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BIOL4094: Research Project (MBiol)

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Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 80
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Biosciences

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To carry out a research project in a specific topic on biological sciences to Masters' degree standard.
  • To produce a poster and perform an oral presentation to communicate the research undertaken to an audience of peers.
  • To produce a thesis to Masters' degree standard based on the research project.

Content

  • Supervised and self-directed research.
  • Self-directed analysis, review of literature, and thesis production.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Knowledge and understanding to Masters' degree level of a selected topic in biological sciences.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • To be able to carry out an independent research-led piece of work in the area of biological sciences, in which qualities such as time management, problem solving and independence are evident.
  • To be able to prepare a thesis on a specialised research topic, reporting on research carried out by the student, in which complex information and detailed argument is presented in a clear and orderly way to a standard suitable for publication.
  • To be able to present the results of research in a form accessible to an audience of peers, in the form of a poster and an oral presentation.

Key Skills:

  • Literacy, in being able to consult and extract information from printed and online archives.
  • Numeracy, in data analysis, statistics and calculation.
  • Communication skills, in presenting report and oral presentation.
  • IT skills, in use of online databases.
  • Self-motivation, in self-guided learning, independet work on report and poster.
  • Time-management, in planning experimental work.
  • Academic qualities, such as flexibility, discrimination and resourcefulness, together with personal qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring: i. the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility; ii. decision making in complex and unpredictable contexts; iii. problem posing and problem solving; iv. identification of and respect for empirical data.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Research Project: an extended piece of research, based on academic research being carried out in the School. The student has the opportunity to carry out research in a self-directed manner, based on training in generic areas, and on a framework supplied by the project supervisor. The project is assessed by means of a thesis, prepared to Masters' degree standard, containing material suitable for publication, and by a poster and an oral presentation based on the student's research.
  • Project supervision: the project supervisor will meet with the student for a minimum average 1 hour per week throughout the project and thesis preparation to discuss progress. The project supervisor will also read and criticise a thesis draft.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Project work4 weeks at 14h/week; 18 weeks at 33h/week650Yes
Supervisory meetings - progress reviewed weekly during project lab work20Four during weeks 1-6; Weekly from week 71 hour22Yes
Presentations and thesis preparation and production128 
Total800 

Summative Assessment

Component: Continuous AssessmentComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Thesis 60 
Oral Presentation 10 
Research Proposal  20 
Poster 10 

Formative Assessment

None

More information

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