RESEARCH YEAR INTERIM DISSERTATION - 2024/5

Module Overview

The early part of the Research Year involves a combination of developing generic research skills associated being on a research-based physics placement, and acquiring specific skills related to the particular project to enable successful completion of the students own research by the end of the research year. This module reflects parts of the specific skills developed for the students own project in the first half of the Research Year

Module provider

Mathematics & Physics

Module Leader

IZZARD Robert (Maths & Phys)

Number of Credits: 60

ECTS Credits: 30

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Crosses academic years

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative content includes: The student will carry out the first parts of their research year project, which will be through a range of either experimental or theoretical research work. This will be carried out by the student under the supervision of a local project supervisor. The first half of the Research Year is anticipated to cover approximately 600 hours over semester 2 of Year 3 (FHEQ Level 6) and this module accounts for 450 hours of that effort. The student will also participate in tutorials and guided learning on scientific writing.

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate core competencies in physics research through independent study.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

A presentation given to the student's research group on the status of their understanding of their research project, placed in the context of the wider field.

A literature review, with project-specific context, of related previous work in the field. Depending on the nature of the project, this could draw more or less from research articles, textbooks, or internal reports.

Formative assessment and Feedback.

Students will receive regular feedback from the local supervisory team and visiting tutor throughout the research year. This will include discussion of, and feedback on, early drafts of the Interim Dissertation and Oral Presentation.

 

Module aims

• Reflect the specialist preparatory work that the student is undertaking as part of their research year in advance of their own main original research activity
• Encourage the student to undertake a review of previous work done in the field of their research project, to digest and understand it in such a way that they can explain the context of their work to an audience of peers

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to encourage learning by independent self-study within the context of a research group. The learning and teaching methods include: - guided self-study - supervisor meetings - group meetings - laboratory and/or computational project. 

This module also includes tutorials and guided learning on scientific writing to help prepare learners for both the Interim and Final Dissertations.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PHY3062

Other information

The School of Mathematics and Physics is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:  

Employability: Students apply their developed undergraduate physics skills to a novel research problem, working within an industrial or academic research environment.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: Students are responsible for the delivery of their interim dissertation, requiring time management and project adaption throughout the placement. Working within a professional environment, students gain experience of real-world team working and problem solving. 

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2024/5 academic year.