Environmental MSc Tutorial

EART62061 Environmental MSc Tutorial 15 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 James Allan Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 A Research Project Proposal will be produced through iterative (including feedback from Tutor and specific supervisor) Tutorial discussion sessions which progress through:i.          Importance – selection of a research area and contacting an appropriate supervisor,ii.          Novelty – finding a “research hole” and defining objectivesiii.         Matching research questions – objectives - to resourcesThis sequence relating to each student’s specific Project will be followed from Week 1 to Week 12 and will be interleaved with generic information, advice and practice:<ul> <li> Tools for research <ul> <li> Literature - research tools for (database searching and referencing),</li> <li> Practical  - technical, analytical and experimental resources</li> </ul> </li> <li> Good practice <ul> <li> Literature - academic good practice (plagiarism)</li> <li> Practical – Risk Assessment</li> </ul> </li></ul><ul> <li> An introductory field trip will be used to generate observations and data for an example Research Proposal which will be developed as a group activity</li></ul>This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 20/21 and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.  Please see Blackboard / course unit related emails for any further updates. A Research Project Proposal will be produced through iterative (including feedback from Tutor and specific supervisor) Tutorial discussion sessions which progress through:i.          Importance – selection of a research area and contacting an appropriate supervisor,ii.          Novelty – finding a “research hole” and defining objectivesiii.         Matching research questions – objectives - to resourcesThis sequence relating to each student’s specific Project will be followed from Week 1 to Week 12 and will be interleaved with generic information, advice and practice:<ul> <li> Tools for research <ul> <li> Literature - research tools for (database searching and referencing),</li> <li> Practical  - technical, analytical and experimental resources</li> </ul> </li> <li> Good practice <ul> <li> Literature - academic good practice (plagiarism)</li> <li> Practical – Risk Assessment</li> </ul> </li></ul><ul> <li> An introductory field trip will be used to generate observations and data for an example Research Proposal which will be developed as a group activity</li></ul>This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 20/21 and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.  Please see Blackboard / course unit related emails for any further updates. <div> In order for a research project to be carried out someone must be convinced to fund it.  The aim of the Unit is to guide students through the process of producing a Research Project Proposal that convinces the reader that: the work is important, it has not been done before and it is possible given the resources available / requested.</div>  <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td colspan="2" style="width:640px;"> On the successful completion of the course, students will be able to: </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:159px;height:41px;"> ILO 1</td> <td style="width:481px;height:41px;"> more effectively appraise scientific papers – and proposals –by comparing them to an ideal structure.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:159px;height:38px;"> ILO 2</td> <td style="width:481px;height:38px;"> justify the aim of activity through finding and abstracting from the scientific and broader literature  </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:159px;height:38px;"> ILO 3</td> <td style="width:481px;height:38px;"> more effectively achieve an aim by use of literature to abstract the specific problems in doing so and their potential solutions   </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:159px;height:38px;"> ILO 4</td> <td style="width:481px;height:38px;"> use inevitable constraints on resources (including risk) to define limits to research activity </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:159px;height:38px;"> ILO 5</td> <td style="width:481px;height:38px;"> complete a standard procedure for identifying, mitigating and communicating risk</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:159px;height:38px;"> ILO 6</td> <td style="width:481px;height:38px;"> produce extensive logical argument</td> </tr> </tbody></table>  ScheduleA series of Tutorials covering demonstration that the proposed research meets these criteria:i.          Importance – selection of a research area and contacting an appropriate supervisor,ii.          Novelty – finding a “research hole” and defining objectivesiii.         Matching research questions – objectives - to resources Please see Blackboard for the full schedule.  The units is delivered primarily in tutorial format in which tutees and tutor can present, discuss and give feedback on each tutees specific projects.  The Tutorials progress through the structure of a research proposal and weekly feedback – and consultation with supervisors – allows iterative improvement of each component of the proposal.The Tutorials begin with a 1 day field trip and the observations and measurements made during the trip will be used by the tutor group to produce an example Research Proposal.  As a commonly owned and understood piece of work it will facilitate the critical analysis of each other’s specific projects, which is a critical component of achieving the ILO’s and generalising them.Students can also select 2 lecture sessions  - My Learning Essentials - for the whole cohort to give generic training in research tools and good practice.The unit involves a higher than average proportion of time being spent in independent study – closely guided and with regular feedback during tutorials.  Also, whilst the content of New Material during contact hours the students are expected to access a large amount of new material relevant to their specific Research Project Proposals during independent study.  3 Report 100% <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width:101px;height:68px;"> Assessment type</td> <td style="width:85px;height:68px;"> % Weighting within unit</td> <td style="width:66px;height:68px;"> Hand out and hand in dates</td> <td style="width:94px;height:68px;"> Length </td> <td style="width:170px;height:68px;"> How, when and what feedback is provided</td> <td style="width:123px;height:68px;"> ILO tested</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:101px;height:101px;"> FormativePresentations</td> <td style="width:85px;height:101px;"> -</td> <td style="width:66px;height:101px;"> 3 times during unit</td> <td style="width:94px;height:101px;"> 5 -15 minutes</td> <td style="width:170px;height:101px;"> Peer assessment, immediate oral feedback</td> <td style="width:123px;height:101px;"> Progression from:1, 2, 61, 2, 3, 61, 2, 3, 4, 6</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:101px;height:101px;"> FormativePresentation(Group)</td> <td style="width:85px;height:101px;"> -</td> <td style="width:66px;height:101px;"> Week 4</td> <td style="width:94px;height:101px;"> 10 – 15 minutes</td> <td style="width:170px;height:101px;"> Peer assessment, immediate oral feedback</td> <td style="width:123px;height:101px;"> 1, 2, 3, 4, 6</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width:101px;height:101px;"> Written report 1000 words – Demonstration of feasibility</td> <td style="width:85px;height:101px;"> 100</td> <td style="width:66px;height:101px;"> Week 12</td> <td style="width:94px;height:101px;"> 1.5 hours</td> <td style="width:170px;height:101px;"> On-line within 3 days</td> <td style="width:123px;height:101px;"> 4, 5, 6</td> </tr> </tbody></table>  MESPOM MESPOM PGDT Taught Component Mandatory N www.explorable.com  Lectures 6 Practical classes & workshops 10 Tutorials 12 0 122