Postgraduate Course: Scientific Analysis, Review and Presentation: Infectious Diseases (BIME11178)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Biomedical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Scientific Analysis, Review and Presentation: Infectious Diseases (SARP-ID) is a framework course that enables students to gain and develop the competencies required for high quality scientific investigation, interpretation, and reporting of findings. Through a complement of online and written assignments, students will be able to improve and widen their skills in literature search, evaluation and extraction of quantitative and qualitative data, critical interpretation of knowledge in their area of interest, and presentation of own research concepts and ideas. |
| Course description |
Scientific Analysis, Review and Presentation: Infectious Diseases (SARP-ID) aims to offer the students a wider, and evolving choice of data to analyse and present. Accordingly, students completing SARP-ID will expect a rich learning experience in data analysis, review and presentation according to a student's own research interests, as well as the learning achieved in a dynamic discussion board.
SARP-ID outline
Data analysis and presentation (week 1)
Systematic Reviews (week 2)
Peer review and academic judgement (week 3)
Communication of research findings (week 4)
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 50 |
| Course Start |
Block 5 (Sem 2) and beyond |
| Course Start Date |
22/05/2023 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
98 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
SARP-ID is a 10- credit online course, run asynchronously. There are no specified contact hours.
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Online (40%)
1. Peer review forum: students are given a pre-print article from biorxiv.org or medrvix.org (or similar), and asked to provide a professional critique of the pre-print. (10% of course mark). The activity is bite-size with a word limit. Students will have four weeks from start of course to submit the assignment into the respective forum. It is anticipated that many students will submit the assignment much sooner.
2. Systematic reviews forum: Students are asked to evaluate a key methodological aspect in a systematic review of their choice, with reference to Cochrane Reviews methodology. Students are expected to engage with threads from fellow students. (30% of course mark). Except for the reduced weighting (from 40% to 30%) this assignment is carried over from the Bioinformatics and Study Design in Infectious Diseases course. The students will have the full length of the course (5 weeks + final weekend and Monday of week 6) to engage fully in this discussion forum. Experience of running this assignment in the previous two years demonstrated that it is both appropriate for a 10 credit course, and very fruitful as a learning activity.
Written (60%)
A narrated presentation (PowerPoint) of a research proposal which demonstrates application of the skills and knowledge acquired in the course. The assignment style of a narrated PowerPoint presentation was also used in Bioinformatics and Study Design in Infectious Diseases course, but in this case it is a research proposal that could serve as the starting point for students¿ dissertation in the following year. The deadline for submission of the assignment is a week after the deadline for online assignment, thus giving the students adequate time to complete it. There will be a limit of 15-20 minutes on the duration of the assignment.
Collectively, the assessment elements carry comparable expectations to those in other 10 credit CMID courses. |
| Feedback |
Provide high level information on the feedback students will be given (not dates)
In keeping with current practice in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases courses, students typically receive individual and focused 200-300 words of feedback per assignment that highlights strengths and areas for development.
Formative feedback is also available, and consists of discussion around what is expected of each piece of assessed work for the course. This is conducted in an open discussion forum for all students to contribute to and provides an opportunity to clearly understand the key requirements for each assignment before submission.
Any student can post questions about the assignment and a response will be posted on the discussion board by the course tutor. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain and carry out the necessary steps to take biomedical research data from unprocessed data to generating and evaluating biomedical hypotheses, including data handling, processing, statistical analysis, explorative analysis and interpretation.
- Understand the methodology of systematic reviews and demonstrate ability to develop and evaluate protocols for systematic reviews using Cochrane methodology.
- Critically appraise publications in terms of study design and data analysis in the field of infectious diseases.
- Communicate research findings, and present reasoned arguments for interpretation and conclusions, to a critical scientific audience.
- Develop and present own research hypothesis and plan (a concept note) that is suitable for a masters level investigation.
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Reading List
| Much of the focus of this course will be driven through student engagement. Resources will be provided as a starting point from which it is expected that students will begin to develop their own reading lists and share this information with others. It is anticipated that the course will draw on/direct the students toward relevant learning resources in Cochrane Interactive Learning, LinkedIn, Henry Stuart Talks, and existing resources in Media Hopper. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The mode of learning in MSc CMID is one which inculcates many of the University of Edinburgh graduate attributes, and SARP-ID follows the same approach in learning that draws on a dynamic assessed discussion board, and enhancement of student engagement in shaping their written assignment to meet graduate attributes, especially:
Curiosity for learning that makes a positive difference
Courage to expand and fulfil their potential
Creative problem solving and research
Critical and reflective thinking
Skilled communication
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| Additional Class Delivery Information |
SARP-ID is a 10- credit (5 weeks) online course, run asynchronously. There are no specified contact hours. A student is expected to allow for 100 hours of independent study over the duration of the course, including engagement with learning content and resources. |
| Keywords | Data analysis,systematic reviews,literature search,presentation skills. |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Medhat Khattar
Tel: 0131 242 9437
Email: Medhat.Khattar@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Ann-Marie Peckham
Tel: (0131 6)50 3160
Email: apeckham@ed.ac.uk |
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