Postgraduate Course: Research and Professional Skills for Data-Driven Breeding and Genetics (VESC11282)
Course Outline
| School | Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies |
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 | This online postgraduate course is specifically designed for and will only be offered within the MSc in Data-Driven Breeding and Genetics.
Topics include: good scientific practice and research methods, building a training plan, scientific writing, and project management.
By the end of the course, the students will have gained research and professional skills and produced a research project proposal and research plan.
This course is compulsory for all students in the MSc in Data-Driven Breeding and Genetics programme. |
| Course description |
This online postgraduate course will be a compulsory course for students on the MSc in Data-Driven Breeding and Genetics.
It will introduce or reinforce methods and skills that are central to good scientific practice and the production of good quality research. With these skills, by the end of the course, the students will have produced a research project proposal, that will include amongst others, brief background to the proposed research, aims of the project, methodology to be used, student's training plan, and a project plan with timeline.
Throughout the course, we will introduce concepts, tools and methods that will support successful research practice and enhance professional skills, such as data and project management, scientific writing, effective communication, and effective meeting management.
Key concepts will be introduced and explored in a directed framework with pre-recorded lectures and reading materials. Regular contact with the teaching team -synchronous or asynchronous, as appropriate- will ensure support of the project-specific element of the course. There will also be an independent learning component, including recommended resources for self-directed learning and reflective activities, leading to the assessments. Discussion board interactions will be designed to support the development of a community of practice with the potential to support the students beyond the course.
We strive to facilitate an authentic learning experience, centred on authentic, relevant, real-world challenges, and this course brings together a range of specific and broad, transferable skills that are applied to a real-life, current breeding and genetics problem.
Themes covered during this 5-week course will include:
* Research project tools, including research design, framing research questions, study skills, literature search and review, bibliographic tools, scientific writing, assessing training needs and effective meeting management
* Understanding the project methodological and computational needs
* Research integrity, ethics, risk assessments
* Project management, data sharing agreements and data management
* Writing research proposals
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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
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of research methods and approaches for designing a research project.
- Apply knowledge, skills, and understanding to design and plan a research project, including components, such as research question, data management, statistical analysis, and a literature review, relevant to breeding and genetics.
- Identify, conceptualise, or define new/abstract problems or issues related to breeding and genetics.
- Take responsibility for own work and a range of resources/data in relation to research of breeding and genetics.
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Reading List
The reading list will be provided electronically via Resource Lists. Essential/recommended and further reading and resources that align with the weekly content and course topics will be made available through the University Resource List platform. Here is an example of potential resources to be included:
1. Study Skills [https://www.ed.ac.uk/students/new-students/online-students/study-skills]
2. IAD academic study skills [https://institute-academic-development.ed.ac.uk/]
3. Scientific Method [https://methods-sagepub-com.eux.idm.oclc.org/reference/encyc-of-research-design/n405.xml]
4. Research Methods and Statistics (Vet School) [https://uoe.sharepoint.com/sites/ResearchMethodsandStatistics/SitePages/research-skills.aspx]
5. Searching the literature [https://libguides.cam.ac.uk/research-skills/searching] |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and enquiry: The University of Edinburgh graduate develops their skills in research and enquiry, including problem-solving, analytical, and critical thinking, and digital literacies.
Personal and intellectual autonomy: graduates use their personal and intellectual autonomy to think independently, exercise personal judgement, and analyse facts and data in order to develop appropriate solutions.
Communication: The University of Edinburgh graduate uses communication skills to articulate and effectively explain information, including complex data, to engage with different audiences or situations. |
| Keywords | research questions,research skills,research proposal writing,project planning |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Pau Navarro
Tel:
Email: Pau.Navarro@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Gordon Littlejohn
Tel:
Email: Gordon.Littlejohn@ed.ac.uk |
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