Top 5 Online Courses on Research Methodology

The current pandemic situation has altered ideas about work and learning. Since on-campus visits have paused for time unknown, online learning has taken up a significant role in the education industry. Online learning is flexible and affordable for many students; even teachers and institutions are finding online learning effective and beneficial. Young researchers and independent academicians can also use online courses to enhance their knowledge on research methods and techniques. Writing a paper requires format, but before that, research requires proper methodology and strategy to be successful.

Here are top five online courses on research methodology which you can pursue to develop your research quality:-

Understanding Research Methods by University of London– Built around the fundamentals of conducting a research, this course is available on Coursera. It explains the research and research methods in a simplistic manner. The course engages students with discussions and assessments on research skills and how they can be appropriately applied. The course draws upon existing course material actually taught in University of London. Each module is followed by quizzes for assessing student knowledge. The approximate duration of the course is 10 hrs.
Research Methods courses on Udemy– Whether a statistician, a research scientist or a fellow, one must choose from these courses available on Udemy to develop on the research skills required to publish dissertation. Courses like ‘Research Methods and Statistics: An Introduction’ discusses about the statistics performed in social sciences. ‘Fast-start Usability Testing and UX Research’ teaches you how to use modern, usability testing and UX research methods effectively. ‘Research Methodology’ covers academic research, business research, and market research concepts thoroughly. ‘Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods’ is all about conducting qualitative research. ‘Research Methods Made Easy’ is your guide to research in Social Science. Basically, Udemy has a series of courses to help you through your research journey. The videos and lectures are downloadable and you can access content using any device like laptop, phone or TV.
Methods and Statistics in Social Sciences Specialization by the University of Amsterdam– This particular course available on Coursera is a complete guide to empirical tools and techniques required for data interpretation. Most of the times, students and researchers find it difficult to grab an understanding of the statistical methods involved in research design. To execute them properly is a challenge which needs to be accomplished and this course gives a right direction. The course completion is followed by certificates for students. The course duration is approx. 4.5- 5 hrs.

4. Introduction to Social Research Methods By The University of Edinburgh (edX)- This course is a holistic approach on research work. It teaches qualitative as well as quantitative methods, but also includes ethical considerations that must be observed for successful research. Especially research ethics must be maintained for cross-cultural psychology researches and this course gives a prominent idea about such techniques and policies. Available on edX, the topics discussed include Surveys, Discourse analysis, Learning Analytics, Interviews, Focus groups, Ethnography, Social Network Analysis (SNA), Experimental intervention, Visual and image analysis, Critical perspectives on quantitative data analysis, and Critical perspectives on qualitative data analysis. You can improve your job prospects with this course. Duration is approx. 40 hrs.

5. EDRM 600 – Introduction to Research Methods (The Colorado State University)- This course talks about how to develop an area of focus, prepare problem and research statements, review literature, design a qualitative or quantitative research method, analyze results, and write about the findings. This course will equip you with information and skills you need to review, develop and produce research to publish dissertation.

Online learning is the future of education. Today, we can learn the best of things from open platforms like edX and Coursera. Some universities like Shibpur Institute of Technology in India conduct special programs and courses for online learners to sign up and understand the research methodologies and statistics in detail. These courses provide one-to-one communication with teachers and professors who help you through coursework and assessments too. While stuck up at home, it is never late to learn something for self-development. Researchers and academicians should engage themselves in a few of these to establish a strong foundation of research skills.