Unit information: Communication and Management Skills in 2019/20

Unit name	Communication and Management Skills
Unit code	PHYSM0002
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Dr. McMaster
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 is a mandatory 20 cp unit and an integral part of a 180 cp MSc in Nanoscience and Nanomaterials. It will cover the principles of communication in scientific research by presentation, poster and written work, with special attention paid to writing for specific audiences. It will provide training in research management skills including interdisciplinary team working, time management and evaluating and using scientific literature. It will cover the techniques necessary in financial and project management of scientific enterprise. It will be delivered in a series of half-day and wholeday training sessions. This unit will provide training in skills such as verbal and written communication, project management and team building. It will equip students with the skills required to become an effective researcher in nanoscience.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The students will be able to:

• communicate effectively to a specified audience through the media of written, oral, and poster presentations.
• search, assess and use scientific literature resources to facilitate their research projects.
• work effectively in a team.
• plan an interdisciplinary project, including budgeting, team-work, and resource allocation.

Teaching Information

The course will be composed of a series of workshops and day courses, all with support from the BCFN online Portal.

Assessment Information

There will be formative assessment and feedback by the course tutors within each component of the unit, given during the delivery of the unit, and based on performance on tasks embedded in the training sessions. The summative assessment will be an assigned work exercise, which will draw on all the components of the unit. It will be a multifunctional exercise: (1) a 2000 word report on the strategy of tackling the specific task, (2) a spreadsheet-based financial and structural plan of the task, and (3) the design and preparation of appropriate marketing material including poster material. Each of these numbered activities will contribute one third to the mark for the unit.

Reading and References

Detailed references and reading will be provided by the academic member responsible for this 20 cp unit.