The Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Education and Learning (CEL) has launched its first MOOC on Multidisciplinary Research Methods for Engineers on edX. This MOOC aimed at engineers and other STEM related disciplines explains the fundamentals of planning and carrying out state-of-the-art qualitative and quantitative research in different phases of an innovation or research project.
About the project
The use of data to understand phenomena and evaluate designs and interventions in different disciplines is increasingly evident. As a result, engineers and other applied scientists frequently find themselves needing to collaborate in multidisciplinary fields when carrying out research to stay innovative.
This MOOC aims to help learners to become successful multidisciplinary researchers in industry, non-profit, or academia. This course explains the fundamentals on how to plan and carry out state-of-the-art research in different phases of an innovation or research project. The course was designed by a team of experienced, multidisciplinary researchers in education, engineering and research methodologies. It also features experts in the field of research methodologies as guest lecturers.
In the course, learners are working towards creating a project plan for their research, giving them a head-start in their research project. Learners are introduced to multi-disciplinary research its associated challenges and opportunities in various disciplines. Next, they will learn about each phase of scientific research, research ethics, how to select the appropriate methods for a research question and learn to plan their research using interactive methods.
Initial response
In the first run of the course at the beginning of 2021 more than 600 learners from 88 different countries were engaging with each other online in discussions whilst working towards their certificate. Many different research areas are represented in the course from Aerospace to medical appliances and from social media to engineering education.
