Medical Sciences Literature Review
| Module title | Medical Sciences Literature Review |
|---|---|
| Module code | CSC3028 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 45 |
| Module staff | Professor Rob Anderson (Convenor) Katarina Kos (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 100 |
|---|
Module description
This final year research module builds on the skills you have learned in the previous years. It will stimulate your interest and knowledge in biomedical/clinical science or applied health research with the main component of the module being either (a) an independently conducted Systematic Review (b) an independently conducted Critical Review of research evidence, or (c) an independently conducted Science Communication project Critical reviews tend to have broader aims and less prescriptive methods than systematic reviews, but still require critical appraisal and judgements about the quality and interpretation of included research. Science communication projects involve both the development and the evaluation of a new evidence product(s) (e.g. podcast, blogs, evidence briefings, infographic) to effectively communicate particular scientific findings to particular audiences.
You will get an in-depth insight into the world of research in biomedical/clinical science or applied health research. You will either investigate your own specific topic/aim or question using published literature under the guidance of an expert in the field, or you will develop skills and experience in science communication and small-scale evaluation. The module will consolidate your developing skills in collection, organisation, interpretation and presentation of evidence; and enhance your organisational, communication and personal reflective behaviours and employment skills.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module seeks to develop your ability to conduct detailed literature reviews within the biomedical/clinical science or applied health research discipline and report the results in writing and orally. It also aims to consolidate student reflective behaviours and employment skills.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate an understanding of a range of biomedical/clinical science techniques or applied health research or evidence synthesis methods.
- 2. Apply skills of critical thinking, problem-formulation, problem-solving, and rigorous scientific data /information analysis to biomedical/clinical science practice or to applied health research and research use.
- 3. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of essential facts, relevant methods and theory in a research discipline related to biomedical/clinical science or applied health research.
- 4. Describe and critically evaluate aspects of current research in biomedical/clinical science or applied health research with reference to research articles.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Demonstrate professional competence in communicating effectively with academic staff, healthcare professionals, or other relevant audiences and users of health research.
- 6. Understand the expected performance standards in relation to research integrity, multidisciplinary team-based working and recognise personal levels of professional scientific/applied research competence.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. Manage time, workload, ambiguity, change or stress effectively and demonstrate effective personal development planning, based on self-awareness and reflection.
- 8. Understand and apply key skills of effective project management.
- 9. Extend and use relevant employability skills such as effective report-writing and delivering engaging oral presentations.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:
Preliminary planning for the project takes place in Year 2 or the Professional Training Year (PTY), whichever appropriate. In the final year, project work will normally be undertaken in the Autumn and Spring terms and the written final reports are normally due in the Summer term.
Supervisory meetings are held by arrangement, with students entitled to at least 30 minutes of supervisory time per week. Three formal, documented meetings between the project student and supervisor take place and a formative submission of up to 10% of the dissertation is assessed with written feedback.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 430 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 2 | Lectures live either in person or via Teams/Zoom if they cannot occur face to face. |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 10 | Project work: Supervisor meetings for guidance on project development, implementation, data analysis and interpretation. Meetings for training and support to be done via Teams/Zoom as and when required. |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 8 | Workshops to be delivered or synchronous workshops via Teams/Zoom if they cannot occur face to face. |
| Guided Independent Study | 430 | Other project-related work including: Formative project proposal writing, project report writing, literature research, preparation for supervisor meetings, oral presentation preparation and other guided independent study. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal and key skills feedback from project supervisor and research colleagues as appropriate. | 100-200 words | 1-8 | Written and verbal |
| Provider feedback on draft of Literature Review Dissertation | On 10% of draft written literature review, equivalent to ~1.5 pages of A4 | 1-6, 9 | Written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0 | 20 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Project proposal | 5 | 1 page of A4 | 1-5 | Written and verbal |
| Literature Review Dissertation | 70 | 13 pages of A4 | 1-6, 9 | Written |
| Oral presentation (10min) + Q&As (5 min) | 20 | 15 min | 5,9 | Written |
| Literature Review Supervisor student performance judgement | 5 | Professionalism during project placement throughout Terms 1 and 2 | 1-8 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary project proposal (5%) | Re-submission of 1.5-page preliminary project proposal (5%) | 1-5 | Within 4-weeks of original submission |
| Literature Review Dissertation (70%) | Re-submission of the 13 page literature review | 1-6, 9 | By end of ref/def period |
| Oral presentation (20%) | Oral Presentation (10min) + Q&As (5 min) | 5,9 | By end of ref/def period |
| Literature Review Supervisor student performance judgement (5%) | Remediation meeting with academic tutor (40 minutes) | 1-9 | Early in term 3 (see note) |
Re-assessment notes
In the event of you failing the Literature Review Supervisor student performance judgement and failing the module overall, you will be required to meet with your Academic Tutor as soon as possible to remediate this failure as a referred assessment. This will involve undertaking any actions required by the Academic Tutor to remediate for any unprofessional behaviour. In the event of you failing the Literature Review Supervisor student performance judgement but passing the module overall, you will be required to meet with your academic tutor for an individual meeting to remediate this outcome before the end of the academic year.
Please also refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
This will vary according to your specific project, and will be guided by your supervisor during the project development phase.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=9208
This will vary according to your specific project, and will be guided by your supervisor during the project development phase.
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
As directed by the supervisor.
| Credit value | 45 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 22.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | CSC2023 Experimental Design Statistics |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 25/02/2012 |
| Last revision date | 25/02/2022 |
