BI3RP3: Research Project

Module code: BI3RP3

Module provider: School of Biological Sciences

Credits: 40

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2 / Summer / Semester 1 / Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Francoise Mazet, email: f.m.mazet@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Louise Johnson, email: l.j.johnson@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module will give you a first-hand experience of independent research in a capstone project. The overarching purpose of the research project is to apply what you have learnt in your degree programme, expand your knowledge in a specific subject area and give you an experience of research and/or investigation. You will be working alongside an academic (your project supervisor) to frame your research within the context of existing knowledge and test your ideas (or hypotheses) by planning and executing your own experiments. Projects may include lab or field work, computational work, meta-analysis or may focus on the communication of science, including educational research. This module will enable you to gain a variety of skills, including technical, statistical (where applicable) and communication skills. In addition, it will help you to develop an enquiring and critical attitude when analysing published data as well as interpreting your own results. Above all, it gives you experience in how to organise your time in order to complete a substantial piece of research and work independently or as part of a small research group.  

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Design and execute a research project 
2. Work effectively, safely and ethically on a research project 
3. Demonstrate the ability to use techniques appropriate to research  
4. Carry out a literature review, identify gaps in the literature  
5. Critically analyse results and place them in the context of the existing literature  
6. Communicate project background, aims and findings through a written report (dissertation) and oral presentation (poster) 
7. Demonstrate enhanced skills in time management, record keeping and carrying out independent research 

Module content

The Research Project cycle begins in Part 2 when students are briefed about the Research Project (‘Your Research Project’) in Semester 2. This session will provide students with the necessary information about the Research Project, ranging from the selection process to what to expect when attending the finalists’ Research Poster Session. After being assigned to a project, students will be required to discuss their project with their supervisor and attend a lecture on ‘Your Research Proposal’ (Week 12, Semester 2). This session will provide students with some guidance on how to plan their research project and write a Research Proposal. Students will be required to work on their Research Proposal (10%) in summer and submit it at the start of their final year (Week 1, Semester 1).  Students are expected to manage their own time and work on their research project throughout Semester 1 (data collection) and Semester 2 (data analysis). They will be supported by their supervisor, workshops (where applicable) and drop-in sessions. All students will be required to attend a lecture on ‘Presenting Your Research’ at the end of Semester 1 (Week 12) which will prepare them for their upcoming poster presentation. There will be another lecture on ‘The Dissertation’ in Week 1 (Semester 2) which will prepare the students for their dissertation. The poster presentation will take place in Week 4 (Semester 2). The Poster Presentation (10%) will be assessed by two independent markers. The students will also receive additional feedback from peers. These will all feed forward to the preparation of their Dissertation. Students will be required to submit a dissertation draft (Materials and Methods and Results) on Week 8 (Semester 2), allowing their supervisor to provide them with further (formative) feedback. Students will submit their Dissertation (80%) on Week 15 (Semester 2). This will be assessed by their supervisor and another academic (double-blind marked).

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module is about developing the skills required for independent learning and research. As such, most of the learning will be self-directed and students are expected to take a high degree of responsibility for their own work. This includes managing their own research and engaging in supervisor meetings. There will be several lectures, workshops (depending on the nature of the project) and drop-in sessions to provide students with the training, resources/guidance and support throughout their research project.  

Study hours

At least 80 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will be required to submit a draft containing the: (1) Materials and Methods and (2) Results. This will allow the supervisor to provide the student with feedback on the structure and format, which may be subject/research area specific. There will be a formal deadline and submission point for the draft (Semester 2, Teaching Week 8).

Reassessment

Additional costs