| Unit name | Research Methods and Dissertation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | VETS30035 |
| Credit points | 40 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Mickey Tivers |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
All 1st, 2nd and 3rd year units |
| Co-requisites |
All other 4th year units |
| School/department | Bristol Veterinary School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Initial lectures and workshops will cover experimental design, and analysis methods. An individual in-depth exploration of one aspect of Veterinary Nursing or Bioveterinary Science (for those students on the Veterinary Nursing and Bioveterinary Science programme) or Veterinary Nursing or none Veterinary Nursing project, relevant to behaviour and welfare(for those students on the Veterinary Nursing and Companion Animal Behaviour programme), 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:
The dissertation will be expected to be in the style of a research thesis and a high first-class mark would indicate that the work was of publishable quality. Students will also be assessed via a presentation of findings. They will prepare and present a poster summarising their dissertation project.
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
1) Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the application of the principles of experimental design, the principles of survey design, and the principles of qualitative research for different sorts of research questions.
2) Justify the use of different forms of control and balance in the design of experimental, survey and
qualitative research protocols.
3) Appreciate the role of single subject and case studies in the advancement of science.
4) Critically evaluate published research including the designs used and the analysis of data in scientific reports and articles.
5) Select an appropriate research topic with guidance.
6) Show evidence of extended knowledge and understanding of the specific area.
7) Generate and test hypotheses using an appropriate experimental, observational or critical review approach.
8) Choose the most appropriate statistical test for quantitative data to be analysed
for significant differences or correlation, and perform tests of statistical significance to test hypotheses using interval, ordinal and frequency data.
9) Explain methods available for the analysis of qualitative data and be able to perform simple tests of association on such data.
10) Explain the use of multivariate statistical techniques for predicting outcomes and classifying data.
11) Analyse data and produce an overall synthesis and evaluation of the project work.
12) Demonstrate understanding of the ethical issues relating to the use of humans and non-human subjects in research.
13) Demonstrate of suitable oral and written communication skills including appropriate referencing.
During term 1 (weeks 1-10):
Weeks 11-13: Background reading, preparation of review essay
Weeks 13-18: Data collection and analysis
Weeks 18-20: Dissertation writing
Final presentations timetabled with other final year exams
The passmark for this unit is 40%
Formative Assessment:
Knowledge and skills of experimental design and analysis will be assessed formatively during the lecture and workshops.
The dissertation will be assessed as follows:
Practical performance during project work: 20% (ILO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13)
Dissertation: 70% (ILO 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13)
Final presentation of findings: 10% (ILO13)
Resits:
A referred Dissertation must be resubmitted by the middle of August in the year of original submission. In this event the practical performance mark (20%) will be carried forward whereas, the dissertation (70%) and final presentation (10%) will be reassessed.
Specific to individual projects: supervisors will provide guidance.
