VET SC 7005RW - Clinical Research Project

Roseworthy Campus - Semester 2 - 2019

The course consists of a clinical or clinically-related research project or other scientific endeavour as selected. Students can choose to identify and prepare a clinical case report, conduct original clinically-related research, or conduct a literature review of a standard suitable for submission for publication. Students are required to identify a relevant research advisor and submit a proposed topic, research plan & budget, and a signed statement confirming the advisor's participation to the course co-ordinators prior to the commencement of the relevant semester. Students will be required to maintain a research log book and attend weekly meetings with their research advisor. Students will have the option of selecting either an oral or poster presentation, and will be required to concurrently submit a written report on the results of the research. Students will be required to attend the poster and oral presentation of other students enrolled in the course, and will be encouraged to submit their results for publication.

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Course Details

Course Code	VET SC 7005RW
Course	Clinical Research Project
Coordinating Unit	School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Roseworthy Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 11 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	VET SC 7001RW
Restrictions	Available to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students only
Assessment	Oral or Poster presentation, written report

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Professor Darren Trott

Course Co-coordinator:
Prof Darren Trott
darren.trott@adelaide.edu.au
Room G3 Leske Building,
Roseworthy
Phone: 8313 7989

Course administrator:
Janelle Trott janelle.trott@adelaide.edu.au
Room G3 Leske Building,
Roseworthy
Phone: 8313 7989
Please note: Janelle is only available Wednesdays and Fridays for CRP questions

Epidemiological consulting:
Dr Charles Caraguel
Veterinary Epidemiology & Aquatic Population Health
School of Animal & Veterinary Sciences
Leske Building G6
Phone: 8313 1245
charles.caraguel@adelaide.edu.au

Statistical consulting:Dr Michelle Hebart
JS Davies Building G10
Phone: 8313 7696
michelle.hebart@adelaide.edu.au
Michelle will indicate her availability for statistical consulting on Fridays during the week 2 lecture.

Dr David Butler
Coordinator, Maths Learning Centre and Writing Centre
DVCA Office,
The University of Adelaide,
AUSTRALIA 5005
Drop-In Centre Location:
Level 3 East, Hub CentralOffice
Location: Room 2014,
Level 2, Horace Lamb Building
Phone: 8313 5862
david.butler@adelaide.edu.au
David will indicate his availability for statistical consulting on Fridays during the week 2 lecture.

Scientific writing consulting:
Dr Dana Thomsen
dana.thomsen@adelaide.edu.au
Available Fridays between 9.30 am and 2.30 pm and other days/times by request. Please email to make an appointment time.

Course Timetable

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

Students will identify their research project and supervisor in Semester 1 and submit their project synopsis for approval at the end of Week 3 in Semester 2 of the 1st year of the DVM program. Please complete your Research Skill Development Framework rubric (hard copy handed out in Semester 1; Soft copy on My Uni)) with your supervisor as soon as possible. You will need to complete this again with your supervisor at the end of the semester and hand it in separately with your research log book.

Week 1: 9-12 noon
Veterinary Science, Tutorial rooms 5/6/7

Study Design, Sample Size Calculation (L1 and L2 Charles Caraguel)

1-2pm: PC-2 laboratory induction (for those working in the PC-2 laboratory only). Other local area inductions may also be required to be completed prior to you working in those designated areas).

Week 2: 9-12 am:
Veterinary Science, Tutorial rooms 5/6/7

Animal/Human Ethics, Plagiarism, Record Keeping, Scientific Dishonesty, IP (L3 Darren Trott)

Preparation of a manuscript/poster/oral for publication/presentation, what makes a good laboratory notebook (L4 Darren Trott; Dana Thomsen)

Week 3: Hand in Project Synopsis through Turnitin.

Week 8:

Review of statistical approaches to data analysis (L5 Charles Caraguel).

Week 10: Submission of project abstract for publishing in the Research Day conference proceedings (email to janelle.trott@adelaide.edu.au).

Week 12: Please complete your Research Skill Development Framework rubrica and hand in with your Research Logbook. Electronic submission of completed manuscript (Turnitin and email janelle.trott@adelaide.edu.au) and poster/oral presentation
draft (My Uni Discussion Board).

Note:
Students and supervisors may apply (in writing) for an extension on the manuscript of up to 14 days only if exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the student have contributed to unavoidable delays. If a project is not going well, or issues have arisen between supervisor/s and student, the course co-ordinator must be notified as soon as possible to assist with contingency planning.

Week 13:
Poster and oral presentation on Research Day (first Monday of Week 13; will be combined with Animal Science Honours student oral and poster presentation day and includes lunch, morning and afternoon tea plus Cocktail reception; Veterinary Science, Tutorial rooms 5/6/7).

Weekly or every 2 weeks: 1 hr meeting with research supervisor per week (or every second week) & up to 10 hours
research-related activity per week during semester – this may be averaged over the semester or can be completed outside the semester timetable.

Course Learning Outcomes

1	Define the scope of research through an appropriate literature search
2	Learn to define an appropriate research hypothesis
3	Assess and apply appropriate materials and methods
4	Learn to use appropriate techniques for the analysis of research results
5	Discuss research findings in the appropriate context with peers and supervisors
6	Collate and present research findings in an oral and/or visual format
7	Collate and present research findings in a written format

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1,5,3
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1,2,4,5,6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	5,6
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	6,7
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	4
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	5,6,7

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Students are required to discuss and confirm the availability and/or access to the resources required for the specific research project proposal with their project supervisor. These may include access to laboratories, necessary research and related equipment, specific software, access to any of the Veterinary Health Centres, statistical support, and other resources.

Students are required to review and utilise the teaching and other materials on evidence based medicine, epidemiology, clinical
and population-based research provided to them in VET SC 2500RW - Professional Skills Vet Bioscience II, VET SC 3516RW - Vet Epi, Biosecurity & EBM III, and VET SC 3514RW - Professional Skills Vet III. Students in the DVM program that have not completed these courses and have been admitted into the program based on an equivalent degree (candidates without a University of Adelaide BSc (VetBioSci) degree) are required to consult with the course coordinator.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

A set of up to 6 introductory lectures on research planning, oral/poster/written presentation skills, research ethics, statistical and writing support and analysis of results.

Weekly meeting with research advisor during semester (timing to be determined by advisor and student). Research activities as directed by the individual research plan and timetable of each student equivalent to approximately 6 hours per week for up to 10 weeks.

Students will receive a course outline and will be required to keep a log of weekly activities, findings and progress which will be reviewed by the research advisor throughout and at the end of semester.

Workload

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

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g.,
lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Learning Activities Summary

Up to 5 introductory lectures will be presented on aspects of research planning, including preparing an in-depth research budget and research plan, collating and analysing research data and techniques for presentation of research results (in an oral, poster and written format). These lectures will occur in weeks 1 and 2 and week 8, as required by the progress of the students.

Students will identify their research project and research advisor in Sem 1 and submit their proposal to the course co-ordinators for approval prior to the commencement of Sem 2 of the 1st year of the DVM program.

During the semester, students will meet with their research advisor on a weekly basis to discuss progress of research and review the student’s log book. Students will then be expected to undertake research-related activities for up to 6 hrs per week, dependent on their timetable and research-project requirements.

A one -day program will be scheduled late in the semester during which students will present their research in oral or poster format. Concurrent with their presentation, a written summary of the project will be submitted to the course co-ordinators in electronic formats, with the organization of the manuscripts to be equivalent to that required for publication in a scientific journal.

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

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

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	HURDLE	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Poster presentation or oral presentation	Summative		No	40%	1 – 6
Written report and synopsis*	Summative		No	50%*	1 – 5,7
Log book	Formative Summative		No	0% 10%	2, 3, 4, 5 3, 4, 5, 7
* The synopsis due at the end of week 3 is worth 10%, the written paper is worth 40%

Assessment Detail

Poster presentation or oral presentation (40% of total grade). One presentation will be given in the form agreed to by the advisor and student.

In the case of a poster presentation, the poster will be in scientific format, of dimensions no larger than 90 cm wide and 120 cm high (ISO A0). Students will be required to stand by their poster during the poster presentation event, and respond to enquiries and questions from attendees. The poster will demonstrate an understanding of scientific poster visual design, organization of introduction or background, hypothesis and/or objectives, materials and methods, results, figures and discussion. Attendance with the poster will demonstrate an ability to present the poster and respond to enquiries. Posters will be assessed using a standard rubric by two examiners (one expert, one non-expert) and the supervisor, scores averaged, and a grade produced.

In the case of an oral presentation, the presentation will consist of a 10 to 12 minute presentation in a lecture theatre with appropriate visual aids, and a 3-5 minutes question period. The oral presentation will demonstrate an understanding of study design, organization of introduction or background, hypothesis and/or objectives, materials and methods, results, figures and discussion. Students will demonstrate an ability to present the research verbally and respond to audience enquiries. Presentation will be assessed using a standard rubric by two examiners (one expert, one non-expert) and the supervisor, scores averaged, and a grade produced.

Synopsis and Written Report (50% of total course grade). A synopsis of the projec (using the appropriate template) will be submitted at the end of week 3 and is worth 10%. The written report will be electronically submitted at the end of week 12. The written report will be in the format of a manuscript as submitted for publication. Reports will be assessed by the examiners (one expert, one non-expert) and supervisor according to a standard rubric. Students will receive written feedback on the manuscript.

Log Book (10% of total course grade). The Log book will form the basis of the weekly review meetings with the research advisor and will allow continuous feedback to the student throughout the semester. The log book will be submitted at the end of semester and assessed on its organisation, clarity and accuracy to the results presented in the final written report.

Submission

Late Submission

If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A mark of zero will be allocated to late submitted assessment.

Course Grading

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

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator