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This module introduces you to the research journey from understanding a problem through to designing research studies that may offer a solution to implementing change. This module provides the foundation for subsequent modules on the MSc programme. You will be introduced to how research goes beyond quality improvement with reference to differences between these two approaches. The module will focus on encouraging you to critically reflect on the importance of co-designing research studies with stakeholder, so that they have a significant impact on health, social care or integrated settings (LO1).

You will be encouraged to critically reflect on skills and strategies for building collaborative relationships with stakeholders and users of research (L02). You will consider specific skills that you need to develop to be an effective collaborative researcher such as persuasive communication, resilience, and interdisciplinary skills.

The module will also focus on introducing the concept of co-production and co-design. You will be introduced to some exemplars of research studies and stakeholder engagement strategies within health and social care contexts that have embedded co-production in their research design. You will critically appraise these exemplars with a specific focus on examining whether and how co-production and co-design could influence effective and feasible solutions to problems in these specific studies (LO3).

You will also evaluate diverse approaches for engaging with stakeholders and for disseminating research to professional peers/expert and non-expert audiences (LO4). These approaches may include research papers, reports, blogs, newsletters, websites. You will be introduced to ethical considerations in the research process. You will be encouraged to critically reflect on the importance of ethical considerations and how they should be embedded in a proposal for a stakeholder strategy. You will also consider how research governance needs to be considered when planning to conduct a research study (L05). This stakeholder strategy and knowledge of ethics/research governance may be applied when developing your research proposal when you go on to do the dissertation module in the 2nd year.

1. Critically reflect on how research studies could be co-designed to co-produce solutions to problems within health and social care practice .
2. Critically reflect on skills and strategies for building collaborative relationships with stakeholders and users of research. .
3. Critically appraise the concepts of co-production and co-design and their value in ensuring that solutions to problems are likely to be both effective and feasible.
4. Evaluate diverse approaches to disseminating research to professional peers/expert and non-expert audiences.
5. Critically reflect on how ethical and research governance considerations should be embedded in a stakeholder strategy and research proposal.