At the completion of the course students should be able to:

1	demonstrate knowledge and understanding of principles and concepts in a particular area of research, related to Animal or Veterinary Science
2	demonstrate an ability to recognise current gaps in our understanding and future areas for experimental investigation in a particular area of research, related to Animal or Veterinary Science
3	identify and evaluate a problem and define the important elements required for its solution
4	identify and critically evaluate appropriate and relevant information sources
5	use and apply scientific principles and techniques required for the experimental study of a research question
6	demonstrate a rigorous and methodical approach to the maintenance of laboratory records and the collection, storage and analysis of experimental data
7	communicate scientific information clearly and effectively both in writing and orally

Students complete an independent research project of their choice under the supervision of an academic supervisor. This provides active learning opportunities in the ability to use and apply scientific principles and techniques. The associated assessment tasks further develop the student’s knowledge in a particular discipline area, and their ability to identify and assess problems and knowledge gaps in the area. Interactive tutorial programs build students’ knowledge and skills in the areas of critical evaluation, data management and analysis and oral and written communication.

A student enrolled in this course should expect to spend up to 1384 hours across 40-42 weeks of the year on the studies required to complete their independent research project and the associated assessment tasks.

1. Students complete an independent research project of their choice, and the associated assessment tasks.
2. Students will attend tutorials on topics designed to develop their research skills

• Project development and management
• Critical analysis and literature review
• Oral presentation skills
• Data management and analysis
• Writing a scientific paper

Assessment Task	Task Type	Weighting	Hurdle? Yes/No	Learning Outcome	Due
Introductory Seminar	Formative	0%	No	2, 4, 7	April (semester 1 intake) or September (semester 2 intake)
Literature Review/ Research Proposal	Formative and Summative	14%	No	1, 2, 3, 4, 7	June (semester 1 intake) or October (semester 2 intake)
Draft Introduction and Materials & Methods	Formative	0%	No	2, 3, 5	August (semester 1 intake) or March (semester 2 intake)
Final Seminar	Summative	8.5%	No	1 - 7	October (semester 1 intake) or April (semester 2 intake)
Poster Presentation	Formative and Summative	5.5%	No	1 - 7	November (semester 1 intake) or May (semester 2 intake)
Thesis Paper	Summative	60%	No	1 - 7	November (semester 1 intake) or May (semester 2 intake)
Supervisor Mark	Summative	12%	No	1 - 6	November (semester 1 intake) or May (semester 2 intake)

All written assessment tasks are assessed by two examiners, and marks are averaged to provide the final grade.

Introductory Seminar (0%)
The 12 minute introductory seminar, with 8 minutes of question time, should provide an insight into the research question that is the focus of the literature review, including background information highlighting the current state of knowledge in the research area, controversies and gaps in knowledge that lead to the research question. Formative feedback will be provided to aid in the development of the written literature review and research proposal.

 
Literature Review/ Research Proposal (14%)
The literature review is presented as a critical review of published work related to the project (maximum 4000 words). The  assessment piece should include identified gaps in knowledge, the aims of the review, a critical summary of current literature, and outstanding research questions providing a rationale for the proposed project.

The research proposal (1500 words) should outline the project to be conducted and includes a brief analysis of the literature to provide context for the project. It should formulate hypotheses and experimental aims to address the questions identified in your literature review, and include a description of the experiments likely to be performed to test the hypotheses. A budget and timeline for the work is also included.

 
Draft Introduction and Materials & Methods (0%)
The draft introduction and materials and methods should provide a statement of the problem and specific instructions on how the work will be completed.

The introduction should provide essential background information and a clear rationale for the work.

The materials and methods should contain sufficient detail to allow the work to be repeated, and describe the statistical analysis to be performed.

Formative feedback will be provided by the student’s supervisor to aid in the development of the final seminar, poster presentation and thesis paper.


Final Seminar (8.5%)
Each student will present a 20 minute seminar, and be prepared for 10 minutes of questions, on the results of their research project. Students are assessed on content and structure of the seminar, understanding of the research area, and their oral presentation. The seminar is scheduled for late October (semester 1 intake) or April (semester 2 intake). Seminars are assessed by all attending academics.

 
Poster presentation (5.5%)
Each student will prepare a research poster to report the results of their research project. Posters will be displayed during a poster session during which students will provide a short (5min) oral description of their poster, and answer questions. The poster session is held in November (semester 1 intake) or May (semester 2 intake). A panel of examiners assess the poster.


Thesis Paper (60%)
Each student will prepare a thesis paper, reporting, discussing and critically evaluating the results of their project in the form of a manuscript for a scientific journal (max 5,000 words). The Thesis paper is due early November (semester 1 intake) or May (semester 2 intake). Students receive written feedback on their thesis; the thesis grade is not released.


Supervisor Mark (12%)
The student’s supervisor will provide an assessment of performance in the laboratory/field and research components of the research project. The supervisor completes a formative feedback form mid-year, which is returned to the student. The supervisor’s final assessment is completed after the student has completed all of the assessment tasks.

Late Submission
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted, then a penalty for late submission will apply.  A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment.