ASSESSMENT BRIEF

Module Number: MRS7012

Module Name: Advanced Research Methodology

Year/Trimester: 2025/26 Semester 1

Assignment Number and Type: Coursework (Portfolio)

Assignment Title: See below

Assignment Length: See below

Submission Deadline: Oral Assessment – Presentation: 14/11/2025

Written Report: 30/11/2025

Portfolio (Annotated References, Report, and Essay) 14/12/2025

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

Module Learning Outcomes

Assessment No.

and Type

LO1 Identify an appropriate area of Master’s level research and develop a clear and relevant research question and objectives

Part 1 – Oral Assessment

A Presentation of research area, research question and objectives

LO2 Develop a systematic and justifiable plan to address the research question and objectives – including a provisional conceptual framework

Part 2 – Written Report

A Research Plan: Critical Reflection leading to the development of a Research Plan

LO3 Identify and critically evaluate key secondary sources in order to underpin your research project

Part 3 (A) – Portfolio of evidence: Annotated References

An annotated reference list (a reference list with a critical summary of each source included) which evidences the initial research undertaken to develop the Research Plan

LO4 Identify and synthesise appropriate research philosophies, approaches, strategies and analysis methods to address your research question and objectives.

Part 3 (B) – Portfolio of evidence: Written Essay

An Essay on the research philosophy appropriate for your study, approaches, strategies and analytical methods used to address your research questions and objectives

Assignment Brief Format:

Assessment item		Due Date	Weight
1	Oral Assessment – Presentation	14/11/2025	20%
2	Written Report – A Research Plan	30/11/2025	20%
3	Portfolio of Evidence (Annotated References and Essay)	14/12/2025	60%

Main Sections of Assessment Brief

Written Project Output – Oral Assessment – Presentation

Assessment Number	Part 1
Assessment Type (and weighting)	Oral Assessment: Research question and objectives (15-20 minutes) This is a presentation on a research area of your choice at master’s level within AI and emerging technologies. Learners are expected identify a research area by deeply clarifying the research problem, research questions and objectives. Thereafter, learners are required to develop and make a presentation on the subject matter to assessors. 20%
Assessment Name	Practical Research Presentation
Assessment Submission Date	14/11/2025

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

LO1 – Identify an appropriate area of Master’s level research and develop a clear and relevant research question and objectives

AI Status

Application

Notes

Category A

No GAI tool is permitted.

While grammar and/or spell checkers may be used to correct individual words and sentences, the use of GAI is not allowed. This is because the learning outcomes require you to produce original assessment work without any GAI assistance

Any GAI generated content which is presented as your own original work and is not acknowledged will be assessed for academic misconduct.

Your presentation should include:

Your introduction, context of the research, structure and problem statement
Research aims, Research objectives, Research questions
Conclusions, Recommendations, Practical Application, Future Direction.

Written Piece – Academic Report

Assessment Number	Part 2
Assessment Type (and weighting)	Written Report: A research plan (1500 words) An academic report in which you synthesise and critically analyse the development of key theories and practices relating to the subject specialism leading to the development of a research plan. 20%
Assessment Name	Research Plan
Assessment Submission Date	27/11/2025

LO2 – Develop a systematic and justifiable plan to address the research question and objectives – including a provisional conceptual framework

AI Status

Application

Notes

Category A

No GAI tool is permitted.

Any GAI generated content which is presented as your own original work and is not acknowledged will be assessed for academic misconduct.

Your report should include:

A critical appraisal of literature relating to the issue identified
A critical evaluation of relevant key concepts and theories relating to the issue identified
A critical evaluation and application of the various research approaches, research strategies, data collection, and data analysis models and their implications for the issue you have selected.

The topic chosen could be (but does not have to be) one you are interested in studying for your research project.

Practical Project Output – Portfolio of Evidence: Annotated Reference/Bibliography

Assessment Number	Part 3 (A)
Assessment Type (and weighting)	A Portfolio of Evidence: Annotated Reference List An annotated reference list (a reference list with a critical summary of each source included) which evidences the initial bibliography undertaken to develop the Part 1 and Part 2. (Formulates a total of 60% with Part B)
Assessment Name	Portfolio of Evidence (A)
Assessment Submission Date	14/12/2025

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

LO3 – Identify and critically evaluate key secondary sources in order to underpin your research project

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Applications in this Assessment

AI Status

Application

Notes

Category A

No GAI tool is permitted.

Any GAI generated content which is presented as your own original work and is not acknowledged will be assessed for academic misconduct.

Assessment Task:

You are required to develop an Annotated Reference List (a reference list with a critical summary of each source included) which evidences the initial research undertaken on one major issue within AI and Emerging Technologies

The assessment comprises one part: Develop an Annotated Reference List with a critical summary of sources you have read needed as part of your portfolio.

Plan

Title	what	why	How	Where	When	X	X	X	X

Practical Project Output – Portfolio of Evidence: Written Report and Essay

Assessment Number	Part 3 (B)
Assessment Type (and weighting)	A written essay on the research philosophy appropriate for your study, the approaches, strategies and analytical methods used to address your research questions and objectives. (Formulates a total of 60% with Part A)
Assessment Name	Portfolio of Evidence (B)
Assessment Submission Date	14/12/2025

LO4 – Identify and synthesise appropriate research philosophies, approaches, strategies and analysis methods to address your research question and objectives.

You should provide an academic report to include:

Evaluation of the concept and theories
plan for the report including an overview of the sections you will include research approaches, paradigm, strategies, data collection, data analysis, and their implications.
indicate the academic sources

You should provide an academic essay

on the research philosophy appropriate for your study
develop a comprehensive theorical framework
justify the framework within the context of the subject matter of your research.

Declaration: At the end of the assessment, you should also include a declaration of any software tools including Generative AI (GAI) applications that you used in developing and completing the assessment.

Minimum Secondary Research Source Requirements:

Level HE7 – It is expected that the Reference List will contain between fifteen to twenty sources. As a MINIMUM the Reference List should include four refereed academic journals and five academic books.

Specific Assessment Criteria/Marking Scheme:

Distinction (70% and above)

An appropriate issue will have been selected and its relevance and importance to Research Design and Methods will be clearly explained. An excellent critical appraisal of literature relating to the issue identified will be provided and relevant key concepts and theories will be expertly synthesised and evaluated. Current and emerging practices will be expertly evaluated, and the implications for the issues selected will be clear. Relationships between concepts will be expertly elicited. Reflections will be succinct, insightful and original.

Extensive research demonstrating use of a wide range of contemporary and seminal sources will be evident. Academic writing style, English and referencing will be excellent.

Merit (60% -69%)

An appropriate issue will have been selected and its relevance and importance to Research Design and Methods will be clearly explained.A critical appraisal of literature relating to the issue identified will be provided and relevant key concepts and theories will be synthesised and evaluated. Current and emerging practices will be evaluated, and the implications for the issues selected will be clear. Reflections will be succinct and original.

Research demonstrating use of a wide range of relevant research sources will be evident. Academic writing style, English and referencing will be good.

Pass (50%-59%)

The issue selected will be appropriate but relevance and importance and its relevance and importance to Research Design and Methods may not be explicit.An appraisal of literature relating to the issue identified will be provided and relevant key concepts and theories will be discussed, but synthesis and evaluation may not be in depth.Current and emerging practices will be discussed but the link to the issue may be limited.Some original reflections will be presented.

Research demonstrating use of a range of relevant research sources will be evident. Academic writing style, English and referencing will be satisfactory.

Fail (Below 50%)

Students who do not meet the requirements of the Pass criteria will not successfully complete the assessment activity.

(Also see Section 16: General Assessment Criteria for Written Assessments)

It should be accompanied by an annotated bibliography. (You can find guidance on annotate bibliographies here

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/common_writing_assignments/annotated_bibliographies/index.html

https://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/media/departments/lis/skills/study-guides/LS136-Guide-to-Writing-an-Annotated-Bibliography.pdf

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/academic-development/online-resources/annotated-bibliography)