Unit information: Extended Research Project in 2018/19

Unit name	Extended Research Project
Unit code	BIOCM0015
Credit points	60
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Professor. Stephens
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Advanced Cell Biology BIOC30601 The Dynamic Proteome BIOC30604 Cellular Information BIOC30602 Advanced Options in Biochemistry BIOC30600, Research and Communication Skills BIOC30001, Research Training BIOC30002
Co-requisites	All Year 4 units within the MSci
School/department	School of Biochemistry
Faculty	Faculty of Life Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will give students the opportunity to spend up to 16 weeks on an individual research project supervised by a member of academic staff. The project will extend the research experience gained in the third year and enable them to develop independent research skills and a detailed knowledge of a range of biochemical techniques. Students will complete an extended literature review as part of their project and will be expected to attend lab meetings and present their findings to other members of the research group. They will gain data interpretation and analysis skills and will write up their experimental findings as a dissertation.

The key aims of the unit for students are:

• To enable them to gain substantial research experience and an understanding of the approaches taken to solving research problems in their project area.
• To develop critical and analytical skills.
• To develop scientific communication skills
• To learn how to be a valuable member of a research group

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

1. Conduct independent research and collect valid data
2. Interpret and analyse scientific data
3. Summarise and present their results both verbally and in written formats
4. Interpret their findings within the context of the current scientific literature and formulate a plan for future work

Teaching Information

Supervised lab work

Assessment Information

For learning (formative)

Research proposal

Of learning (summative)

• Performance in the lab (10% of the unit mark) consisting of an evaluation by the project supervisor
• Dissertation (70% of the unit mark) consisting of a literature review, experimental write-up and future directions (maximum 10,000 words). If this maximum word count is exceeded, word count penalties will only be applied to the mark awarded for the report. The project report is assessed independently by the project supervisor and the second marker, who agree a single final mark. If the two markers are unable to agree a final mark, the Unit Director or nominee will assess the report and the comments of the two markers and decide the final mark.
• Oral presentation of their project (10% of the unit mark). Students will give a 20-minute talk (to include questions from academics and their peers) on their project. Presentations are evaluated by a member of academic staff.
• Viva (10% of the unit mark). Conducted by two members of academic staff. Vivas will either be conducted in the presence of another member of staff or will be audio-recorded. Audio recordings will only be reviewed in the event of a query into the conduct of the viva exam

Reading and References

Reviews and articles from the primary scientific Literature