2018/19 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

FOOD5405M Professional Development for Employment and Research

20 creditsClass Size: 150

Module manager: Dr Lisa Marshall
Email: l.j.marshall@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

Pre-requisite qualifications

Relevant undergraduate qualification

Module replaces

FOOD 5400M

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module will allow students to assess their own training needs in terms of subject specific and interpersonal skills that essential for a career in food science and nutrition. This module will demonstrate the importance of the scientific method and research design for successful problem solving. By the end of the module, students will be confident in information retrieval, literature evaluation, scientific writing. The module will also cover the principles and applications of scientific design (including hypothesis testing) and practical experimentation, data analysis and basic statistics, as relevant to the discipline.

Objectives

The module aims to:
1) foster students ability to be self-evaluative and to identify their training needs through completion a personal development plan;
2) develop academic graduate skills relevant to research and graduate employment in food science and nutrition, including information retrieval and evaluation, scientific writing, oral presentation, research design and hypothesis testing, generic laboratory skills, data analysis and manipulation, and basic statistics.

Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the module, students should be able to:
1) evaluate their own competencies and skills and indentify needs for further training as part of a personal development plan;
2) demonstrate information retrieval skills, including the use of literature databases and critically evaluate information provided by primary and secondary sources of information;
3) apply the scientific method of hypothesis-led research and select an appropriate research design to investigate a relevant issue/problem;
4) demonstrate practical laboratory skills generic to the food and nutrition discipline;
5) demonstrate data analysis skills including methods in data manipulation and basic statistics, the use of IT database, data handling and statistical software;
6) demonstrate written communication and oral skills in the context of scientific dissemination.

Skills outcomes
- Practical and numeracy relevant to research/employment in food science and nutrition.
- Information retrieval and evaluation.
- Scientific writting.
- Qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis.
- IT and statistical tools relevant to research/employment in food science and nutrition.

Syllabus

Students will identify their own needs for training but will need to demonstrate competency and skill in all areas of the syllabus.

The module will be taught through a series of workshops that will include: literature retrieval and how to avoid plagiarism, literature evaluation, scientific writing, the scientific method and scientific design, hypothesis testing, practical experimentation, data analysis and basis statistics, study skills.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Workshop	3	2.00	6.00
Computer Class	5	1.00	5.00
presentation	1	2.00	2.00
Lecture	8	2.00	16.00
Practical	2	3.00	6.00
Independent online learning hours			15.00
Private study hours			150.00
Total Contact hours			35.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

- Preparation of personal development plan, and end of module review: 6 hours
- Preparation for seminars and tutorials: 20 hours
- Preparation for practicals: 3 hours
- Completion of literature skills workbook (30%): 36 hours
- Completion of data analysis assessment (30%): 36 hours
- Completion of assignment on practical laboratory sessions (30%): 36 hours.
- Preparation for presentation (10%): 10 hours

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Formative feedback will be provided during training sessions and workshops, and written (formative as well as summative) feedback will be provided for assignments.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Written Work	Literature skills workbook	15.00
Online Assessment	Data handling and statistics	35.00
Assignment	Research paper	35.00
Presentation	Presentation	15.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 12/09/2018

Disclaimer

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• Undergraduate module catalogue
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