BSBRES801 Initiate and Lead Applied Research
Question:
This assessment requires you to plan, conduct and report on applied research to influence the strategic directions and outcomes of a case study organisation.
This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.
Carefully read the following:
King Edward VII College has been operating since 2010. The College is based in Melbourne CBD and has an additional campus in Sydney. The College offers a range of courses in management, marketing, human resources and international business. It currently has 195 students enrolled across all of its courses and both campuses. Courses are offered at all levels, from Certificate II to Graduate Diploma.
King Edward VII College is very popular due to its competitive pricing structure, innovative teaching methods and state of the art facilities.
The College currently employs 24 staff members that include the CEO, a Sales and Marketing Manager and Sales and Marketing Assistant, Promotions Officer, Human Resources Manager, Operations Manager, Administration Manager, Office Assistant, Receptionist, Academic Manager, Student Services Officer and approximately 14 trainers and assessors.
You are the Operations Manager at the College, and part of your job is to manage the research that is conducted within the College and conduct applied research that enhances the College’s staff members’, the team’s and the organisation’s performance. All applied research is to be conducted in house, relying on staff time, as there is no budget for research currently.
To assist with the selection of research subjects, the Management Team has drawn up a Research Statement that sets out a number of areas that they feel could benefit from applied research.
You are to choose one of the topics in the research statement and use it as a basis for an applied research project for King Edward VII College. To ensure that you are able to draw on a range of data sources for your research, your fellow students and/or the staff at your RTO can be questioned, and their responses included as part of your research report.
When you have selected a topic, and had it authorised by the RTO (your assessor), you will plan, carry out and evaluate your applied research project.
Complete the following activities:
- Select a research topic.
This Assessment Task requires you to conduct a high-level comprehensive research project.
An RTO has been chosen as the case study organisation for two reasons:
- It is an area in which you have experience, being a student.
- You have access to students attending an RTO and staff who work in one.
- There is a lot of information available on the VET sector, international students, learning theory, institutional management, etc.
Review the Research Statement and select a research topic that you find interesting and provides enough data for you to fulfil all of the Assessment Tasks’ requirements.
Review the company’s Applied Research Policy and Procedures, which will give direction to your research project.
Review the company’s Business Plan to understand the company’s objectives and directions which will also inform your research.
Also review the company’s Learning and Development Policy and Procedures and Organisational Learning Strategy to ensure that your research proposal supports these also.
Review the company’s Privacy Policy and Procedures. The data collected in the course of your research should be handled as set out in this document.
When you have reviewed the documents, select one of the topics in the Research Statement. Develop a theme and hypothesis that you will base your work on and write a short summary of how you intend to carry out the research.
- Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
As set out in the organisation’s Applied Research Policy and Procedures, before embarking on a research project, its theme and hypothesis need to be approved by the CEO.
When you have determined which topic you intend to research, send an email to the CEO
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
The email text should also your intended research topic, its theme and your hypothesis.
Request that they consider your project and give their approval.
- Develop a research proposal.
Prior to undertaking the research, you are required to write a detailed research proposal. This document must have the CEO’s approval before you begin collecting data.
Your research proposal should include the following:
- Introduction: summarise the research project’s background.
- Purpose: describe why the research is to be undertaken, and what benefit it could bring to the College.
- Hypothesis: the idea or assumption that will be tested by the research project
- Research strategy: the strategy can only include research methods that can be performed in the RTO within the timeline given.
- Compliance: reference the sections of the company’s policy and procedures that apply to your research project.
- Ethical compliance: research relevant research ethics and codes of conduct and identify those that have a direct bearing on the research project. Give a summary of these.
- Target group: your target group’s profile and needs will depend on the research project that you have selected: potential students, international students, RTO staff or RTOs in general.
- Context: describe the context the research will be carried out in. That should include the cultural, social, geographical or financial factors in which the case study organisation operates.
- Research methods: review and describe at least three of each of the following:
- Applied research methods
- Applied research theories
- Data collection techniques
Select the most appropriate methods to gather and analyse data for your research project and explain why you have chosen these.
- Data collection: describe the mechanisms that will be used to systematically collect and maintain the data. Describe the technology (computers, electronic spreadsheets, etc.) and technology services (internet, search engines etc.) you will use to support your data collection and analysis.
- Sample size; give the number of samples that you intend to base your research on. Explain how you arrived at that number and whether that is a valid sample size for the planned project.
- Data validity: describe how the research results will prove (or disprove) the original hypothesis. Summarise any limitations that the research design could have on the validity of the results and how that could be improved.
- Data reliability: describe how reliable the results of the research should be, given the intended sample size. Explain how the research design limits the reliability of the results and how that could be improved.
- Data integrity: describe how the integrity of the data collected and analysis tools used will optimise the relevance of the research for the RTO.
You will be discussing your proposal with the CEO and then modifying it to include their input, so save this document as Draft Research Proposal.
- Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment and seek their feedback
The email text should also request a meeting to discuss your proposal. Ask for the place, date and time that you can meet with the CEO.
Attach your Draft Research Proposal to the email.
- Meet with the CEO (your assessor)
The objective of the meeting is to discuss your research proposal and the research project’s requirements
Discuss each section of your proposal with the CEO, taking notes on their feedback.
Clarify your proposal and get the CEO’s confirmation to begin the research.
During the meeting you should make a point of using vocabulary that is appropriate for someone working in an RTO such as the King Edward VII College.
The communication style that you use should be appropriate for a meeting with your company’s CEO (polite, business-like, respectful).
During the meeting, you are required to demonstrate effective communication skills including:
- Speaking clearly and concisely
- Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
- Asking questions to identify required information
- Responding to questions as required
- Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding
Ensure that you have a clear picture of what is required of you before concluding the meeting.
- Revise your research proposal
Following the meeting with the CEO, revise your research proposal to reflect their feedback.
Save this version of the document as Research Proposal.
- Conduct the research
You are now required to carry out the research that you have planned.
Access the information as you set out in your research proposal
This may include contacting and asking questions of your fellow students or any others (such as RTO staff) who will contribute the research.
Take notes on the research that you undertake, as you will need to provide evidence of your research process in the next activity. Your notes should include:
- The most important websites that you have visited and a summary of the information that you found there.
- The steps taken in the data collection process. For instance, if you are conducting interviews or having questionnaires filled in, you will need to describe the steps that this involved (developing the questionnaire, getting people to fill it out, etc).
- The technology and technology services you use to collect and collate data.
Record the data that you collect as you set out in your research proposal.
- Document your research findings.
You are now required to bring the results of your research into a report that can then be presented to your colleagues.
Your research report should include the following:
- Summary: give an overview of your research findings, highlighting any surprising, important, or outlying results
- Methods: describe how you carried out the research, following the notes you took in the previous activity.
- Results: these should be recorded as set out in your research proposal.
- Analysis: describe the tools (including technology and technology services) that were used to analyse the data once it had been collected. Perform, and describe, statistical analysis of the data to identify possible trends and, where possible, to confirm the data’s reliability
- Impact: evaluate how your research findings could impact on the organisation’s learning strategy. If this includes changes to the organisation’s policies and procedures, suggest what these could be.
- Accuracy: review your data and research findings for accuracy of details and adherence to the company’s relevant policies and procedures.
- Relevance: analyse your data and results against your original applied research strategy to establish its relevance.
- Further research: identify further research that could be carried out on the topic that you have chosen.
Use the Research Report Template to guide your work.
- Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment and seek their feedback
The email text should also request a meeting to discuss your proposal. Ask for the place, date and time that you can meet with the Management Team.
Attach your Research proposal and Research Report to the email.
- Present your research findings.
The objective of this activity is for you to present your research findings in a clear and logical manner that is consistent with the needs of your audience.
Your assessor will advise you of the date and time of your presentation and will organise at least two other students to attend the information and training session in the role of King Edward VII College Management Team members.
You may present your research findings using visual aids, such as a PowerPoint presentation or a whiteboard. You should use a range of communication practices (visual as well as oral, for instance) to establish and retain the audience’s attention.
The meeting attendees are roleplaying RTO managers, so make a point of using vocabulary that is appropriate for someone working in King Edward VII College.
The communication style that you use should be appropriate for a meeting with your company’s managers (polite, business-like, respectful).
After introducing yourself and welcoming the participants, describe your applied research project and your findings as set out in your Research Proposal and Research Report.
Encourage discussion the results of your research, as well as how it was conducted.
Determine whether the other meeting participants agree with your evaluation of the impact that your findings could have on King Edward VII College.
During and after the presentation you will be required to demonstrate effective communication skills including:
- Speaking clearly and concisely
- Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
- Asking questions to identify required information
- Responding to questions as required
- Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding
At the end of the presentation, provide the opportunity for your audience to ask questions.
