Course Title: Science Honours Project 2

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Science Honours Project 2

Credit Points: 24


Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

ONPS2316

City Campus

Undergraduate

135H Applied Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2011,
Sem 2 2011

ONPS2410

Bundoora Campus

Undergraduate

135H Applied Sciences

Face-to-Face

Sem 1 2011

Course Coordinator: Prof Mike Adams

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 3358

Course Coordinator Email:mike.adams@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 3.01.08B

Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Students should have appropriate background knowledge in scientific methodology and the area of their project, such as obtained from completion of a Bachelor of Science degree


Course Description

Research experience as provided by an Honours program is required for most academic and research positions, and increasingly for positions in other sectors of industry. Experience and training in research is also valuable in maintaining the currency of your knowledge in science.

Specific objectives of the Honours program are to:

i.    develop your skills in critical thinking, self-directed learning and communication,
ii.    equip you with the skills, knowledge and capabilities to work effectively in a range of research settings,
iii.    support you in participating in existing and RMIT research projects.


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

On completion of the project, a student should be able to:
•    Specify research questions
•    Develop appropriate hypothesis for testing
•    Design experiments to test the hypotheses
•    Collect data and store them, with appropriate regard to any ethical requirements
•    Analyse data objectively and quantitatively
•    Draw and present appropriate conclusions and compare these with the literature


The course, with ONPS 2316, is the research project undertaken by all Honours students.
The project, selected from the appropriate Discipline area, allows students to develop skills in investigating a problem using scientific methodology.
The project will be supervised by an academic research staff member and may involve direct collaboration with external bodies such as industries or government agencies.


Overview of Learning Activities

    Under the individual guidance of your project supervisor, you will conduct experiments, investigations and research using a range of instrumentation, computing resources, and materials according to the nature of your project, and will analyse and reflect on your results in self-directed study. In the case of collaborative research projects, some of this work may be carried out in external laboratories.


Overview of Learning Resources

    You will have access to current literature through the Library and manuals etc. available in your research group.
    You will be expected to access the references on good scientific writing on the DLS.
    You may contact Student Services for assistance with learning and information on a range of supports available to facilitate your academic success.


Overview of Assessment

Assessment for the course, combined with ONPS 2316(Science Honours Project 2) and ONPS 2317 (Project Planning) will be based on a submitted project thesis (examined by two staff), and a supervisor’s report. All students will be expected to present a short seminar on their work; this is a hurdle for satisfactory completion of the course