Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

A career in research will involve your understanding of the methods of independent scientific investigation and analysis, your ability to identify the need for a particular investigation, your skills to frame a testable hypothesis and design appropriate tests to examine it, and communication of your ideas and arguments to others. Thus, this unit builds on the knowledge you have gained in your undergraduate units, with particular emphasis on practical aspects of technique applications, data interpretation, and the presentation of a scientific argument in a coherent and acceptable format.

Aims

The aim of the unit is to provide you with the skills for independent, laboratory based investigation, analysis and reporting.

Objectives

After successfully completing this unit, you will:
1. Be able to identify unanswered questions in scientific literature
2. Be able to frame testable questions to address a problem
3. Realise the skills to acquire reliable data
4. Have sound knowledge of analysis, interpretation and argument in science
5. Be competent in the skills of scientific writing and oral presentation

Content

This unit is broken into a number of components that are completed over successive semesters. It consists of a laboratory-based research project carried out under the supervision of a qualified senior investigator, and includes training in the use of advanced technologies and equipment, reliable recording and analysis of data, health and safety issues and the reporting of results to groups of scientists in various formats. It is broken into a number of components that are completed over successive semesters

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

You will be guided in your work by your individual supervisor(s) and designated senior researchers in the laboratory in which you work, and these individuals will provide personalised tuition on the technologies and equipment you will use. They will also discuss and explain the philosophy of investigation within the paradigm of accepted scientific practice, and instruct you in appropriate recording of data, its subsequent analysis, and the best ways to present your findings in convincing and honest formats. You will also be expected to incorporate skills and information from the companion units in the course (HLP105 and HLP106) into the development, execution and reporting of your project. You will be expected to develop independent skills searching for information from the literature and from individual researchers, and to exhibit critical faculties in relation to your own project, as well as in relation to those of others in your research group, and in your peer group. In most research groups, regular meetings to review projects are held, and it will be in these forums that you will develop skills in scientific questioning and argument, again under the guidance of your supervisor and senior research staff.

Assessment

You will be graded in this unit on the basis of a written research paper which will describe the background and reasons for your investigation, the methods used, the results obtained, how they were analysed, and how they contribute to the body of scientific knowledge about your project topic.You will be provided with extensive formative assessment during this unit, through the regular group meetings and presentation of project results and analysis, as well as through one-on-one weekly or fortnightly meetings with your supervisor(s) who will review your progress with you. In the writing of your final research, you will be expected to submit a draft or drafts to your supervisor(s) for comment and feedback in a timely enough fashion for their input to be incorporated into the final document.

Assessment name: Research Paper
Description: A report on the outcomes of the research project in the form and style of a submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal of good standing. You are assessed for clarity and argument, appropriateness of methods, data handling and analysis, and placement of the work in the context of the scientific literature. Due date: Approximately one month before the final examination period
Relates to objectives: 1,2,4,5
Weight: 100%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: See below

Assessment name: Log/Workbook
Description: A continuous contemporaneous record of research work in an appropriate bound book, which countersigned in accordance with best practice in the industry. Books are inspected at stages during the course and feedback provided on the standard of recording.
Relates to objectives: 3,4,5
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Throughout Semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

There are no formal texts set for this unit, but individual supervisors will be able to direct you to where to begin your searches for information about your specialised area of investigation. Copies of requirements for the unit and assessment criteria are provided in the Honours Booklet available from the Unit Coordinator. Other materials will be supplied as required during the formal sessions. Personal Protective Equipment 1. Laboratory coat - 100% cotton or polyester/cotton mix (65% polyester in maximum allowable) 2. Safety eye protection glasses - selected and used in accordance with AS1336, AS1337 and AS1338 Laboratory coats are often supplied by supervisors or laboratories to specifications for the work required.

Risk assessment statement

This unit includes a laboratory component. In order that you become proficient in necessary practical skills, you will be trained in the handling of equipment, materials and specimens normally associated with this discipline. You will be provided with the latest edition of a comprehensive safety booklet pertinent to life sciences laboratories and specifically to this unit, and you will be required to adhere to the safety procedures detailed in it. You are referred to the university's health and safety web site for further information. You are required to undertake the Faculty of Health Sciences Health and Safety Induction Program and to undergo a formal induction session with the Laboratory Manager of the research laboratories of the School of Biomedical Sciences. If you are conducting your project through an external affiliated institution, it is expected that you will also need to undergo a Health and Safety Induction program pertinent to their organization; this program may be in addition to, or in place of, the Faculty of Health Sciences and School of Biomedical Sciences sessions. If you have an underlying health condition you are encouraged to consult the lecturer in charge of the unit, and your project supervisors, as you may be required to take additional precautions on occasions.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 08-Oct-2012