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Online Modules

The following series of online modules has been developed with a consortium of six other Universities to provide an opportunity for online development. The modules are designed for early stage researchers – research students, research staff and new lecturers.

Career Planning in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

This course aims to encourage PhDs and other early career researchers to explore the skills and motivations for a career in academia or beyond. During the course you will see how important it is to assess and continually re-evaluate your skills and interests and recognise that personal factors such as location and family circumstances can influence and affect career planning. Even if you already have a career path planned, the course has a number of exercises for you to work through, including marketing yourself to prospective employers in applications and in interviews, to help you achieve your aims.

This online course will take about two hours to complete but may be done in several visits.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/
transferable_skills/careerplanning_in_arts_humanities_socialsciences/index.html

2 hours

Career Planning in the Sciences

This course aims to encourage postgraduate and postdoctoral scientists to actively use career management techniques.  Use of these techniques can be valuable whether planning a career in academia or exploring a variety of alternative career options.  As you work through the course you will build up a picture of your skills, personal preferences and style, which can help you in your career choice.  Even if you have a definite career plan in mind this course can help determine your suitability for it and may identify areas that you can work on to increase your chances of success.

This online course will take about two hours to complete but may be done in several visits.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/transferable_skills/careerplanning_in_sciences/index.html

2 hours

Equality and Diversity

Equality and diversity issues are central to the work of Cardiff University. Equality and Diversity online awareness module: this is a mandatory briefing for all staff to provide a solid basic awareness of legislation and principles. The module includes training on all the Protected Characteristics: age, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex.

Staff will be registered centrally to enable them to access the online module and will receive an email to inform them when the module is available to them.

1.5 – 2 hours

Getting Published in the Arts & Humanities

Why publish? To extend knowledge? To engage in academic debate? Or because you feel under intense pressure to do so in order to get on in your career? The aim of this course is to give guidance and support to arts and humanities researchers who are keen to put their research into the public realm, through academic papers and books.  This course will:

  • provide an understanding of the publishing process;
  • instil confidence in dealing with publishers or journals;
  • assist with the process of preparing papers for publication; and
  • develop critical skills of reading and academic writing.

This online course will take about two hours to complete, but may be done in several visits.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/transferable_skills/published_in_arts/index.html

2 hours

Getting Published in the Sciences

Scientific publishing has a long and proud tradition but it is more important now than at any other time. A clear distinction must be made, however, between scientists publishing the results of a program of scientific research, and science writers writing about scientific research.  This course is tightly focused on the former: academic publishing.  This course aims to provide:

  • an overview of the publishing process;
  • training and tips on how to produce a paper;
  • critical skills in proof-reading and editing; and
  • a supportive and pro-active attitude to academic publishing.

This online course will take about two hours to complete, but may be done in several visits.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/transferable_skills/published_in_sciences/index.html

2 hours

Intellectual Property (IP) in the Research Context

A lack of IP awareness means that some researchers are missing an opportunity to commercialise their work or are failing to prevent others from unfairly exploiting their research.  This course enables researchers to work out what they need to protect their work and to take the necessary steps to secure such protection.  Included are:

  • an introduction to IP;
  • types of IP: trademarks, patents, copyright, design rights;
  • technology transfer; and
  • commercialisation in higher education.

The video elements are presented by Adam Hart-Davis, well-known BBC documentary presenter.  This online course will take about two hours to complete, but may be done in several visits.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/transferable_skills/intellectual_property/index.html

2 hours

Managing your Research Supervisor or Principal Investigator

This course is aimed at encouraging postgraduates and postdoctoral researchers to consider and actively manage their relationship with their supervisor or principal investigator. The course should take you about 100 minutes and may be completed in several visits.  This course aims to provide:

  • an overview of potential issues relating to your supervisor;
  • training and tips on how to manage your supervisor;
  • an opportunity to develop critical skills in relationship building; and
  • encouragement to develop and maintain a proactive attitude to managing your supervisor.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/transferable_skills/supervisor/index.html

2 hours

Project Management in the Research Context

 This course will introduce you to some of the key concepts of conventional project management and show you how they can be used in the academic research context. The course will take you through the four key phases of the project life cycle, introduces traditional project management methodologies and illustrates how these tools and techniques can be used in the research context.  After finishing the course, you will be able to:

  • understand relationships between project components (resources, duration and scope);
  • develop a project plan;
  • understand the concept of a 'critical path';
  • identify the key stakeholders for your project and understand their influence and potential impact on a project;
  • identify and manage risk in your project; and
  • have an awareness of the key project management tools available to you.

This online course will take about two hours to complete, but may be done in several visits.

 Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/transferable_skills/project_management/index.html

2 hours

Research Ethics 1: Good Research Practice

This course covers standard practice and recent changes in universities' ethics relating to research that investigates people and their data. The course applies, for example, to the healthcare disciplines, to natural and social sciences, education and welfare services, humanities, law and media studies. Ethics standards apply very generally across many topics, methods and disciplines of research.  The research methods reviewed here in the context of ethics include:

  • qualitative and quantitative work;
  • observations and experiments;
  • surveys and interviews; and
  • analysis of texts and images.  

This online course will take about two hours to complete, but may be done in several visits.  

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/ethics/good_practice/index.html

2 hours

Research Ethics 2: Working with Human Subjects

This course follows on from Research Ethics 1, but concentrates on the ethics of involving human participants directly, or indirectly, in research projects.  The aims of the course are to help you to:

  • define a human participant;
  • define informed consent;
  • identify the main considerations when involving human participants directly or indirectly in research;
  • provide case studies to help you understand the issues involved; and
  • provide links to additional information and resources.

This online course will take about two hours to complete, but may be done in several visits.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/ethics/human_subjects/index.html

2 hours

Selecting a Conference, Presenting and Networking

This course will help you to select a conference that is appropriate for you and get the most out of your conference attendance.  It will consider how to make the most of your presentation (if you are making one), answer tricky questions and ask probing ones.  The networking section covers establishing and maintaining useful professional (and social) contacts.

Web Link: https://researchskills.cf.ac.uk/researchskills/transferable_skills/conference_presenting_networking/
index.html

2 hours