Over 330 MDX postgraduate students hone research skills at virtual boot camp

Three hundred and thirty-five Middlesex University Dubai postgraduate students across a range of disciplines participated in the summer Virtual Research Boot Camp organised by the MDX Research Committee from June to September 2021.

Now in its third year, this was the largest annual boot camp for student participation. The MDX Research Committee founded the boot camp in 2019 to support the University’s postgraduate student research community and share with them international best practice to enable them to execute an ethically-sound, well-designed, and credible project.

Led by experienced career researchers from across the University, the 2021 boot camp took an interdisciplinary approach to addressing fundamental topics such as statistical analysis, qualitative data analysis, and ethics in research.

Students also learnt how to structure literature reviews, conduct interviews, and cite academic sources correctly.

All sessions taking place throughout the three-month-long event were open for all student researchers at Middlesex University Dubai who were completing their postgraduate dissertations and final projects.

The boot camp featured a variety of taught, hands-on and interactive sessions addressed at all learning styles. Students could also join drop-in ‘jam sessions’ that provided an opportunity for one-to-one or small group support on more specific areas of research.

Middlesex University Dubai is renowned for the quality of its student research and the platform it provides to help student researchers launch their projects in industry and submit them for publication.

Dr. Cody Morris Paris, Deputy Director – Academic Planning and Research said: "The final dissertation or project is a critical component of postgraduate studies. It provides the platform for students to employ the knowledge and skills they have learned throughout their studies to examine a specific applied problem, uncover unique insights, or to generate new ideas and understanding relevant to their field of study. The summer boot camp is just one of the initiatives from Middlesex University Dubai to support the research success of our students."

In June 2021, twenty-three MDX submissions were shortlisted for the final round of the 8^th Abu Dhabi Undergraduate Research Competition. Nine submissions won 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize in their categories, including Education, Media and Psychology.

In the previous academic year, undergraduate and postgraduate students also coauthored more than 20 journal articles in partnership with academic faculty.