Africa Virtual University - AVU

Mode of Delivery:

1. Rationale

Good educational theory and practice rest on a strong foundation of new knowledge. Through research we can create new knowledge and/or even modify existing knowledge. In order to be effective, teachers need to test their methods of teaching and improve them in case they are not effective. In addition, most education systems in the world base educational policy on empirical investigations and quite often teachers are invited to participate in these investigations which have contributed to their professional growth and improvement in their incomes. Therefore teachers need to have good research skills.

In this module you will learn how to identify research problems, write a plan to study the problems, execute this plan and generate useful knowledge and practical recommendations to solve educational problems. You will also learn how to critique other people’s researches and to communicate and justify your approaches to a problem and conclusions. The module will also equip you with skills of compiling and writing your assignments. In addition you will also become a more open -minded and analytical thinker, qualities that are indispensable for a modern teacher.

2. Prerequisite or knowledge

In order for you to get the best out of this course you will need to have basic university entry qualifications (e.g. secondary school certificate, diploma) and basic computer and internet skills. You will also need basic knowledge in statistics and use of data analysis computer programmes like excel and SPSS.

3. General objectives

The general objectives of this module are to enable you to:

4. Time

You will need a total of 120 hours to complete this module. Below is a breakdown of the time you will need to spend on each unit:

Unit 1: 20 hrs
Unit 2: 30 Hrs
Unit 3: 30 hrs
Unit 4: 40 hrs

5. Materials

Samples of educational research reports and proposals will enable you master the content of this module.