Collaborative research and analysis

The ability for students to work together with peers to develop research skills in a collaborative safe environment is a core competency across all disciplines. This section will highlight a few examples of how this could be achieved.

This section offers ways of using digital technologies to:

• Create online fora for collaborative analysis and research
• Form and support student research and project groups online
• Allow sources, data and evidence to be curated, shared and manipulated online
• Showcase collective analysis and research as the module progresses

Tips and tools for collaborative research and analysis

• You could set up student research groups with their own Private Channel within a Microsoft Module Team to allow for synchronous / asynchronous collaboration on documents and data. Then open to the general channel to allow cross-group discussion and peer support / feedback. 
  • Overview of how MS Teams can be used as a Digital Community 
  • Downloading the Teams desktop app 
  • How to request a Team be created 
  • How to work with channels (including private channels) within a team 

• Use the KLE’s Discussion Forum tool to organise student groups, post sources, questions or problems for students to comment on in threads. Use forum for tutor interventions and feedback, making it clear when you will be ‘present’ / when you will respond by.
  • Overview of the KLE and summary of tools

• Use Microsoft Forms to allow students to collect data and analyse it online in Microsoft Excel. 
  • Overview of creating and disseminating a form

• Provide space in a Microsoft Team to allow students to share / access data sets for analysis through SPSS / R.
  • Overview of how MS Teams can be used as a Digital Community 

• Take a look at Enhancing Student Engagement with Live Sessions, an online guide by Dr Rafe Hallett, Director, KIITE and Catherine Chambers, Head of Digital Education, KIITE
  Including:
  • Practical tips on increasing participation in live sessions