| Unit name | Practical Project |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BIOL30202 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Cuthill |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None. |
| Co-requisites |
None. |
| School/department | School of Biological Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
A practical project, selected from a wide choice of animal, plant and microbial biology topics, that provides experience of data handling, interpretation and scientific writing, as well as a broad range of transferable skills. Students will typically carry out the practical research in pairs or larger teams, for health and safety, as well as logistical, reasons but all data interpretation and presentation is done independently.
On completing this unit, students should be able to:
1. Conduct scientific research and collect data, safely and meticulously, within the specific sub-discipline covered by the project;
2. Carry out a literature search for relevant published work and interpret it critically;
3. Interpret and analyse their own scientific data;
4. Summarise and present their results appropriately;
5. Interpret their findings critically within the context of current published research.
The Practical Project takes 12 weeks, consisting of 9 weeks of 'practical' time followed by 3 weeks for analysis, report preparation etc. Students have access to facilities, supervisor input etc. during the 9 weeks only.
The unit mark is based on:
•25% continuous assessment mark (assesses ILOs 1, 2 and 3);
•75% project report mark (assesses ILOs 2-5).
Depending on the topic, references are chosen from the current primary literature by students.
