We are pleased to announce that our ESRC PhD studentship has been awarded to Debbie Collins, who will be joining our team, in October 2015, to research the virtual learning of advanced research methods.

Debbie is an experienced social researcher who started her career in the Social Survey Division of what is now the Office for National Statistics before moving to IPSOS RSL’s Social Research Unit and then NatCen Social Research, where she is currently Head of Questionnaire Development and Testing. Debbie is emb
arking on her PhD as she becomes  Head of NatCen Learning. Here she will be responsible for all of NatCen’s external research training and development activities. Debbie is excited to be joining the NCRM pedagogy team at Southampton, and by the opportunities to combine her work and PhD to further knowledge and practice.

Debbie’s new doctoral research will explore how advanced social science research methods are taught and learned,  examining the potential of new technologies for the teaching and learning of advanced social research methods. Debbie joins Prof Melanie Nind and Dr Sarah Lewthwaite on the Pedagogy of Methodological Learning Project team, and will be located within Southampton Education School and NCRM at the University of Southampton. Her work will contribute to a small but expanding pedagogic literature on the teaching of social research methods, stimulating dialogue with strategic leaders, teachers, learners and researchers in advanced research methods to examine the pedagogical challenges, demands and processes involved in this field, ultimately informing understanding and practice in the teaching of research methods within the UK academy and beyond. We are delighted to welcome Debbie to the project and look forward to working with her over the coming years.