Exploring the Essence of Research

Develop interdisciplinary solutions that address complex challenges

This 6-week online course is designed for individuals interested in solving real-world social-technical challenges. It supports the CBL (Challenge-based approach) to learning, where students learn by actively addressing real-world challenges within their community. They collaborate with teachers, community members, and other stakeholders to define the research solutions, and implement their chosen approach in an interdisciplinary setting.

Interdisciplinary can be regarded as a collaborative teaching and research approach that integrates knowledge from different fields, including academia, industry, and civil society. It emphasizes co-creation with societal partners to address complex challenges, aiming for impactful solutions that benefit society.

This teaching and research approach empowers participants to develop interdisciplinary solutions that address complex challenges. These solutions may manifest as prototypes, systems, or policies, tailored to a project or team's expertise and chosen direction.

This course is a “first-step” course in research designed to assist those relatively new to social science research. 

For whom is the course relevant?

This is course is designed for Bachelor students involved in some form of Social- Technical research. An example is Prospective Engineers who re involved in finding solutions to social- technical problems or challenges. This course is also suitable for Graduate students interested in conducting Social – Technical research but lack an understanding of the foundational Social Science research concepts and skills.

Course content

This course offers flexible learning through modular content, including notes, discussions, activities, and assignments. It has been designed to run over a 6-week period. As a participant, you can explore the full course sequentially or selectively based on your needs. A condensed PDF is available for those with limited time. Active participation in discussions is encouraged to enhance learning and clarify concepts.

The course is broken down into 6 weekly modules:

• Week 1: Foundations of Research
• Week 2: Research Framework Development
• Week 3: Quantitative Research Methods
• Week 4: Understanding Qualitative Approaches
• Week 5: Research Tools and Analysis
• Week 6: Research Planning and Presentation

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Interrogate the kinds of methods researchers tend to adopt and explore the concepts in which certain methods are used.
2. Identify and apply important perspectives to critically analyze, interpret and present data findings from quantitative and qualitative data analyses.
3. Analyse published research on methods.
4. Develop a draft research plan for a real or imaginary research project using knowledge and skills gained in the course.

Why choose this course?

We understand flexibility but also believe that it is important to have structure to achieve your learning goals efficiently and effectively. This course is designed for participants who are either engaged in full time or part time study or are enrolled in traditional courses but are also involved either in internships or employment of some kind.

For those looking for a course which combines theory with hands-on practice – this course is for you. Expect to spend at least 15 hours studying each week. All course materials will be found online in our Canvas learning environment.

Admission requirements

Academic level and background

Applicants for this online course should be registered as a student in a program in an accredited and recognized university globally.

Documentation

Proof of registration at an accredited and recognized university. Or if you have completed the Bachelor course; proof of completion of the course.

Language skills
Prospective students with an international (other than Dutch) degree must meet the English language requirement. As proof that you meet this requirement, you will be asked in the application procedure to upload one of the requested language certificates:

•  IELTS (academic) with an overall band score of at least 6.0 (with a minimum sub-score of 6.0 for speaking and writing) and certificates not older than two years.
• TOEFL iBT (internet-based) with an overall score of 80 (with a minimum sub-score of 20 for speaking) and certificates not older than two years. Please note that the University of Twente does not accept the MyBest scores of the TOEFL test.

You are exempted from the English language requirement if you hold:

• a relevant bachelor's degree from an accredited academic institution in the Netherlands
• if you are a national of one of the countries in this list (PDF) 

Documentation
The faculty accepts transcripts, degrees, and diplomas in the following languages: Dutch, English, and German. It is at the discretion of the faculty to require additional English translations of all documents in other languages as well.

Computer skills
To follow online education you must have basic computer experience, regular access to internet, and e-mail.

Other requirements

Proof of identity during the registration process.

Key information