The course will provide students with the opportunity to carry out an independent research project in the field of bioscience relevant to their Masters degree. The students will gain experience in research techniques, report writing and presentation skills

There are no fixed teaching sessions. The project will involve regular interaction and meetings with the project supervisor and attendance at research group meetings and seminars. The project will take place over 14 weeks, full time.

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The project assessment will consist of the following components:

Supervisor's report (35%)

■ An assessment of the student's overall performance in the project will be provided by the project supervisor for specified criteria, using a written form with marking descriptors.

Student's written report (50%)

■ A written report of 3,000- 5,000 words formatted in appropriate scientific style, in the style of a scientific journal appropriate to the project research topic, to be submitted in the penultimate week of the project period.

■ The report will be assessed by the Supervisor and an independent marker and the grade awarded will be an "agreed" mark.

Oral presentation (15%)

■ A short presentation of the project (followed by questions) to an audience consisting of fellow students and project supervisors in the final week of the course. The presentation will be assessed by two assessors (neither of whom will be the supervisor).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The course aims to provide students with an opportunity to perform a piece of original research to investigate a hypothesis or research questions within the subject area of the Masters programme. The project work will provide an opportunity for students to develop practical and/or technical skills, analyse data critically and draw conclusions, and suggest avenues for future research to expand their research findings

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ critically design, plan and execute scientific experiments associated with the subject area of the Masters degree;

■ develop and practice troubleshooting skills to address technical scientific and analytical problems;

■ critically evaluate and analyse experimental data, and draw conclusions based on their findings;

■ evaluate explanatory hypotheses and develop plans for further research, as appropriate to the topic chosen, identifying key areas where future research is needed;

■ summarize and critique their own and prior research findings in oral presentations and communicate effectively with peers, supervisors and more senior colleagues;

■ present research findings in the form of a critical written report, in correct scientific style using a range of appropriate computer software (e.g. Word, Reference Manager, Excel);

■ take responsibility for the research project and associated resources with a degree of autonomy appropriate to the type of research;

■ plan and manage time effectively by prioritising tasks and meeting deadlines;

■ work co-operatively and effectively with colleagues to develop interpersonal and teamwork skills within a research environment, and reflect critically on their role and performance within the group.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.