Undergraduate Course: Health Sciences Project (BIME10054)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Biomedical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | Students will carry out a 12-week project in the field of Health Sciences under the supervision and mentorship of member of the University academic staff. This research can be (i) a clinical or laboratory-based project, (ii) involve the analysis and interpretation of new or previously generated and collected data or (ii) a library based investigative research project addressing a specific question or topic including a systematic review. |
| Course description |
All students will carry out a 12-week research project in Semester 2. Projects will be supervised by members of University of Edinburgh academic staff. Students will select their project topic either from the list of titles offered using the Biomedical Sciences portal system or if you wish to pursue a particular topic of special interest to you for a project, you yourself must identify an appropriate member of University academic staff who would be willing to supervise a dissertation on that topic. Clinical projects will be available to students early in Semester 1 in order to provide sufficient time for the necessary approvals to be obtained.
It is expected that the core module Literature Evaluation and Review, will be carried on a topic related to the chosen project to allow continuity in subject matter over the year.
The discipline-specific topics will vary from year to year depending on which projects and supervisors are available. However, it is anticipated that students cover the following general aspects of study design and conduct during the research project:
1. Undertake the literature review in semester 1 to increase knowledge and understanding of the research area.
2. Develop and refine the hypothesis or research question
3. Design the research protocol including a plan of data analysis
4. Conduct the research project
5. Write a research dissertation to the standard of an academic publication
6. Present the findings and conclusions of the research project to course supervisors and colleagues
Students are expected to be self motivated and engaged with the chosen project and work.
It is anticipated that students will be engaged in work that is achievable within the 12-week time frame. This may necessitate using data that is already collected, conducting a library based project (e.g. systematic review) or carrying out a supervised lab based project. Clinical projects will be feasible if the relevant approvals have already been organised by the supervisor, or if there is early engagement of the student at the start of semester 1.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 45 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
400
(
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 12,
Formative Assessment Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
377 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Research project report (87.5%) (5000 words)
Oral presentation of research project to peers and research supervisors (12.5%)
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| Feedback |
Students will receive feedback on project progress during weekly face-to-face supervision meetings with supervisors. Supervisors will also give feedback on a draft of the dissertation.
In addition, students will receive verbal and written feedback following oral presentations.
A written assessment of the research project and a mark will be provided for each project.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and overcome the challenges of conducting research in the field of Health Sciences.
- Understand and carry out appropriate experimental or investigative design to test a hypothesis or investigate a research question.
- Obtain information to address the hypothesis or research question and critically evaluate this information using appropriate research methodology including basic statistical analysis
- Improve personal qualities important to the conduct of academic research including teamwork, time management, oral and written presentation skills
- Plan and structure a formal dissertation report that integrates the project findings with those of other researchers in the field and outlines how future work may address outstanding issues.
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Learning Resources
Specific reading will be discussed with the project supervisor once the project has been allocated
University library resources
Online biomedical databases available through university library (e.g. PubMed, OVID Medline; Embase; Web of Sciences)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
After completion of this module, students will gain a set of graduate attributes and skills:
1: Knowledge and understanding:
- Graduates will develop an in-depth understanding in the research area of the project, including a significant amount of independent reading.
2: Practice Applied knowledge, skills & understanding
- Students will apply their specific knowledge and understanding of the research area to plan, undertake and present a hypothesis-led research plan, e.g. as an oral presentation.
3: Generic cognitive skills
- Graduates will have demonstrated an ability to identify, define, conceptualise and critically analyse complex scientific, biomedical or clinical problems.
- Graduates will be expected to critically review their knowledge, skills and thinking on the material covered, and synthesise this with evidence from the literature.
- Demonstrate originality and creativity in addressing research questions and challenges encountered in the research process
4: Communication, ICT & numeracy skills
- Students will be expected to communicate professionally with peers, senior colleagues and the lay public.
- Students will use ICT applications to support the conduct and presentation of data.
- Students will learn to present new information about specialised topics to informed audiences, using appropriate ICT applications for this purpose.
- Students will discuss and critically appraise the work of others
- Students will interpret numerical and graphical data to support the chosen research project
5: Autonomy, Accountability and Working with others
- Students will exercise autonomy and initiative
- Students will work under supervision with specialist practitioners
- Students will work with others to bring about change, development and/or new thinking
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| Keywords | Health sciences,project,research,critical appraisal,clinical,biomedical,laboratory,systemic review |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jeremy Hughes
Tel: (0131) 242 6683
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr James Hunter
Tel: (0131 6)51 4064
Email: |
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