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Making the Most of Final Year Projects
Tuesday 8th February, 2005
University of Durham
The event is primarily concerned with making the most (from both a staff and student point of view) of final year project work. You will have the opportunity to discuss the educational reasons behind offering a final year project to students and how to ensure academic rigour in all types. Further findings from the Special Interest Group's recent survey into Final Year Projects will also be highlighted. As always there will be opportunities for you to comment on pertinent issues.
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Programme
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| 10.00 |
Registration; Tea and Coffee |
| 10.20 |
Welcome and Introduction to the day |
| 10.30 |
Keynote presentation: What can students learn from final year projects?
Prof Ed Wood, Director, Centre for Bioscience |
| 11.00 |
Practice within UK Institutions
Dr Richard Cowie, Co-ordinator of the Final Year Projects Special Interest Group
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| 11.55 |
From final year project to employment (the student perspective)
Daniel Halliday
- Dan Halliday graduated from the University of Reading with an honours degree in agriculture. He completed a final year dissertation considering the impacts of the volume of surface straw on the subsequent establishment of winter wheat. In his presentation he will briefly outline the process by which he selected this subject of study, give a brief outline of the research objectives and the work undertaken before focussing on the knowledge and skills gained during the research project and how these were useful in subsequent employment. He will also comment on the overall positive and negative aspects of the undertaking of a research dissertation at the University of Reading.
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| 12.30 |
lunch |
| 1.15 |
Group Session |
| 2.15 |
Refreshments |
| 2.30 |
Scientific Enterprise and Enhancing the Student Learning Experience
Dr Stefan Przyborski, University of Durham
- Biology Enterprise is a new collaborative venture between Durham Business School and the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences. This elective module for final year undergraduate students in the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences aims to introduce science students to the key processes of business start-up and enhance their enterprising skills and behaviours. The module is project-orientated with self-selecting groups of students who generate an idea for a business opportunity that is based on a scientific discovery. Students use their knowledge and understanding of science to develop and research their idea into a technology that can be readily commercialised. In parallel, the Business School teaches students the necessary skills and knowledge required to develop their idea into a successful business. This offers an alternative and new approach to the teaching of research led science as well as enhancing the student's entrepreneurial spirit. Importantly, the Elective is unique in that it provides science students with the opportunity to learn and develop new skills such as working in a team, leadership roles, management, organisation and presentation skills that support the student's personal development planning. Moreover, this course offers science undergraduates an alternative to the traditional laboratory-based project and is also particularly useful for those not wishing to pursue a career in scientific research but choose to move more into business and commerce after they graduate.
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| 3.00 |
Bioethics: a suitable case for (project) treatment
Prof John Bryant, University of Exeter
- It has been suggested that 'dry' projects are not appropriate for honours degree programmes in Biology. In this talk it will be argued that in fact, bioethics is a very suitable area for project work, embodying all that would be expected in an honours-level project: Defining a research problem, Selection of appropriate methods, Collection of data, Analysis of data, Discussion and presentation of data.
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| 3.30 |
Final year projects, employability and the real world
Dr Annie Worsley, Edge Hill College
- Much has been written about the benefits of undergraduate research projects particularly those conducted during the final year. There is no doubt that they encourage deeper learning and add significantly to student's personal development and most would agree about the value of a dissertation. This paper reports how student projects carried out within a final year module can go even further by embedding the research within a professional experience and by engaging with external agents (prospective employers) during the course of the work. Group research projects culminate in the dissemination of findings by oral presentation at a professional style one-day conference. The students give 'papers' alongside professional guest speakers to a mixed student/external/staff audience. The result is a win:win:win situation for all. Student output is considerably enhanced and they get experience of post-graduate/professional work; prospective employers gain insight into Higher Education and new subject knowledge; staff generate significant links with other professionals. Most importantly, the final year projects are given a real-world context and the students themselves feel that both they and their work is of value to the wider community.
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| 4.00 |
Plenary - finish by 4.00 pm |
PDF summary
View reports from related events
Making the Most of Final Year Projects Cardiff University 2004
Alternative Final Year Projects - There's more than one way to skin a cat!
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