What you will learn

Topics include:

• Theories underpinning research
• Core methodological approaches – Scientific approaches, Interpretivist approaches, and Critical inquiry approaches
• Ethical issues
• Literature reviews
• Proposal development
• Dissemination and impact

Through these topics, participants will explore the connection between the language of conducting and evaluating education research using the core methodological approaches and their practice in health professions and sciences. Each topic will prompt participants to reflect on their learning, with the aim that these reflections will help them plan their own projects using appropriate methodologies and methods.

Program structure

The course includes 10 modules. For each module, you are encouraged to complete a set of readings (approx. 10 readings of which 3–4 are mandatory) and 3–4 post-workshop activities (online discussion board contribution).

Testimonials

“I can't recommend this course enough! It's a fantastic opportunity for any researcher, ran by brilliant academics.”

“It was a magnificent experience, one I truly enjoyed and was one of the best experiences of my professional life.”

“The course was fabulous on all levels, a must for all PhD students.”

Accelerate your qualification

Successful completion of the assessment will provide 12 credit points towards the Master of Health Professional Education, Master of Clinical Simulation, Graduate Certificate of Health Professions Education, and Graduate Certificate of Clinical Simulation courses.

Dr Mahbub Sarkar (Course Director)

SENIOR LECTURER
Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education (MCSHE)

Mahbub is a senior lecturer in education research at the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (FMNHS), as well as an Academic Development Specialist at the Monash Education Academy (MEA). He is a Senior Fellow (SFHEA) of Advance HE and an ANZAHPE Fellow.

At MEA, he designs and delivers programs for the professional development of staff across Monash faculties for high-quality teaching. In his role as the Research Coordinator of the Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education (MCSHE), his primary focus is to enhance skills, capacity, and confidence within FMNHS to conduct innovative and high-quality research in health education. He engages in interdisciplinary research, develops and delivers courses related to research methodology and educational practices, and organises research seminars and workshops.

Dr Olivia King

MANAGER
Research Capability Building with Western Alliance, Australia

Olivia is Manager of Research Capability Building with Western Alliance. She also holds an Adjunct Research Associate position with the Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education. She graduated from Latrobe University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Podiatry (Honours) and subsequently completed her Graduate Certificate in Diabetes education in 2010 at Deakin University. She completed her PhD (Health) at Southern Cross University in 2018, exploring the interprofessional role boundaries in the interdisciplinary field of diabetes education.

Olivia's interests include health professions education research, health services research, interprofessional role boundaries, sociology of the professions, and qualitative research methods. She is passionate about building research capability in rural and regional health organisations and practitioners.

Dr Melanie Farlie

SENIOR LECTURER
Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education (MCSHE)

Dr. Farlie is a clinician-researcher with over 24 years of experience spanning clinical practice, leadership, and academia, with a focus on orthogeriatric rehabilitation. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy and the Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Professions Education (MCSHE), where she leads education initiatives and research. As Education Lead for the Monash Musculoskeletal Research Unit and part of the teaching team for key gerontology courses, Dr. Farlie contributes to shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Her research centres on balance exercise prescription, where she developed and validated the world's first objective measure of balance exercise intensity: the Balance Intensity Scale. Dr. Farlie leads clinical research projects investigating the scale's use in routine healthcare delivery and collaborates internationally to explore health professionals’ decision-making in balance exercise prescription. Her research has been presented nationally and internationally, and she regularly delivers training sessions on the Balance Intensity Scale to health professionals worldwide.

Dr Julia McCartan

SENIOR LECTURER
Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education (MCSHE)

Dr Julia McCartan is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and lecturer in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences (MNHS). In 2016, together with colleague Dr Liza Barbour, Julia designed and continues to teach a compulsory undergraduate unit NUT3006: Food Sustainability Systems. Since 2016, she has represented Nutrition, Dietetics and Food on the MNHS Indigenous Health Equity Eduction Committee.

Julia is also a Research Fellow for the Monash Centre for Scholarship in Health Education. She works in partnership with the Monash Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Unit to support research and evaluation of Indigenous health equity curriculum across the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. She is also applying critical methodological and pedagogical approaches in health professions and health sciences education, with a particular research interest in fostering critical reflexivity and critical allyship skills in health professions educators, students and graduates.

https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/3609657/FAQ-Research-methods-course_Feb-2024.pdf