Pre-seeds (Research 101) lesson: All in One View

Content from Using Markdown

Last updated on 2025-03-28 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 12 minutes

Overview

Questions

How do you write a lesson using Markdown and sandpaper?

Objectives

Explain how to use markdown with The Carpentries Workbench
Demonstrate how to include pieces of code, figures, and nested challenge blocks

Introduction

This is a lesson created via The Carpentries Workbench. It is written in Pandoc-flavored Markdown for static files and R Markdown for dynamic files that can render code into output. Please refer to the Introduction to The Carpentries Workbench for full documentation.

What you need to know is that there are three sections required for a valid Carpentries lesson:

questions are displayed at the beginning of the episode to prime the learner for the content.
objectives are the learning objectives for an episode displayed with the questions.
keypoints are displayed at the end of the episode to reinforce the objectives.

Instructor Note

Inline instructor notes can help inform instructors of timing challenges associated with the lessons. They appear in the “Instructor View”

Challenge 1: Can you do it?

What is the output of this command?

R

paste("This", "new", "lesson", "looks", "good")

Output

OUTPUT

[1] "This new lesson looks good"

Challenge 2: how do you nest solutions within challenge blocks?

Show me the solution

You can add a line with at least three colons and a solution tag.

Figures

You can use standard markdown for static figures with the following syntax:

![optional caption that appears below the figure](figure url){alt='alt text for accessibility purposes'}

You belong in The Carpentries!

Callout

Callout sections can highlight information.

They are sometimes used to emphasise particularly important points but are also used in some lessons to present “asides”: content that is not central to the narrative of the lesson, e.g. by providing the answer to a commonly-asked question.

Math

One of our episodes contains $\LaTeX$ equations when describing how to create dynamic reports with {knitr}, so we now use mathjax to describe this:

$\alpha = \dfrac{1}{(1 - \beta)^2}$ becomes: $\alpha = \dfrac{1}{(1 - \beta)^2}$

Cool, right?

Key Points

Use .md files for episodes when you want static content
Use .Rmd files for episodes when you need to generate output
Run sandpaper::check_lesson() to identify any issues with your lesson
Run sandpaper::build_lesson() to preview your lesson locally

Content from Introduction to research: What is research?

Last updated on 2025-05-02 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 14 minutes

Overview

Questions

What makes research different from everyday opinions?
What does it mean for research to be “replicable”?
Why is critical thinking important in research?

Objectives

Define research in their own words, and how it stands apart from other ways of knowing (e.g. opinion, belief, or anecdote)
Identify the defining features (characteristics) of credible research.
List reasons for conducting research, and the importance of research in various contexts.
Identify real-world examples of research in action.

Think Like a Researcher

Imagine you’re sitting in a university lecture hall. Every time you glance around, more students seem to be glued to their phones. Some are scrolling through social media, others texting, and a few seem genuinely disengaged from the class.

You start to wonder: Why is this happening? Is it boredom, habit, or maybe something deeper about how students are taught today?

Now pause—what if you wanted to understand this behavior, not just guess at it? How would you systematically investigate this problem in a way that produces useful insights?

Hold on to that question. By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how a researcher would approach it.

A Wise Researcher Once Said…

“Research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive methods.” — Earl Robert Babbie, American Sociologist

Let’s break that down. “Systematic inquiry” means we don’t just ask questions and hope for the best. We follow a method, apply logic, and rely on evidence.

What Is Research, Really?

Research is the engine behind most of the advancements we see in medicine, technology, social policy, and even the arts.

At its core, research is a structured way of asking and answering questions about the world. It’s how we move from guessing to knowing.

Unlike casual observations or personal beliefs, research depends on: - Gathering data - Organising and analysing it - Interpreting it logically - Drawing conclusions that others can test or build upon

Key Characteristics of Research

Let’s look at what separates research from, say, a viral tweet or a hunch you have about something:

Systematic Approach Research follows a clear plan or methodology. You don’t jump from question to conclusion—you walk through the steps carefully.
Objective and Unbiased Good research minimises personal opinions or preferences. It focuses on what the data says, not what we want it to say.
Empirical Evidence It uses real-world observations—things we can see, measure, or document—not just ideas or feelings.
Replicability Someone else, following the same steps, should be able to reproduce your results (or at least understand how you got them).
Critical Thinking Researchers must ask tough questions of their own work and be open to alternative interpretations.

Why Do We Do Research?

Not all research is done for the same reason. Depending on your goal, you might approach the same topic very differently.

Purpose	Goal
Exploratory	To investigate new or poorly understood phenomena.
Descriptive	To paint a detailed picture of a population or situation.
Explanatory	To figure out why something happens—cause and effect.
Applied	To solve a practical, real-world problem.

Think of these like different lenses you can look through—each one helps you focus on a particular aspect of your research question.

Why Does Research Matter?

Research isn’t just for scientists or academics. It affects all of us.

In healthcare: It helps us understand disease and develop treatments.
In education: It helps improve how we teach and learn.
In policy-making: It ensures decisions are backed by facts, not just opinions.
In everyday life: It sharpens our critical thinking and helps us avoid misinformation.

Simply put: without research, we’re just guessing.

Illustrative Example: When Clean Water Becomes a Crisis

Let’s say a rural community starts experiencing a rise in cases of waterborne diseases. Some people think the cause is the local river, others blame poor hygiene, and some say it’s just a coincidence.

What would a researcher do?

Start by clearly defining the problem: When and where are cases happening?
Collect data: Water samples, health records, sanitation practices.
Analyse patterns: Are certain water sources contaminated? Are specific villages more affected?
Draw conclusions and make recommendations: Maybe the source is an open well near a farm using chemical fertilizers.

This kind of systematic, evidence-based process transforms a community crisis into an opportunity for real, impactful change.

Wrap-Up: Research as a Way of Seeing the World

To do research is to say: “I want to understand, not assume.”

Whether you’re investigating disease outbreaks, classroom dynamics, or the impact of climate change, the tools of research help you navigate uncertainty with clarity.

Instructor Note

Inline instructor notes can help inform instructors of timing challenges associated with the lessons. They appear in the “Instructor View”

Test Your Knowledge!

Challenge 1:

A key characteristic of research is that it follows a systematic and structured process. (True/False)

Show me the solution

True.

Challenge 2:

All research must include an experiment in order to be valid. (True/False)

Show me the solution

False.

Challenge 3:

Which of the following is NOT a reason for conducting research?

To satisfy personal curiosity.
To improve decision-making.
To confirm pre-existing biases.
To solve real-world problems.

Show me the solution

Answer: C.

Figures

You belong in The Carpentries!

Callout

Callout sections can highlight information.

💡 Not all knowledge is created equal.

What sets research apart from everyday opinions or anecdotes is its structured, objective, and evidence-based approach. If you can’t explain how you arrived at a conclusion, it probably isn’t research.

Key Points

Research is a systematic, logical, and evidence-based process for asking and answering questions about the world.
It differs from opinion or belief because it relies on data, critical thinking, and clear methodology.
Good research is replicable, objective, and empirical—others should be able to follow your steps and understand your conclusions.
Research serves various purposes: it can explore new topics, describe conditions, explain relationships, or solve real-world problems.

Content from The research process: Steps involved in conducting research

Last updated on 2025-03-28 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 12 minutes

Overview

Questions

What are the steps in a research process?

Objectives

List and briefly describe the five key steps in the research process.
Identify the correct sequence of the research steps.
Briefly explain the importance of each step in the research process.

Introduction

Instructor Note

Inline instructor notes can help inform instructors of timing challenges associated with the lessons. They appear in the “Instructor View”

Challenge 1: Can you do it?

What is the output of this command?

R

paste("This", "new", "lesson", "looks", "good")

Output

OUTPUT

[1] "This new lesson looks good"

Challenge 2: how do you nest solutions within challenge blocks?

Show me the solution

You can add a line with at least three colons and a solution tag.

Figures

You can use standard markdown for static figures with the following syntax:

![optional caption that appears below the figure](figure url){alt='alt text for accessibility purposes'}

You belong in The Carpentries!

Callout

Callout sections can highlight information.

Math

One of our episodes contains $\LaTeX$ equations when describing how to create dynamic reports with {knitr}, so we now use mathjax to describe this:

$\alpha = \dfrac{1}{(1 - \beta)^2}$ becomes: $\alpha = \dfrac{1}{(1 - \beta)^2}$

Cool, right?

Key Points

Use .md files for episodes when you want static content
Use .Rmd files for episodes when you need to generate output
Run sandpaper::check_lesson() to identify any issues with your lesson
Run sandpaper::build_lesson() to preview your lesson locally

Content from Types of Research I: Basic, Applied; Quantitative, Qualitative

Last updated on 2025-05-02 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 12 minutes

Overview

Questions

What is the difference between basic and applied research?
When would you use qualitative instead of quantitative research?
Can a study be both qualitative and quantitative?
How do different research types affect the kind of data you collect?

Objectives

Learners will be able to:

Distinguish between basic and applied research.
Compare and contrast quantitative or qualitative research.
Identify when and why each type is used.
Connect each research type to real-world examples and questions.

Think Like a Researcher

Let’s go back to our earlier curiosity:
Why are so many students distracted by their phones during lectures?

Now imagine five different researchers trying to answer this question, each with their own method and mindset:

One carefully observes students and documents their behavior.
Another hands out a questionnaire to hundreds of students.
A third digs into journal articles to find trends across universities.
Another conducts interviews to understand students’ perspectives.
And yet another runs an experiment to see if a new teaching method reduces phone use.

Are all of these research? Yes.
Are they all the same type of research? Not quite.

This episode explores the various pathways of research, each tailored to a particular kind of question, context, or goal. You’ll learn how different kinds of research give us different kinds of answers.

How do we categorise research?

There’s more than one way to slice the research pie. But most research falls into one or more of the broad categories below:

1. Basic vs. Applied Research

Basic (or Pure) Research

This is aimed at expanding our general knowledge, without necessarily needing immediate application. That is, we don’t intend to solve a problem today.

Instead, basic research asks: How does the world work?

So, it is common in theoretical disciplines or foundational sciences.

Example: Studying how memory works in the brain, even if no product or intervention is being developed.

Applied Research

Unlike basic research, this is focused on solving a specific, real-world problem.

Applied research asks: How can we use knowledge to improve something?

It is common in public health, education, engineering, and business.

Example: Investigating how mobile phone use during lectures affects exam performance and then designing strategies to reduce it.

These two types, they often work together. Basic research builds the foundation, applied research builds the bridge to real-life solutions.

2. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research

Quantitative Research

This involves numbers, statistics, and measurable variables.

Good for answering: How much? How many? How often? Is there a correlation?

(Task: Define correlation in a call out)

This type of research uses tools like surveys, experiments, statistical analysis.

Example: Measuring how many students use phones during lectures, how long they spend on them, and whether this correlates with their grades.

Qualitative Research

This focuses on experiences, meanings, stories, and context.

Good for answering: Why? How? What was the experience like?

Qualitative research tools include interviews, focus groups, observations, and content analysis.

Example: Interviewing students to understand why they check their phones, what they feel during lectures, and what might help them focus more.

💡 Note: Some research combines both approaches. This is called Mixed Methods Research. (Task: Make this a call out)

Real-world (or Illustrative?) example

Imagine you want to study vaccine hesitancy in your community:

Quantitative: How many people are hesitant? Which demographics?
Qualitative: Why are they hesitant? What fears or beliefs do they have?

Both offer important insights. One gives you patterns, while the other gives you meaning.

Test Your Knowledge!

Challenge 1:

Which type of research is most likely to involve large data sets and statistical analysis?

Applied
Basic
Quantitative
Qualitative

Show me the solution

Answer: c) Quantitative

Challenge 2:

True or False:
Applied research has no value unless it’s immediately applied to a problem, policy or practice.

Show me the solution

False. Applied research still builds knowledge, even if implementation is delayed.

Key Points

Basic research builds theory; applied research solves problems.
Quantitative research answers “how much” with numbers.
Qualitative research answers “why” with stories and context.
Mixed methods combine the strengths of both.

Instructor Note

Inline instructor notes can help inform instructors of timing challenges associated with the lessons. They appear in the “Instructor View”

Figures

Add infographic:

You belong in The Carpentries!

Callout

Add callout from lesson.

Content from Strengths, limitations, and applications in various disciplines

Last updated on 2025-03-28 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 12 minutes

Overview

Questions

What are the strengths and limitations of these research type?

Objectives

Analyse the strengths and limitations of different types of research.
Discuss how different research methods are applied in various disciplines (e.g., social sciences, healthcare, technology).
Evaluate the credibility of research findings based on the methodology used.
Reflect on the ethical considerations in different types of research.

Introduction

Instructor Note

Inline instructor notes can help inform instructors of timing challenges associated with the lessons. They appear in the “Instructor View”

Challenge 1: Can you do it?

lorem ipsum

Output

lorem

Challenge 2: how do you nest solutions within challenge blocks?

Show me the solution

You can add a line with at least three colons and a solution tag.

Figures

You can use standard markdown for static figures with the following syntax:

![optional caption that appears below the figure](figure url){alt='alt text for accessibility purposes'}

You belong in The Carpentries!

Callout

Callout sections can highlight information.

Math

One of our episodes contains $\LaTeX$ equations when describing how to create dynamic reports with {knitr}, so we now use mathjax to describe this:

$\alpha = \dfrac{1}{(1 - \beta)^2}$ becomes: $\alpha = \dfrac{1}{(1 - \beta)^2}$

Cool, right?

Key Points

Lorem