HLTH SC 4003 - Honours Research Skills

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

The course information on this page is being finalised for 2016. Please check again before classes commence.

An advanced course covering topics relating to the development of key skills associated with advanced scientific research. Students will develop the ability to critically analyse scientific research, appreciate the key elements of scientific research and engage in cross-disciplinary research.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code HLTH SC 4003
    Course Honours Research Skills
    Coordinating Unit Medical Studies
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 6
    Contact 20 weeks full time
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange
    Prerequisites Credit average or above in 3rd year of an approved degree program
    Corequisites Honours Research Project
    Course Description An advanced course covering topics relating to the development of key skills associated with advanced scientific research. Students will develop the ability to critically analyse scientific research, appreciate the key elements of scientific research and engage in cross-disciplinary research.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Janet Coller

    Course Coordinators: Dr Joanne Bowen & Dr Janet Coller
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. To demonstrate the ability to critically analyse peer-reviewed scientific research.
    2. To appreciate the skills associated with scientific research.
    3. To demonstrate the capacity to communicate the key elements of a research paper in the written form.
    4. To engage in cross-discipline scientific research by way of a research seminar series.
    5. To communicate scientific information clearly and concisely in written and spoken English.
    6. To develop and demonstrate advanced research skills and professional conduct within the research setting.
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    School-based research support, workshops and research seminars.
    Online Learning
    Workshop material will be available on the MyUni course page.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Honours Research Skills is a 20-week course in which students acquire and develop research skills supervised by a School Academic or Affiliate. In addition, students will be encouraged to attend weekly workshops and seminars to enhance their learning and development in the medical science research.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Contact Hours
    Workshops: 8 x 1 hr
    Project work: 20 x 20 hr
    Critique Exam: 1 x 6 hr

    Assessment tasks
    Introductory Research Seminar: 30 hr
    Literature review and project methods: 5 hr
    Critique exam preparation: 6 hr
    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Hurdle Learning course objective(s) being addressed
    Introductory Research Seminar Summative 20% No 1, 5, 6
    Literature Review and Project methods Summative 40% No 1, 3, 5, 6
    Critique exam Summative 40% Yes 1, 2, 3, 5
    Assessment Detail
    Introductory Research Seminar: Presentation of a PowerPoint research presentation covering: project background; aims; hypotheses; research methods and plan; and significance and outcomes.

    Literature Review: A literature review of 3000 words (plus 250 word abstract), demonstrating evidence of both in-depth knowledge of key literature underpinning the research project, and broader reading around the subject matter, as appropriate for the specific research topic. In addition to reviewing the appropriate literature, this review will identify the key basis for / logic underlying the experiments proposed for the thesis project, including identification of the hypotheses, aims and expected outcomes.

    Critique Exam: The critique exam (6 hr) is comprised of a scientific paper, with its abstract and title removed. One task is to write an appropriate abstract and title. Other questions are related to interpretation of the data presented in key figures, or future work that could be proposed to extend beyond the level of the paper provided. Questions could include some directly related to the subject matter covered in workshops on statistical methods/experiment design.
    Submission
    Where applicable, all submissions should be made via MyUni unless otherwise directed. For oral presentations, prior submission will be required before the presentation date. The critique exam will be sat within the School and submitted in hard copy upon completion.

    In alignment with the School of Medicine Policy of grading penalties late submission will attract a 10% deduction and a further 10% for each day late after that. This penalty will be enforced from the submission deadline (i.e. a noon deadline and a 12:01pm submission will attract a 10% penalty). Extensions of deadline are only available under specific circumstances and must be negotiated with the School & Discipline Honours coordinators well ahead of the due date.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M11 (Honours Mark Scheme)
    GradeGrade reflects following criteria for allocation of gradeReported on Official Transcript
    Fail A mark between 1-49 F
    Third Class A mark between 50-59 3
    Second Class Div B A mark between 60-69 2B
    Second Class Div A A mark between 70-79 2A
    First Class A mark between 80-100 1
    Result Pending An interim result RP
    Continuing Continuing CN

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

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