MSc Biochemistry

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Tutorial and Workshop

Course unit fact file
Unit code BIOL60210
Credit rating 15
Unit level FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s) Full year
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

The MSc tutorials give the student the opportunity to learn about important concepts and cutting-edge methodology relating to the Biological Sciences. Students work in groups of 6-8 and undertake 2 tutorials with academic staff. The academic member of staff provides a tutorial title and supplies one or two research papers or assigns a particular task. The students will critically analyse the papers or research the task and discuss their findings with the tutor. After the discussion the students will write an essay on the topic that will be marked by the advisor.

The MSc Bioethics Workshop gives students experience of exploring and debating some of the ethical issues that surround current scientific research, including that being carried out in the Faculty of Life Sciences. The workshop also provides an opportunity for students to consider the impact that scientific advances may have on wider society.

All MSc students attend the first (introductory) session of the MSc Bioethics Workshop, which is run by the Workshop Coordinator. At the end of this first session, students are assigned to a student group and given a topic in bioethics for further investigation. For the second session of the Bioethics Workshop, each MSc group will meet separately. The students will prepare a presentation and present this to the Workshop Coordinator. Further discussion will follow the presentation as appropriate.

In the report writing workshop the students will prepare an abstract and a figure from their research project. The students will then discuss and peer review the abstract and discuss their figure with their tutor.

Aims

The unit aims to:

 

  • Increase the students’ breadth of understanding in biological sciences
  • Improve the students’ communication and debating skills
  • Develop a sense of ownership in the student’s scientific education and career
  • Increase the students’ awareness of ethical issues that surround scientific research
  • Increase the students' skills to present their findings in a report

Learning outcomes

Students should:

  • be better able to understand research reports that appear in peer-review publications, both in scientific content and in the methodology used
  • be better able to appreciate the relevance of a scientific study in the context of the broad area of biological sciences
  • be better able to understand the ethical issues that are discussed in peer-review publications, the media and in wider society in relation to current scientific research.
  • be better able to present the findings in a research paper to a group
  • understand how the peer-review system works in research and will have a rudimentary understanding of how to appraise yourself and others in a peer group.

 

Syllabus

The MSc tutorials give the student the opportunity to learn about important concepts and cutting-edge methodology relating to the Biological Sciences. Students work in groups of 6-8 and undertake 2 tutorials with academic staff. The academic member of staff provides a tutorial title and supplies one or two research papers or assigns a particular task. The students will critically analyse the papers or research the task and discuss their findings with the tutor. After the discussion the students will write an essay on the topic that will be marked by the advisor.

The MSc Bioethics Workshop gives students experience of exploring and debating some of the ethical issues that surround current scientific research, including that being carried out in the Faculty of Life Sciences. The workshop also provides an opportunity for students to consider the impact that scientific advances may have on wider society.

All MSc students attend the first (introductory) session of the MSc Bioethics Workshop, which is run by the Workshop Coordinator. At the end of this first session, students are assigned to a student group and given a topic in bioethics for further investigation. For the second session of the Bioethics Workshop, each MSc group will meet separately. The students will prepare a presentation and present this to the Workshop Coordinator. Further discussion will follow the presentation as appropriate.

In the report writing workshop the students will prepare an abstract and a figure from their research project. The students will then discuss and peer review the abstract and discuss their figure with their tutor.

 

Teaching and learning methods

  • Lectures
  • Orientation meetings
  • Preparative directed reading, private study and preparation of oral presentation and written asignment
  • Pre-tutorial meetings
  • Tutorials and workshops

Knowledge and understanding

  • be better able to understand research reports that appear in peer-review publications, both in scientific content and in the methodology used
  • be better able to appreciate the relevance of a scientific study in the context of the broad area of biological sciences

Intellectual skills

  • be better able to understand the ethical issues that are discussed in peer-review publications, the media and in wider society in relation to current scientific research.

Practical skills

  • be better able to present the findings in a research paper to a group
  • be better able to write a short essay based on evaluation of the relevant literature
  • be able to represent own research data in an appropriate format for publication

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Start to approach research problems and science communication with the mindset of a research scientist including the consideration of ethical concerns.

Employability skills

Analytical skills
Students will analyse the primary literature
Group/team working
Students will collaborate to generate a single, coherent oral presentations for each tutorial and the bioethics workshop. Materials generated for the written report will be subject to peer review.
Innovation/creativity
Each student's findings need to be incorporated into a single group presentation in a creative manner to maximise impact.
Leadership
Each tutorial and workshop has a leader who takes responsibility for the final oral presentation.
Project management
Students will manage the tutorial and workshop tasks as a group through self-organised sessions.
Oral communication
Oral presentations during the tutorials and bioethics workshop.
Problem solving
Integration of alternative view points during bioethics workshop.
Research
Students will research the literature in relation to the tutorial and bioethics topics.
Written communication
Written assignments for the tutorials and bioethics workshop.

Assessment methods

Staff assessment of oral presentations during the Tutorial - 50% oral presentations

Written assignments following the Tutorial/Workshop - 50% written assignments

Feedback methods

The PGT advisor will give feedback on the oral presentation and written assignment via the feedback forms and annotations on Blackboard, respectively. Formative feedback will be given on the abstract, figure and figure legend by the advisor and through peer review.

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Ingo Schiessl Unit coordinator

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