Final meeting

1
Final meeting?

• 10th June 2008

2
Agenda

• Research part of the Literature Review and
  Research Proposal
• Talk based on the final project
• Extra work to be done by those who failed to
  attend one or more sessions of the research
  training unit in order for them to gain credits
  required to fulfil the mandatory attendance
  condition
• Viva voce by the external examiner
• Feedback on project one
• AOB

3
Research Proposal

• What is a research proposal
• Terminology
• Good and bad plans
• Choosing a topic and adviser
• I have some samples for you to examine

4
Research Proposal

• The Research Proposal would be a 3-year programme
  of research work for a PhD student
• The output would be a detailed plan enabling the
  student to be successful, to submit a PhD thesis
  within 3 years and to have publications in good
  journals
• The description would be about 6-7 pages of
  double-spaced A4 (2000 words) including
  references and workplan (12 font)
• include a brief background to the problem (2
  pages)
• involve hypothesis testing (statement)
• include appropriate references (½ page smaller
  font?)
• Include a detailed programme of work (3 pages)
• Include a detailed, timetabled workplan with
  deliverables and milestones (1 page)

5
Some Terminology

• The programme of work
• A detailed description of what you are actually
  going to do, broken down in work packages that
  are discrete (but inter-related) aspects to the
  work
• A Deliverable is an identifiable product.
  Examples are
• Construction of a new vector
• Construction of a database
• Construction of a microarray
• A Milestone is an identifiable stage or result.
  Examples are
• Demonstrating that your (novel) assay works
• Producing viable offspring from novel crosses
• Completing a screen of KO strains
• Aims Scientific goals that you want to achieve
• Objectives Measurable achievements towards your
  goals

6
Things to consider in the plan

• High risk projects
• A project based on developing an assay that
  no-one has done before
• A project whose aim can only be achieved by using
  one method that has not been done in the lab
• A project that dissipates your effort into too
  many approaches
• Low risk projects
• Use established methodologies, existing
  strains/constructs, familiar databases
• Good strategies have alternative ways to achieve
  milestones
• Quantity of data is good but quality is shown
  everywhere

7
Some self-assessment questions

• Is the topic a good one?
• Sufficient replication?
• Independent verification of the results by
  different approaches?
• Good positive and negative controls?
• Is there an easier way to do it?
• Collaboration?
• What about the competition?
• Published work Meeting reports Patents
• Cost (effective)?
• Can it be done in three years of experimental
  work?

8
Research Proposal

• You should find an adviser to help you with a
  topic and who will be one of the markers of the
  research proposal
• You should either have obtained or be actively
  seeking a potential adviser within the department
  in an area of interest to you from June onwards
• You will not be permitted to perform a Literature
  Review and Research Proposal in the same research
  area in which you are conducting research
  projects unless you are undertaking your PhD here
  when it can be your own research project
• Note that it is possible to do a research
  proposal with one of your supervisors on a topic
  different from your research project topic

9
MRes in RegenMed

• You have done three core literature reviews
• You will prepare a research proposal that you
  will develop from one of these themes suitable
  for a 3-year PhD programme
• You will not be permitted to prepare a Research
  Proposal on the same research area in which you
  have conducted a research project unless you are
  undertaking your PhD work here when it can be
  your own research project

10
Finishing your project and research proposal

• From the end of this month staff are likely to be
  often away at meetings and on holiday
• Early planning and discussion with them is
  essential discuss this in detail
• Once all work is done you are free to go BUT
  remember the viva voce
• End of programme questionnaire can be submitted
  after degree classification decisions!

11
Your project talk

• You need to organise a talk date with your
  supervisor
• The talk may be just to two assessors or form
  part of a lab meeting
• Allow 20 minutes for the talk and 10 minutes for
  questions for the project presentation
• The assessment form is in your Handbook it
  essentially covers the quality of the talk and
  your ability to handle questions

12
Research Training Unit

• This comprises 6 of you 90 credits
• Attendance was mandatory to gain the credits
  (since you are not directly assessed)
• I cannot give credits to those who did not attend
• Therefore, later this week you will receive
  individual details of what extra work you have to
  do to gain the credits
• No work, no credits no credits, no degree!

13
Finishing all your work

• Deadlines maintained unless approval is given for
  late submission early submission is possible
• Deadline of S2 project is Friday 1st August
• Final deadline is 15th August
• Attendance at a viva voce (Friday 12th September)
  is recommended (more later)
• It can be useful for borderline candidates
• Unconfirmed results will be available late on
  Friday 12th September
• A CD of photos will be given to you if you have
  pictures you want to be added for all, send them
  now to Jane Dickinson

14
The Viva Voce
15
Role of External Examiner

• Moderation of marking standards
• Advice on borderline candidates
• View of the degree programme as a whole
• Reports to the Boards of Examiners
• Written report to the Vice-Chancellor

16
The External Examiner

• The viva voce is a 'one to one' interview with
  the External Examiner, with no one else present,
  taking about 20 minutes
• The external examiner may also ask you for your
  candid and confidential opinion of the MRes
  programme
• His role is to provide an independent assessment
  of your overall performance to ensure that our
  standards are appropriate

17
Moderation of marking standards

• Taught Unit marks will have already been
  moderated by the UG EEs
• The MRes EE will concentrate on project work
  literature review and research proposal, and
  posters
• He can see any of your work and assessments

18
The viva voce examination

• The viva voce examinations will take place on the
  morning of Friday 12th September
• Not all students will be interviewed
• The final list will not be known until Thursday
  12th September
• I would like to know who will be available
• You should attend a viva voce if requested to do
  so by the External Examiner and should therefore
  not make other plans for that period
• Attendance or non-attendance cannot harm you
• Attendance can hep you!

19
Degree classifications

• Pass
• Pass with Distinction
• Fail
• Because of the intrinsic error associated with
  any assessment, borderline candidates (2 of the
  border) can be considered for elevation

20
Results

• The Boards of Examiners for the MRes degree
  programmes meet on the afternoon of Friday 12th
  September
• Provisional result of your degree programme will
  normally be available later that afternoon
• Informal transcripts will be available from the
  following week formal transcripts will only be
  available some time later

21
Feedback on project one

• Marks will be on SAMIS on 19th June
• You will be given copies of your assessment
  sheets
• You can discuss these with me or the supervisor
  to improve your performance

22
AOB?