Basic Research Methodology and Ethics Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply the basic research process, including problem identification, literature review, and research design.
• Demonstrate understanding of ethical principles in research, including informed consent and confidentiality.
• Select and justify appropriate data collection methods for a given research question.
• Analyze and interpret basic qualitative and quantitative data.
• Present research findings in a clear, structured report.
• Evaluate research proposals for ethical compliance and methodological soundness.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for beginners in research, including students, junior researchers, and professionals who need to conduct small-scale studies as part of their work or academic requirements.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. No prior research experience required.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Practical sessions provide hands-on experience in designing research instruments, collecting data, analysing data using software, and preparing an ethics application. These activities reinforce theoretical concepts and prepare learners to conduct ethical research.

Practical Activities

• Practical 1: Developing a Questionnaire — Learners work in groups to design a short questionnaire on a given topic, including demographic questions and Likert-scale items, then pilot-test it with peers and refine based on feedback. (4h)
• Practical 2: Conducting an Interview — Learners practice conducting semi-structured interviews with a partner, using a guide they prepared, and record key themes from the responses. (3h)
• Practical 3: Data Analysis with Excel — Learners enter sample data into Excel, calculate descriptive statistics (mean, median, mode, standard deviation), and create charts to visualise results. (4h)
• Practical 4: Ethics Application Exercise — Learners complete a mock ethics application form for a hypothetical study, including informed consent, risk assessment, and data management plan. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.