Undergraduate Course: Professional Skills for Global Agri-Food Scientists 2 (VETS08014)
Course Outline
| School | Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will add to the fundamental skills gained in Professional skills for Agri-Food Scientists 1. This will include fundamental scientific skills applicable to both academic research and industry, as well as tools and frameworks for supporting business decision making and communication, with an emphasis on developing a marketable skill set for potential employers. The course will focus on how to apply these fundamental skills more closely within a Global Agri-Food context, by dealing with real life case studies and emerging societal, political and environmental challenges to Agri-food industries. |
| Course description |
The course will continue to develop scientific skills applicable to both academic research and industry, such as data handling, statistical analysis, and approaches to understanding, searching and organising scientific literature. The course will also develop skills in applying tools and frameworks for supporting business decision making and communication, such as risk analysis, impact assessment, financial analysis and ethical considerations. This dual focus will emphasise the applicability of scientific skills in industrial roles, as well as directly applicable and highly marketable business skills.
Using real life case studies, students will gain experiences and understanding of preparing businesses for both opportunities and challenges arising from technological, societal and political change. They will further be equipped with the ability to use scientific evidence to assess the impact of decision making.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 15,
Formative Assessment Hours 30,
Summative Assessment Hours 25,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
96 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
20 %,
Coursework
40 %,
Practical Exam
40 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative assessment: Groups of students will be assigned a case study agri-food business or industry. They will be expected to discuss the nature of the business with stakeholders. The assignment will be to identify scientific, technological, societal, political and environmental changes that are likely to impact on the business, to speculate on the nature of those changes and to begin to gather scientific evidence relating to the areas identified, and consequently potential solutions, mitigations and adaptations. This will be a group based tutorial, and provide background for the subsequent summative assessments.
Summative Assessment 1 (40%)
Students will individually write a Report of the Case study. This should give a description of the business, and apply the financial, risk, ethical and other business assessment frameworks studied in the course to understand the likely impact of key societal, political or environmental changes. They should also identify scientific and technological developments that may mitigate some of these effects. The report should be written as a scientific report and must also include citations and a Reference List.
Summative Assessment 2 (40%)
Each student should give an oral presentation outlining a scientific area in which developments have had impact on their case study business and on the wider sector. They should also discuss how future developments in this field might impact. The presentation should demonstrate ability to digest a wide variety of scientific sources, and will also be assessed in terms of content and communication skills.
Summative Assessment 3 (20%)
Short answer exam to cover referencing, citations, choice of statistical tests and carrying out simple statistical tests.
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| Feedback |
Feedback will be supplied within 15 days of the submission deadline
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of data handling skills, investigation and basic statistical analysis in an agri-food systems context;
- Communicate agri-food business relevant information to a range of audiences by oral presentation and written report utilising library searching;
- Apply scientific methodology to agri-food industry;
- Develop skills in identifying areas of concern for agri-business, gathering evidence and formulating solutions to problems;
- Develop skills in risk management and decision making by considering e.g. financial, ethical and environmental impacts.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Graduate attribute mindsets:
Enquiry and lifelong learning
Aspiration and personal development
Outlook and engagement
Graduate attribute skill groups
Research and enquiry
Personal and intellectual autonomy
Personal effectiveness
Communication |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Ross Davidson
Tel:
Email: ross@bioss.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Gordon Littlejohn
Tel: (0131 6)51 7454
Email: Gordon.Littlejohn@ed.ac.uk |
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