BSc Biomedical Sciences

The Science Communications course is aimed at allowing students to explore the literature around a topic and report on those findings through different media. The bulk of the unit consists of an individual Extended Essay and an Oral Presentation on a scientific topic, and a small group reflection exercise. The Unit runs thoughout the academic year in tandem with the Second-Year tutorial program BIOL20000/20021.

• Literature searching to research a specific scientific topic.

• Interpretation and analysis of scientific literature.

• Scientific writing to enable production of a comprehensive literature review.

• Allow students to explore in depth a topic that is of interest to them.

• Reporting of a complex topic via a summary oral presentation.

• Development of critical thinking skills through evaluation of AI generated topic summaries.

Students should be able to:  

• Describe in depth a Degree Programme-related scientific topic  

• Conduct thorough literature searches to investigate a specific scientific topic  

• Critically evaluate primary research papers

• Synthesise scientific information and develop scientific writing skills to produce a comprehensive literature review  

• Effectively organise their time to manage multiple tasks and deadlines  

• Communicate complex scientific ideas through oral presentation  

•  Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of using AI to synthesise large volumes of scientific information 

The Extended Essay topic is chosen by your second-year tutor. You will work on the Science Communications unit within you tutor group. A compulsory Plenary session will happen in the first semester titled ‘How to write an Extended Essay’. The first task of the unit is the production of an AI generated summary of relevant topics and associated literature that will you will critically evaluate during a group tutorial. You will be given feedback on the plan and your evaluation of the relevance of the AI generated content via your tutor. An oral presentation of your Extended Essay topic will be given to your tutor group before handing in the Extended Essay. After handing in the Extended Essay you will conduct a small group reflection exercise, and you will submit a written reflective summary along with your critical evaluation of the AI generated plan at the end of the semesters. 

Critical evaluation of AI generated plan and reflective summary of process 5%

Short oral presentation with questions 25%

Extended Essay (5 pages) 70% 

You will be given feedback directly from your tutor on your your AI generated 1-page plan, your oral presentation and your extended essay. The feedback will be given in written form but where appropriate direct and immediate oral feedback may be given. In addition to your tutor feedback, through the reflective discussion exercise you will also be able to reflect on the comments from your peers.