SURGERY 4400A - Honours Surgery Research Project Part 1

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2020

In this course, students will develop a research question that they will address by designing a research project. They will then collect and analyse data for their project, and report the outcomes in both oral and written forms. Throughout the course, they will apply the skills developed during the Honours Medicine Research Skills course, which runs in parallel with their research project

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Course Details

Course Code	SURGERY 4400A
Course	Honours Surgery Research Project Part 1
Coordinating Unit	Surgical Specialties
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange
Corequisites	MEDICINE 4003
Restrictions	BHlthMedSc (Hons) students only
Assessment	Research Propoosal Seminar, Conference Poster Presentation, Thesis, Thesis Oral Defence, Supervisor Assessment

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Peter Zalewski

Course Timetable

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

Student activities on research projects will be planned in conjunction with research supervisors

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Identify and critically interpret the background literature relevant to the research project

2. Conceive, develop and execute a research project

3. Demonstrate a sound grasp of research ethics, research techniques, rigorous maintenance of research records, and analysis and storage of research data

4. Identify and evaluate problems and define the elements required to solve them

5. Communicate scientific information clearly and concisely in spoken and written formats.

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)	1,2,3
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
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
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	2,3
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	NA
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	2,4

Learning Resources

Required Resources

No single textbook covers the material to be considered during this course. All students are required to locate and evaluate the literature that is relevant to their project. This will primarily consist of peer-reviewed literature journal articles relevant to the area of the research project.

Recommended Resources

NA

Online Learning

Design of the research project and interpretation of the data will involve extensive use of web-based literature searches
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

Students will work within research groups to develop, conduct and evaluate individual research projects, and to prepare written and oral presentations, which will be presented to peers and assessors. Research activities will initially be carried out with direct supervision of the supervisor and/or other research laboratory members but is expected to progress to performing independent work under broad or no direct supervision.

Workload

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

Students are expected to spend an average of 31 hours/week (full-time students; 15.5 hours/week expected from part-time students) planning, conducting and evaluating their research projects, in addition to time preparing written proposal, seminars and thesis. Students are expected to plan and manage timetabling of their projects, in consultation with research group members and supervisors.

Learning Activities Summary

This course is designed for students to develop specific knowledge and skills in a chosen research field as well as general skills in working independently, critical reasoning, scientific writing and presentation. Students undertake a research project. The overall objective of the program is for students to demonstrate a deep understanding and interpretation of their subject area and the ability to clearly and thoroughly present their project.

Specific Course Requirements

Enrolment of students from the MBBS program requires prior approval from the MBBS curriculum committee.

Out-of-hours work, police check, vaccinations or field work may be required for specific research projects.

Small Group Discovery Experience

The course is a small group discovery experience. Students will work individually on research projects, supervised by research leaders to undertake research training and research projects, within the larger context of a research group. Conducting an Honours Research project under guidance of a research group leader involves at least weekly contact and project discussion with the supervisor. Honours students will discover new knowledge during the course of their projects.

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 objective(s) being addressed
Seminar 1 – Presentation of proposed research	Formative*	Nil	No	1,2,3,4,5
Poster and presentation	Summative	10%	No	1,2,3,4,5
Thesis	Summative	60%	No	1,2,3,4,5
Seminar 2 – presentation of research	Summative	20%	No	1,2,3,4,5
Supervisor assessment	Summative	10%	No	1,2,3,4,5

Assessment Related Requirements

No additional requirements.

Assessment Detail

Seminar 1 – Presentation of proposed research:
(15 min presentation plus 5 min discussion)

While no formal assessment is made on this seminar, you will receive some written feedback from 2 members of the Faculty, and we strongly advise you to seek critical comments from your supervisor and other members of the Discipline. Such feedback will help with future oral presentations that are assessed.

Thesis:
(marked by two independent examiners)

Each student will prepare a thesis describing her or his research. The thesis must be written in the form of a manuscript to be submitted a scientific journal. The word count should be no more than 5000 words

Seminar 2 – Presentation of research:
(18 min presentation plus 10 min discussion)

In this seminar you will present the results of your research project and indicate how your work has contributed to a greater understanding of the research area. Marks will be awarded by two independent assessors.

Supervisor assessment:
The supervisor(s) will assess the practical work (laboratory skills, data collection and analysis) of each student. This assessment will focus on the mastery of techniques by the student and the diligence and commitment of the student to quality control. The supervisor will also assess the student’s development as an independent and critical scientist. This assessment will be carried out at the end of the second semester.

The specific elements of the assessment are:

SECTION A: Data collection, analytical and problem solving skills

• Development of new methodology/optimisation of existing methodology

• Maintenance of quality control and understanding of the need for precision, accuracy and reproducibility in any experimental methodology

• Rigorous & methodical approach to the maintenance of research records

• Cooperative and positive member of a research team with appropriate communication skills in the research team

• Can be relied on to seek help when appropriate with technical matters

• Capacity to identify and evaluate a technical or methodological problem and define the important elements required for its solution

• Clear insight into the steps required for appropriate analysis of experimental data (including the statistical treatment of data)

SECTION B: Research potential

• Demonstration of an original and critical approach in the assimilation of the current state of knowledge in this particular field of research

• Understanding of the gaps or flaws in knowledge in this particular research field

• Capacity to generate independent ideas for future empirical investigation in this research area

• Interest and curiosity in scientific questions beyond the confines of the current project

• Overall ability to use the skills required to perform original scientific research.

Submission

Submission of all written assignments will be by email to the Course Coordinator.

Deadlines for handing in written material must be strictly observed. The Honours Coordinators will only grant extensions to these deadlines in very special circumstances such as illness (for which the student will need a medical certificate), and the requirement for an extension should be negotiated in advance, not after the deadline has passed.

All assignments, including those handed in late, will be assessed on their merit. However, the penalty for late submission in this course will be a deduction from the mark awarded at a rate of 10 percentage points of the total possible per day. The School reserves the right to refuse to accept an assignment that is more than 7 calendar days late.

Word limits in written assignments must be strictly observed, and exceeding these carries the following penalties:

up to 10 % over the word limit: 5 % off the mark

10 – 20 % over the word limit: 15 % off the mark

> 20 % over the word limit: assignment not accepted for assessment

Course Grading

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

NOG (No Grade Associated)
Grade	Description
CN	Continuing

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.

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