| Unit name | Concepts and Skills |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHPH30007 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Teschemacher |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will provide you with training in core skills and techniques that are vital to effectively read, interpret and critically appraise the scientific literature, to analyse and communicate scientific findings, as well as to design valid experiments to contribute to scientific progress.
How does this programme fit into your programme of study?
This unit aims to help you develop key skills that will support your learning in year 3 and beyond. It will support you with your dissertation in terms of critical analysis of the primary literature, data handling and interpretation, and in developing a testable hypothesis and a plan of investigation to address it. Through the workshops and seminars, you will gain greater understanding of the techniques used in many of the research papers you will be reading in your optional units.
An overview of content
This unit includes statistics; data quantitation; limits of scientific understanding; critical reading of research literature; scientific writing and presentation; public engagement with science and ethics of animal and human experimentation.
In addition, there are workshops to provide hands-on insights into research techniques, including advanced technical workshops taking place in the School's research laboratories.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Students will develop their critical analysis and appraisal skills that will support them in the remainder of your third year and beyond. They will gain insight into how specific techniques are used to answer scientific questions and begin to assess the validity of various approaches. They will build their confidence for presenting and discussing scientific evidence, analysis, and open questions.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, you will be able to demonstrate:
Teaching in this unit is based on skills workshops and technical workshops supported by seminars. You will be encouraged to engage with the primary scientific literature as part of this unit. This will ensure that you develop your critical analysis skills, which will support your research in other areas of the discipline and in your research project.
You will also have workshops that will support development of your skills through practice in application of statistical tests, concise communication and an introduction to specific research techniques.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
There will be an opportunity for reassessment of the statistics exam in the reassessment period. In addition, there will be an opportunity to complete the coursework in the summer prior to the reassessment period. The reassessments will be in the same format as the main assessments.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHPH30007).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
