| Unit name | Research Club in Health Sciences Research |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0075 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Tortonese |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will enable you to develop a thorough understanding of the scientific method. You will gain the skills to develop your own scientific criteria through objective judgement, i.e. by assessing whether the hypothesis of the study was tested by the experimental design, and the results warrant its conclusions. The unit will provide you in-depth training on how to review, assess, interpret, summarise and present research information in several formats that are important to your development as a researcher. You will progress your ability to select, read, interpret and evaluate relevant scientific literature. You will enhance your scientific writing skills. The unit will enable you to present, defend and critique scientific information in oral sessions for a specialised scientific audience. It will advance your scientific communication skills in various formats suitable for different audiences.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The Research Club unit starts once the Foundations in Health Sciences Research unit is almost complete and you engage with it for most of the duration of the programme while you are conducting your research project. This allows you time to develop and practice the skills learned in this unit and provides an opportunity to meet regularly with your student cohort for relevant discussion.
An overview of content
The teaching and learning will consist of three different types of sessions:
i) Selection, presentation and discussion of research papers (the first of these sessions will be given by the Unit Lead to provide a basic model / framework). You will select papers of interest to present and will write your own abstract of your selected paper (8 sessions).
ii) Attendance at 4 research seminars offered by different Schools of the Faculties.
iii) Poster presentation of your own research in the form of a background summary and progress update half-way through your project.
Accounts (in various formats) of the paper presentations, seminars and peer's research talks will be kept in the form of a reflective log.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will build valuable research-specific and transferable skills to enable you think critically, evaluate effectively and communicate scientific research successfully and with confidence.
Learning Outcomes
You will learn through: tutorials; presentations and group discussions of scientific papers; attendance at, and summarising and evaluating, research seminars; and oral presentation of your own research. The presentations are designed to stimulate group participation and generate scientific discussions. Sessions may be in person or online (e.g. research seminars), where appropriate.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Oral formative feedback on your participation in discussion and writing a formative account (in the form of a scientific abstract) of the first session presented by the Unit Lead will prepare you for subsequent sessions. Your logbook of accounts will be reviewed half-way through the unit to ensure you are meeting the requirements of the unit and verbal feedback will be given on this. Continuous formative oral feedback will be given on presentations and written feedback will be provided on the poster of your own research the mid-way through the unit.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Oral presentations (using PowerPoint or equivalent) and discussion skills of papers and your own research (as a poster), contributing 50% to the unit mark.
Research Club logbook of presentation accounts (including scientific, lay, press release, podcast), contributing 50% to the unit mark.
When assessment does not go to plan
If the overall pass mark for the unit (50%) is not achieved, students will usually be expected to resit the failed unit assessment. The resit assessment may not be in the same form as the original assessment but will test the same learning outcomes. The resit unit mark will be capped at 50%
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BRMSM0075).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
