Module Catalogue

NES8316 : Dissertation Preparation

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Helen Adamson
  • Lecturer: Dr Janet Simkin
  • Owning School: Natural and Environmental Sciences
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 5.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

To support student transition to postgraduate study and to introduce students to field skills along with research, planning, analytical and scientific writing skills to plan and carry out a dissertation.

Outline Of Syllabus

• Searching literature, referencing using Endnote
• Advanced Word Processing
• Managing data with Excel
• Developing a hypothesis and research questions, experimental design
• Thinking and writing critically
• Writing scientifically: a scientific paper, a PIR
• Field skills
• Project planning

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion140:0040:00N/A
Guided Independent StudyDirected research and reading120:0020:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesWorkshops52:0010:00Computer practical
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesFieldwork47:3030:00Labs/field trips
Total100:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Workshops to allow students to explore the skills they need.
A combination of online lectures with associated practicals to allow students to learn theory then practise and develop academic and professional skills
Lab work and/or field trip to learn and reinforce key features of the species.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Report1M100Project Inception Report. Project plan and design, risk assessment, and COSHH, ethical assessment and timeline. Approx 2000 words (Submitted in Semester 2)
Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Description Semester When Set Comment
Prob solv exercises1MCanvas quizzes to assess species identification
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The PIR will assess students' ability to search literature, reference, plan an experiment and word process professionally
The formative assessments on Canvas can be repeated by students to reinforce their skills

Reading Lists

Timetable