Unit information: Dissertation in 2011/12

Unit name	Dissertation
Unit code	VETS30012
Credit points	30
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. Main
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Bristol Veterinary School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

An individual in-depth exploration of one aspect of Veterinary Nursing or Bioveterinary Science, involving the planning and execution of a piece of original research. Each student completes an individual piece of research under the supervision of one or more members of academic staff.

Aims:

This unit will enable the student to pursue in detail a piece of original research within Veterinary Nursing or Bioveterinary Science.

The dissertation will be expected to be in the style of a research paper in a relevant scientific journal, and it will be assessed against the standard of papers in those journals: i.e. a high first-class mark would indicate that the work was of publishable quality.

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Select an appropriate research topic with guidance
2. Shown evidence of extended knowledge and understanding of the specific area
3. Critically evaluate published research in related areas
4. Generate and test hypotheses using an appropriate experimental, observational or critical review approach.
5. Analyse data and produce an overall synthesis and evaluation of the project work
6. Demonstration of suitable oral and written communication skills including appropriate referencing

Teaching Information

During term 1:

Descriptions of possible project topics sent to students. Staff presentations of possible project topics Projects and supervisors allocated to students Series of lectures and case-study seminars introducing research-specific skills (including critical reasoning, experimental design, research ethics, and statistics consolidation), coupled with formative DSE work.

Weeks 10-12 :

Background reading, preparation of review essay

Week 12 :

Introductory project talks

Weeks 12-18:

Data collection and analysis

Weeks 18-20:

Dissertation writing

Final project talks – timetabled with other final year exams

Assessment Information

Formal Assessment:

Preliminary literature review: 10%

Practical performance during project work: 20%

Dissertation: 60%

Final Project Talk: 10%

The dissertation will be assessed against the following criteria:

1. the quality of presentation.
2. appropriate experimental design and statistical analyses.
3. the ability to process, reduce, analyse and present data.
4. originality displayed in the experiments and in the interpretation of their results.
5. critical appraisal of the experimental design, the methods used, the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn.
6. appreciation of how the results contribute to current understanding in the field, and an awareness of their limitations.
7. the ability to select the essential features of the experiments for discussion.
8. appreciation of how the work can be developed, including realistic suggestions for future experiments.

Resits:

A referred Dissertation must be resubmitted by the middle of August in the year of original submission. In this event the project review essay (10%) and practical performance mark (20%) will be carried forward whereas the final talk (10%) and dissertation (80%) will be reassessed.

Special Conditions:

Students will be expected to attend all lectures and communicate with their Supervisors on a regular basis.

Reading and References

Specific to individual projects: supervisors will provide guidance.