Unit information: MSc Research Project in 2012/13

Unit name	MSc Research Project
Unit code	PHYSM3412
Credit points	60
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Professor. Nick Brook
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Physics
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

This project is an opportunity for students to undertake research in physics, either experimental or theoretical, and carry out an investigation, usually associated with one of the research areas in the department. Students will work with an academic supervisor to perform a literature review of the research area, including developing a plan for the project, and defining skills to be acquired before starting project work. There is a period of skills training, before moving on to the practical work. The project work is usually done in pairs, but all reports are prepared, submitted and assessed individually. The project is student-led and leads to a substantial report detailing the project, how it was approached and the results obtained. A poster will be produced at the end of the project, summarising the results for a general audience.

Aims:

• To develop research skills to find and access appropriate scientific literature on a topic.

• To extend the ability of students to read academic papers and extract relevant information from them.

• To build skills in synthesising information from multiple sources into a coherent report.

• To introduce skills involved in designing research experiments to address questions

• To give students the opportunity to undertake a substantial research project requiring them to demonstrate initiative and independence and apply a diversity of knowledge and skills.

• To give students insight into tackling real problems.

• To allow students to acquire the skills necessary to work in a particular research area.

• Students will learn to present their work in a variety of different ways, including in the style of a academic journal, and for a general audience

Intended Learning Outcomes

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

• search and access academic journals and use them to research a specific topic

• read and extract information from research papers

• synthesise information from multiple sources into a coherent review

• demonstrate that they have acquired the technical skills necessary to do research in their area.

• plan and carry out a substantial research project.

• critically evaluate current research in the area of their project

• present their work clearly to an audience of their peers.

• demonstrate originality in tackling problems.

• produce a clear and coherent report of a standard which would be suitable for publication.

• communicate the results of their work to a general audience.

Teaching Information

Students will work in a self-directed manner, supported by weekly meetings with an academic advisor who will provide training for the literature review and subsequent practical work. Students will also receive advice and feedback from a named assessor. The quantity and nature of contact with the advisor will vary depending on the nature of the project. However students would be expected to meet with their advisor at least weekly.

Assessment Information

The final assessment mark for the unit is broken down as shown below. Formative assessment is though the literature review and research proposal, and the skills training element. Performance in these will be reviewed with the student once they are completed. The literature review and research proposal will be assessed independently by the advisor and assessor. Finally, the students will produce a poster to communicate their work at a level appropriate for a general audience, and all of the posters will be assessed by the unit coordinator.

The skills will be defined when the project proposal is submitted with tasks to be completed. Completion of the tasks will result in the marks being awarded.

The final project report mark will be based on the report and on work throughout the year. Both advisor and assessor will be present at the final interview.

Literature review and research proposal (5,000 words) (30%)

Skills Training (5%)

Final project report and Interview (5,000 word report + 30 minute interview) (60%)

Poster (5%)

Reading and References

Reading will come from the relevant literature, research papers and advanced text books, and will be project dependent.