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On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Recognise and explain basic research methodologies used in biomedical science research.

2. Identify, interpret, and analyse experimental data in the scientific literature in the field of biomedical science.

3. Plan, execute, and analyse laboratory experiments in a group environment to address specified project goals.

4. Discuss principles of biotechnology using appropriate language and terminology.

5. Recognise the importance of teamwork in a professional environment and demonstrate effective teamwork skills to analyse and solve practical problems.

6. Apply research appropriate methodologies for the collection, storage and analysis of data and maintaining records.

This course is a 12-unit semester long research project, for students in their second year of the Master of Biotechnology (Biomedical) Program. Students will use all of the skills and theory that they have learned from their first year courses, to work in groups of 3-6 (dependent on numbers) to solve real-world research problems. 

Students will start with the scenario that they are working for a contract research organisation (CRO), who is paid by a client to carry out a discrete research project. Students will work on the project as a group throughout the semester, designing experiments that will achieve the project goals, carrying them out in the laboratory, analysing/collating the results, and presenting results and recommendations to the client.

Assignments set for the student throughout the semester are designed to provide scaffolding and support for the successful completion of the research project, culminating in production of the final report (25%) and oral defence (10%). Students will be given guidance on how to successfully complete their assignments and tasks, through the discussion of exemplars, use of guided templates, and interactive workshops on specific topics of relevance (e.g. assignment discussions, how to carry out a literature search, assistance with the use of specific software, successfully working in groups etc).

Students will be supported to work safely and successfully in the laboratory through teaching staff supervision. Staff will be available to demonstrate correct technique and assist in troubleshooting (as well as developing student troubleshooting skills). Workshops will be used to increase understanding of practical techniques and their theory and develop problem-solving strategies for complex biotechnological problems.

Formal group meetings will be utilised to assist students with managing their group project and keeping on track. Students will attend a workshop on how to successfully conduct meetings, why formal meetings are useful for both their project and later in their career, and the specific meeting roles of Chair and Secretary. Templates will be provided for meetings (i.e. agenda template, minutes template, checklists etc), and teaching staff will be available for additional guidance and to assist in resolving problems, or guiding students to resolve them themselves.

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

Contact Hours (239 hours)
Practicals 30 x 6.5 = 195 hours
Workshops 22 x 2 = 44 hours

Non-contact Hours (110 hours)
Weekly reading/other study hours 10 x 2 = 20 hours
Planning for laboratory work 11 x 3 = 33 hours
Preparation for research updates 11 x 2 = 22 hours
Meeting reflections 11 x 1 = 11 hours
Preparation for meetings (additional) 11 x 1 = 11 hours

Assessment tasks (142 hours):
Electronic Laboratory Notebook  30 x 1.5 = 45 hours
Meeting documentation 4 x 1 = 4 hours
Project summary 1 x 35 = 35 hours
Preparation for presentation 18 hours
Preparation of final report 24 hours
Preparation for oral defence (viva) 16 hours

Total = approximately 478 hours across the semester

Learning Activities in this course include:

• Critical analysis of the scientific literature
• Experimental design and goal setting
• Hands-on laboratory skills
• Written and oral communication skills
• Strategies for working successfully in groups
• How to conduct effective and professional meetings

Group Written Assignment - Project summary (10%)
In groups of 3-6 students, you will produce a written document (approx. 1500-2500 words) that provides a summary of your assigned research project. You will include a brief review of the background literature to your assigned project, your project goals, and an outline of the experimental plan for achieving these goals. Due at the start of Week 3.

Written Assignment - Meeting Documentation (25% overall)
Groups will conduct weekly formal project planning and update meetings, with rotating meeting chair and secretary roles. Individual assessment of group meetings consists of four parts:

Part 1 Meeting Roles (5%) - Students wubmit one of their agenda and accepted minutes documents from group meetings from weeks 1-6 (templates provided). 

Part 2 Planning (10%) - Students submit one of their weekly planning documents from weeks 3-6 for formal grading and feedback. Students also submit a laboratory protocol they have written.

Part 3 Research Updates (5%) - Students select one of their research updates documents from weeks 3-6 for formal grading and feedback.

Part 4 Group Work Reflection (5%) - Each week, students will be asked to reflect on how well their group worked together. Students will submit reflections from Week 3 and Week 10 (reflections limited to 150 words each), and comment on how the way the group functions together has changed over time (150 words). Due in Weeks 3 and 10.

Group Presentation (Weighting 20%): Groups will present a mid-project research update to the class and academic teaching staff. Assessment will be in two parts:

Part 1 Slides and script (5%) - Students will be assessed as a group on draft slides and script submitted in week 8.

Part 2 Presentation (15%) – Students will present their mid-project update as a group at the end of week 9. Part of this assessment will be based on how well students incorporate their feedback from Part 1.

Electronic Lab Notebook (Weighting 10%): Students will plan, execute, and analyse weekly lab-based experiments, and record the details in their LabArchives electronic notebooks as they go. Notebooks will be signed-off by peers in weekly research update meetings, and notebooks must be up-to-date for lab work to continue. Notebooks will be assessed at the end of Week 11.

Written Assignment – Final Report (Weighting 25%): Students will individually produce a final written report presenting the group's collated research findings, following the format of introduction, aims, methods, results, and discussion. This document will incorporate the group project summary developed in weeks 1-2, that has been updated individually in response to feedback. It will also combine the group’s results, shared in the weekly research update meetings. Due at the end of Week 12.

Oral defence – Viva (Weighting 10%): Students will be interviewed as a group by academic staff in Week 13. Each student will be questioned both on their individual contributions, as well as their understanding of the project as a whole. Student knowledge of wider scientific issues relevant to the research project will also be examined. Students are given the opportunity to draw the examiners’ attention to any issues or problems associated with their work.

Late Submission
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply.

A penalty of 5% 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.