Dissertation MPH (on campus)

POPH68400 Dissertation MPH (on campus) 60 Full year Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Catherine Lewis Unit coordinator Andrew Jones Unit coordinator Division of Population Health, Health Services Res 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 30.0 The on-campus MPH is a full-time face-to-face programme. Students are enrolled on the dissertation from the start of the academic year and work on their independent dissertation projects throughout the year alongside their eight taught course units. The MPH dissertation is an opportunity for students to focus on a specific public health question. Students deepen their understanding and enhance their skills in interpreting existing evidence and planning a research process. Dissertation Skills sessions covering quantitative and qualitative research methods will be delivered throughout the year. In semester 1 sessions will cover literature searching, critical appraisal skills, quantitative and qualitative research methods that will help prepare the students for the submission of their dissertation proposal at the end of semester 1. Dissertation proposals submitted at the end of semester 1 will be graded to contribute 10% to the final dissertation score. Students will be split into groups for sessions in semester 2 bespoke to the type of dissertation they are conducting; either a systematic review or analysis of data.Following proposal submission students are allocated their individual dissertation supervisor who guides their development and provides formative feedback on a draft of each chapter of their written report. As well as the individual guidance from their supervisor, students have the opportunity to present their ideas and discuss their work with each other in groups to benefit from peer support and develop their reflective and feedback skills. Students are required to present their project at a Student Conference Day in the summer that celebrates their work. Attendance at Student Conference Day is mandatory for all students. Verbal 10-minute presentations are followed by 5 minutes of graded questions and answers with the presentation plus the answer responses together contributing 15% to the overall dissertation grade.Students are also required to provide peer feedback to 2 peer presentations at the Student Conference Day with 5% of their own overall score being awarded for the quality of the peer feedback provided to their fellow students. The culmination of the unit is the submission of a 7,000-word report in the style of an academic article submission that contributes 70% of the overall grade.   The on-campus MPH is a full-time face-to-face programme. Students are enrolled on the dissertation from the start of the academic year and work on their independent dissertation projects throughout the year alongside their eight taught course units.  The MPH dissertation is an opportunity for students to focus on a specific public health question. Students deepen their understanding and enhance their skills in interpreting existing evidence and planning a research process.  Dissertation Skills sessions covering quantitative and qualitative research methods will be delivered throughout the year. In semester 1 sessions will cover literature searching, critical appraisal skills, quantitative and qualitative research methods that will help prepare the students for the submission of their dissertation proposal at the end of semester 1. Dissertation proposals submitted at the end of semester 1 will be graded to contribute 10% to the final dissertation score. Students will be split into groups for sessions in semester 2 bespoke to the type of dissertation they are conducting; either a systematic review or analysis of data. Following proposal submission students are allocated their individual dissertation supervisor who guides their development and provides formative feedback on a draft of each chapter of their written report. As well as the individual guidance from their supervisor, students have the opportunity to present their ideas and discuss their work with each other in groups to benefit from peer support and develop their reflective and feedback skills.  Students are required to present their project at a Student Conference Day in the summer that celebrates their work. Attendance at Student Conference Day is mandatory for all students. Verbal 10-minute presentations are followed by 5 minutes of graded questions and answers with the presentation plus the answer responses together contributing 15% to the overall dissertation grade. Students are also required to provide peer feedback to 2 peer presentations at the Student Conference Day with 5% of their own overall score being awarded for the quality of the peer feedback provided to their fellow students.  The culmination of the unit is the submission of a 7,000-word report in the style of an academic article submission that contributes 70% of the overall grade.Dissertation Unit TimelineOctober- December: taught dissertation skills sessions (literature searching, critical appraisal, quantitative and qualitative research methods)  December: students submit 1,000-word proposal  January: Feedback and grades for proposal (10%) and students allocated to individual project supervisor February: students meet with dissertation supervisor to discuss proposal and feedback- further meetings to be arranged by student with supervisor to contact student a minimum of monthly if no contact from the student and escalate non-contact to dissertation team. February- May: taught skills sessions bespoke to dissertation type including preparation for presentation at Student Conference. May/June: Student Conference Day- all students to present their project in a 10-minute verbal presentation supported with visual audio aids (slides/ poster/ video) followed by 5-minutes of question and answer by the dissertation team examiners.  May/June: All students allocated 2 student peers to provide peer feedback of presentation for at Student Conference Day. Students allocated 5% of overall dissertation score for quality of peer feedback provided. June: Feedback and grades for presentation (10%) and follow-up answers (5%) and peer feedback (5%) July- September: student prepares 7,000-word report with formative feedback on draft provided by supervisor September: 7,000-word report marked (70%)   The unit aims to:The overall aim of this unit is for the student to undertake an independent project that demonstrates a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in public health.  The aims of the dissertation are: <ol><li>To support the student in developing research skills and plan independent research to answer a specific public health question</li><li>To support the student in undertaking a review of literature in a chosen subject area  </li><li>To support the student in applying knowledge and expertise gained during the taught element of the course  </li><li>To enable the student to demonstrate a mastery of a specific area of the subject    </li></ol> Across all intended learning outcome categories, students should be able to:  A1 Describe in detail a specific context, setting and/or problem and establish a coherent research-related question that forms the foundation of the written dissertation reportA2 Demonstrate a critical understanding of research methodologies and techniques    B1 Evaluate critically the strengths and limitations of their own and others researchB2 Understand the impact of the research and recommend future direction of the researchB3 Show critical thinking capacity, including abstraction, analysis and critical judgement    C1 Describe appropriate methodology to obtain the data or information necessary to address the research questionC2 Describe a justified methodology to analyse the data and/or information collectedC3 Produce a report with a clear structure in an appropriate style using a conventional system of full and accurate referencing   D1 Demonstrate the ability to be a reflective and self-directed learner, to accomplish a substantial piece of academic workD2 Engage in academic and professional communication with othersD3 Show initiative and self-direction in academic and professional developmentD4 Undertake independent study and manage time appropriately   Face-to-face Dissertation Skills sessions will be timetabled in addition to online resources provided on Canvas. In semester 1 these will cover literature searching, critical appraisal skills, quantitative and qualitative research methods that will help prepare the students for the submission of their dissertation proposal. Students will undertake peer feedback on proposals to learn from each other and the peer feedback. Students will be split into groups for timetabled Dissertation Skills sessions in semester 2 bespoke to the type of dissertation they are conducting (systematic review or analysis of data). The group sessions will also support students preparing to present their work at the Student Conference with guidance on techniques and resources for effective audiovisual presentation.Students will have support and guidance from their dissertation supervisor to achieve the project goals. Dissertation supervisors will have a minimum of four contacts with the student to monitor progress and provide feedback on drafts. Supervisors will follow the FMHS Teaching and Support Guidance for dissertations.   <figure class="table"><table><thead><tr><th>Assessment Task</th><th>Length</th><th>How and when is feedback provided</th><th>Weighting within unit</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Proposal to be submitted at end of semester 1</td><td>1000 words</td><td>Written feedback and score provided 15 working days after submission deadline </td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td>Verbal presentation of slides/ poster with live Q&A at end of semester 2</td><td>10 minutes + 5 minutes questions</td><td>Immediate formative verbal feedback and score with written feedback within 15 working days</td><td>15%</td></tr><tr><td>Peer Feedback of 2 peer presentations at Student Conference Day</td><td>500 words</td><td>Score and written feedback within 15 working days </td><td>5%</td></tr><tr><td>7,000-word journal article style report to be submitted at end of academic year (September)</td><td>5000 word minimum to 7000 word maximum </td><td>Written feedback released at end of dissertation marking period- 6 weeks following submission deadline</td><td>70%</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> Feedback is provided 15 working days after submission deadline, or within immediate formative verbal feedback. Dissertation written feedback will be released at the end of the marking period (6 weeks following submission deadline).  MPH: the evidence bsd app (12) Masters in Public Health F2F Not Set Mandatory N Lectures 20 Project supervision 20 560