervisors (see Appendix A)
• to be honest when reporting progress
• to follow advice which has been specifically requested
• to be interested in the work
• to take ultimate responsibility for the direction and content of the Research Project

Supervisors’ responsibilities:

• to read the student’s work and be familiar with it
• to be available when necessary, and within reason
• to check and approve meeting records with the student (see Appendix A for the meeting record template)
• to be friendly, open and supportive
• to be constructively critical
• to have a fair knowledge of the research area (or to seek advice or direct to alternative colleagues and/or sources)
• to exchange ideas freely
• to be aware of potential pitfalls in the research topic and methodology

Please do not expect your supervisor to provide feedback on multiple drafts of chapters or the entire Research Project. You should not expect feedback more than once on a draft/chapter(s).

Ultimately, how you organise contact, meetings and feedback, should be negotiated between you and your supervisor.

Ethical Considerations

If your Research Project involves only textual analysis of one kind or another – in other words if you focus solely on, for example, the analysis of a film, television programme, newspaper articles, adverts or other sources of secondary data – ethical considerations are unlikely to arise. However, if your Research Project involves direct contact with other people as part of your research – e.g. face-to-face questionnaire studies; participant observation, interviews or focus groups – then ethical considerations always arise, and more so the more involved your contact might be. You must therefore ensure you have obtained their informed consent and ensure you maintain confidentiality of their identity and their data (as far as possible) and they are clear how this will be done and who has access to any information they provide. Above all, you must ensure that they do not come to any harm by participating in your study, and you have implemented procedures to ensure that any harm is minimised and any ‘aftercare’ is provided (if relevant). Further details on ethical issues can be found at: Research Ethics Further information and advice on ethics will be provided on the module site on GCULearn.

All students are required to complete and sign two copies of the Ethics Application Form, even if it is simply to indicate that such considerations will not arise in your case. These are to be submitted to your Supervisor for their signed approval. After submission of the signed ethics form, the student can expect atleast two weeks for proper review by the GCU London Ethics Review Committee, which may require the student to revise and resubmit or proceed with approval on their data collection. Electronic versions of this form can be found on the GCULearn site. You cannot begin collecting data for your project until your ethics form has been countersigned and approved. Any research (other than desk research) carried out before the EAF has been signed and countersigned will be considered null and void. 

The copy of the signed form retained by the student should be:

a)Submitted on the GCU learn Assignments link for Ethics Application Forms prior to commencing collection of data
b)Must be included as an Appendix in the final submission. A Research Project submitted without a completed and countersigned EAF could be considered invalid and not be marked.

Please note in particular that research involving minors – defined in Scotland as anyone under sixteen, and in England as anyone under eighteen – raises particularly difficult ethical issues. Anyone considering research involving minors will have to obtain a Disclosure – available on-line at a cost (approx £25), which you will have to pay for yourself – and the completed Ethics Application Form will have to go to the School’s Ethics Committee for formal approval. This can be a time-consuming process and suitable allowance for it will have to be made when planning the research project.

Late Submission of assessment/ Failure to submit assessments

Whilst it is expected that you will submit your assessment(s) on time, there may be occasions when you face difficulties which are beyond your control. In these circumstances you may wish to seek an extension to the date of submission. You should contact your module leader in the first instance. Full details on the process can be found in section 10 of the University Assessment Regulations.

However, it is acknowledged that it may not be possible to grant an extension to a submission deadline on all occasions. For example, where this would be beyond the date you should be receiving feedback or if the request is made too close to the date of the Assessment Board. In these circumstances you should follow the Fit to Sit process. If you need additional help or support in completing the form you should
contact your Personal Tutor or the Advice Centre in the Students’ Association.

Fit to Sit

In the normal course of events, the University operates a ‘Fit to Sit/Submit’ approach

to student assessment, with a default assumption that any student undertaking a piece of assessment, is declaring that they are fit to do so. Any mark and/o2r 4a t| t ePmapgt eat

Sit/Submit’. A student can declare themselves unfit from 5 days prior the date of assessment, and up to 2 days after they sat/submit (subject to any approved exception). The Fit to Sit policy can be found on the Policy & Procedures web page.

Please note that if a student sits/submits and subsequently declares themselves unfit, it will result in their work not being marked and no feedback given, with an NS (non- submission) recorded.
IMPORTANT – Information that must be provided when any declaration of being unfit to sit/submit is made. Please note that a failure to enter these details accurately in your declaration may lead to your declaration not being processed. The form can be accessed here

Module Code: MMN225007 Module Title: Research Project Module Leader: Dr Andrew Henck
Module Leader Email: ResearchProject@gcu.ac.uk

Extensions

While it is expected that all students will submit their assessment on time, students occasionally face difficulties, which are beyond their control. In such situations students may apply for an extension. All requests for an extension must be submitted in advance, of the deadline, providing as much notice as possible to the Supervisor, in consultation with the Module Leader.

Extensions are not granted automatically and may only be issued in particular circumstances, such as:

• medical reasons supported by a doctor’s certificate;
• extenuating personal circumstances, such as bereavement - documentary evidence must normally be submitted to support any request for an extension;
• exceptional and unanticipated additional work commitments, supported by a
  letter from the student’s employer.

Your supervisor, in consultation with the Module Leader, is able to approve up to one- week extension, if necessary. These requests are only considered via email and must provide sufficient rationale for the extension.

Students should plan their time carefully and remember to back-up their work on a PC or laptop at frequent intervals. The loss of work due to a crash/ICT failure, loss of USB pen, etc. is insufficient reason for an extension.

Unless an extension has been granted, any submission which is handed in after the assignment deadline without written permission will not be accepted and marked as a non-submission/‘Fail at First attempt’. In such cases students will have to undertake the second diet assessment.

Students who do not submit an assignment either for the submission date or for an extended deadline without prior agreement with the Module Leader will be deemed to have failed that submission and will be required to resubmit if another attempt is available to the student. Normally students are entitled up to two attempts total at passing any piece of coursework.

Student Feedback

All modules adhere to the GCU Policy on Student Performance Feedback. The key principles of the policy are that:

• Feedback should be based on discussion, face to face or online, between you, your fellow students and staff. This dialogue is an important part of your learning and also helps academic staff to shape their teaching.
• To support your future learning, feedback should review your performance, your strengths and areas for improvement; should clarify what is expected of you academically and help to identify areas for further learning and development.
• Feedback on coursework should normally be provided to you within three working weeks of coursework submission deadlines. Exam and module results will normally be released according to the University schedule
• Feedback should be based on clear assessment criteria, which are made available to you in advance of undertaking your assignment or examination.
• Feedback can be provided in a variety of different forms: written, for example by comments made on your assignment itself or on a feedback sheet; electronic, for example by email or through GCU Learn, verbal, for example in lectures, seminars or one-to-one and small group meetings with your tutor. Feedback can also be provided by your fellow students and through self- reflection. Written feedback should use plain English and be clear and legible. It should also be responsive to any particular needs you have in terms of its accessibility.
• Feedback, in its variety of different forms, should be provided throughout your module and, where possible, build on feedback provided on earlier performance.
• Feedback should be provided on all your assignments, whether formative or summative, examinations, and group as well as individual contributions to a module.
• The variety of different forms of feedback should ensure that you have easy access to your feedback whether you are full-time, part-time, distance or work- based.

Module Evaluation

This section covers feedback from students on their experience of modules and associated University processes.

Student Staff Consultative Groups (SSCG)
Student Staff Consultative Groups are one of the principal mechanisms used within the University to evaluate the student experience on programmes and associated modules, and to communicate to students details of actions resulting from the evaluation.

The purpose of the Student Staff Consultative Group is:

• to act as an effective and representative consultative forum in which students and staff meet to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern at both programme and module level
• to provide an opportunity to obtain views representative of students on all levels and modes of the programme, and to take these into account in contributing to the programme monitoring and development processes
• to provide feedback to students on how the programme, or the University more widely, has responded to concerns raised by students.

Module Feedback

In addition to the Student Staff Consultative Group, GCU formally collects student feedback on two occasions. Once during the delivery of the module during a midway pause for feedback. Student engagement in midway feedback is particularly important in that it allows module teams to be alerted to student views and to respond in an agile manner. This feedback can be obtained via a variety of tools and your module leader will let you know how this will be managed for this module.

End of module feedback is gathered via GCU Learn and this is only an important part of enhancing the delivery of the module and student experience. Module leaders are asked to allow some time during a lecture or seminar to encourage students to complete module evaluation surveys. It is the responsibility of the module leader to ensure that such feedback is incorporated into the module evaluation process.

Module descriptor

GCU Academic Essentials Modules MMN225007 2025/26

Reading

The following is a list of further reading materials, covering various aspects of the researching, writing and submission of Research Projects, which you may find useful as background to the information contained in this Handbook.

Recommended:

Braun, V. and Clarke, V., (2013) Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Sage; London
*Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2015) Business research methods. Fourth edition. Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY, United States of America: Oxford University Press.
Field, A., (2018) Andy. Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics. Sage: London
*Thomas, G. (2017). How to do your research project: A guide for students. Sage.
Kumar, R., (2019) Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage Publications Limited.
*Matthews, B., & Ross, L. (2014). Research methods. Pearson Higher Ed.
*Howitt, D. (2019). Introduction to qualitative research methods in psychology: Putting theory into practice. Pearson UK.
*Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2014). Designing qualitative research. Sage publications.
*Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2015) Research methods for business students. 7th Ed. New York: Pearson Education.

*Willig, C. (2013). Introducing qualitative research in psychology. McGraw-hill education (UK).
*- available online (may be older editions).