Course Description and Delivery Method

This course is designed to introduce participants to research methods for applied policy analysis.  The main goal is for you to learn to design, and conduct research, analyse and interpret data so as to address particular economic and social problems and make informed decisions.  The course covers one week. During this period, you will learn how to ask questions, how to probe for answers, and how to evaluate the answers we get as a result of research.  The emphasis is on gaining the ability to think logically and critically about social science research.  The course covers both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, but more time will be spent on the former.  We do not assume any previous experience in research or research methodology and there are no prerequisites for entry.  The goal of this course is to give you a firm foundation to carry out independent research with minimum supervision.

A mixture of self-study based on material made available online and face-to-face lecture may be incorporated into each session. The format for the lecture period will be mostly teacher to student form of engagement, with some facilitated discussion.  I am a firm believer of active learning; thus, I will attempt to use discussion in place of traditional lectures whenever possible and encourage questions and expect class participation.  Readings should be completed prior to the lecture. 

Course Objectives

The aim of the course is to equip participants with

• an understanding of the logic of scientific inquiry and how to measure concepts
• skills to develop a research hypothesis and a complementary research design
• knowledge of the different types of data collection and analyses – both qualitative and quantitative
• analytical skills – and will be able to analyze and interpret data using Epi Info and SPSS statistical software.