Masters Studentship University College Cork, Digital Arts and Humanities and the Department of Sociology Ireland

MA STUDENTSHIP

STUDENT HUB PROJECT

A 12 month Masters studentship is available for candidates interested in exploring learning environments and student experiences. The studentship is part of a study in UCC by the Office of Vice-President for Teaching and Learning aimed at investigating the interaction between students and the innovative Student Hub which will open in University College Cork in 2018. This is a joint initiative between multiple disciplines across University College Cork, with this particular Masters being jointly supervised by researchers at Digital Arts and Humanities and the Department of Sociology. https://www.ucc.ie/en/teachlearn/designoflearningspaces/hubresearch/

This funded Masters will complement other elements of the research project by establishing a baseline quantitative study on student learning spaces. It is intended that this Masters project will lead to the creation of a robust survey instrument which can be re-used in the future to produce before-after comparisons to ascertain the impact of the Student Hub on the student population and may also be applicable to wider international projects. The work will involve individual and group interviews to shape the design of a survey and the chosen candidate must conduct the entire survey process from inception to analysis, publication of an anonymised dataset and the analysis and publication of the results.

It is essential that applicants for this be able to demonstrate strong skills in designing, testing and conducting surveys, as well as the necessary statistical skills to validate and analyse and present the results. It is important that candidates be able to work as part of a collaborative research team and an interest in teaching and learning experiences alongside an awareness of current trends in open research and open access publication would be desirable.

Given that this research team are working on an area of contemporary importance as our approaches to learning spaces changes, and that there will be support provided for dissemination of the project in a variety of esteemed publication bodies, this offers a unique opportunity to contribute quantitative research skills to a high profile project. Chosen candidate will gain invaluable exposure to contemporary trends in pedagogy (open, blended, flipped, online), the current range of digital tools for learning and emerging practices in open research and publishing.

Candidates should possess at minimum a 2.1 Bachelors (Hons) degree, or its equivalent, in a relevant discipline. Preference will be given to candidates with experience and training in humanities-related disciplines though disciplines with transferrable skills and high levels of training in critical thinking/analytics will be considered. Basic knowledge of stats is essential, advanced knowledge would be advantageous. Applicants must be self-motivated with good communication and writing skills, and a personable, collaborative mind-set. Ability to evidence logical thinking, genuine passion for student learning experiences and history of report writing and meeting key targets and goals is desirable.

Informal Enquiries: Please contact Dr. Mike Cosgrave (Email: m.cosgrave@ucc.ie).

Supervisors: Dr. Mike Cosgrave

Remuneration: This position is available for a period of 12 months in academic year 2017/2018 and carries an Masters bursary to include fees, a tax-free stipend of €18,000 p.a., and a laptop computer.

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate will be expected to have:

 Required Skills:

• Strong interest in social science with quantitative analysis methods being a plus.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Ability to work as part of a collaborative team.
• Proficient research and report writing skills.
• Deeply rational and logical approach to completing tasks.
• Be highly motivated with proven organisational skills.

Desirable Skills:

• Knowledge of a broad range of research methods to enable effective collaboration across the project.
• Previous experience of fieldwork and report writing.