PHYSIOL 4400B - Honours Physiology Research Project Part 2

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2017

This course forms the main basis of an honours project conducted in the Adelaide Medical School. Students will be expected to engage in a novel, independent research project under the guidance of a school supervisor. To complete the course, students will be required to prepare and deliver a project proposal and resource pro-forma, a poster and oral presentation, plus a thesis followed shortly by a thesis defence. This course provides an advanced insight into scientific research.

Open All

Course Details

Course Code	PHYSIOL 4400B
Course	Honours Physiology Research Project Part 2
Coordinating Unit	Medical Sciences
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	18
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange
Corequisites	HLTH SC 4202
Restrictions	For BHlthMedSc(Hons) students only

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.

Course Learning Outcomes

1. To demonstrate an original and critical approach in the assimilation of the current state of knowledge in a particular discipline of research.
2. To appreciate current gaps in our understanding and the future areas for experimental investigation in a particular discipline of research.
3. To demonstrate mastery of the basic techniques required for the experimental study of a research question.
4. To develop a rigorous, methodological and ethical approach to the maintenance of laboratory records and the collection, storage and analysis of experimental data.
5. To develop the capacity to identify and evaluate a problem and define the important elements required for its solution.
6. To communicate scientific information clearly and concisely in written and spoken English.

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)	1-6
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	1-5
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	3, 4, 5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1-6
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	N/A
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	1-6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

School-based research support, Honours workshops and seminars.

Online Learning

Copies of workshop materials will be available on MyUni.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

Honours is a 40-week program encompassing an independent research project 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.

Details will be made available on MyUni.

Learning Activities Summary

Details will be made available on MyUni.

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	Assessment Type	Weighting	Hurdle	Learning course objectives
Project proposal & Resources Pro-forma	Formative	0%	No	1, 2
Poster & Oral Presentation	Summative	13%	No	1-6
Thesis	Summative	53%	Yes	1-6
Thesis Defence	Summative	27%	No	1, 2, 5, 6
Supervisor Assessment	Summative	7%	No	1-6

Assessment Detail

Project proposal & Resources Pro-forma: A 1 page project proposal incorporating a brief summary of the proposed work, including aims, hypotheses and outcomes, and resources pro-forma documenting the proposed budget, sources of funding available, evidence of required ethics approvals and project timeline.

Poster & Oral Presentation: Students are required to prepare their research work into a poster format and present the poster in 3 min followed by questions from assessors as is conducted at many national and international conferences.

Thesis: The main assessment for the honours year is the honours thesis of 4500 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 document will identify the key basis for / logic underlying the experiments conducted during the year, including identification of the hypotheses and aims. The results will be presented in a combination of written, figure and table form together with appropriate statistical analysis of the data. Finally, a discussion of the results in the context of the existing literature, including an interpretation of the significance of the work should be included.

Thesis Defence: Students are required to defend their thesis in a closed-room oral presentation of 5 minutes duration supported by 4 display slides (PPT format) and 20 minutes of subsequent questions from an assessor panel.

Supervisor Assessment: Supervisors are required to submit a score reflecting their student’s performance throughout the honours year.

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. For the thesis, two hard-bound copies are required upon assessment and following the thesis defence. The Supervisor Assessment will be submitted electronically directly from the Supervisor.

In alignment with the Adelaide Medical School 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)
Grade	Grade reflects following criteria for allocation of grade	Reported 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
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