This was the first in a series of events in collaboration with our Special
Interest Group on Final Year Projects. Over 40 delegates travelled to
Manchester to attend the day which was a mix of activities, presentations
and opportunities for discussion, as well as the opportunity to hear the
results from the Special Interest Group's survey into final year projects.
The theme of the day was alternatives to original science projects. Following
the welcome and introduction by LTSN Bioscience's director - Prof Ed Wood
the following sessions took place.
What can students
learn from final year research projects? Results from a research study
Dr Jim Ryder, School of Education, University of Leeds
Jim set the scene for the day and introduced some findings
from a study he had undertaken to investigate what students gain from
research projects. Some of the things that students said they learnt can
quite easily envisaged in alternative projects e.g. methods of scientific
enquiry, use of initiative etc, others require more thought such as origins
of lines of scientific enquiry and the relationship between knowledge
claims and data and still others are perhaps impossible to reproduce e.g.
learning the culture of scientific research.
View
Jim's 'Results from a research study' slides
Survey
of Final Year Projectwork in UK University Bioscience Departments
Dr Richard Cowie, Co-ordinator of the Final Year Projects
Special Interest Group
In July 2003 a questionnaire was sent out to university Bioscience departments
asking for information on their policies and procedures regarding final
year projects. Richard has analysed the data and gave an overview of what
he has found.
View
Richard's 'Survey of Final Year Projectwork' slides
Group
Activity
Delegates split into groups and were asked to prepare a poster to describe
the learning outcomes and the best way of assessing them for either literature
projects or web-based projects. The poster were them displayed and over
coffee the delegates had an opportunity to view what other groups had
done.
View
the web-based project posters
View
the literature project posters
Technology
Transfer Projects
Dr Anita Jellings, University of Plymouth
Anita introduced a novel type of project that she runs at
Plymouth. The project is driven by a desire to make stronger links between
research literature and vocational graduate destinations. These technology
transfer projects substantially increase the employability of students
who complete them.
View
Anita's 'Technology Transfer Project' slides
Assessment Criteria
of each of the elements in the Technology Transfer projects as: Word
File or pdf
Compiling
a grant application as a final year research project: the Bristol experienceProf Graeme Henderson, University of Bristol
Graeme described a new project that was introduced last
year. Students who have already been out on one year of laboratory placement
are offered the opportunity to do an 8 week Grant Application project
rather than a library or computer-based one. In a Grant application project
students have to write a grant application based upon the Wellcome Trust's
3-year project grant application form.
View
Graeme's 'Grant Application Project' slides
Communication
Projects
Dr Robert Whittle, University of Sussex
Robert has been involved in the development of Communication Projects.
These range from science writing, to projects in which opinion (for example,
about GM) is surveyed in relation to the science education background
of respondents, as well as projects which test the effectiveness of different
language attributes (e.g. metaphor) in portraying science. To try and
ensure equivalence with other project types, communication project supervisors
incorporate skills and activities equivalent to a laboratory or field-based
project: survey, hypothesis generation, testing, placing the outcome in
perspective.
View
Robert's 'Communication Projects' slides
Communication projects - further
information as: Word
file or pdf
