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PX4007: CASE STUDIES IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES (2018-2019)

Last modified: 22 May 2019 17:07


Course Overview

Whatever career you end up in, group working skills will be critical, and this course is designed to develop them. It is 100% continuously assessed and consists of some initial teamwork training, followed by two very different projects. One explores PET scanning and is taught by Professor Andy Welch, who is in charge of the medical imaging unit at Foresterhill. The other is about fibre optics communications and is taught by Dr. Ross Macpherson. These open-ended projects will give you some less prescriptive assessment in your final year.




Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Geoffrey Dunn
  • Dr Ross Macpherson

Qualification Prerequisites

  • Programme Level 4

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
  • Physics (PX)

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

The course follows a tutored self-learning approach, with the class working in groups of four to five students.

The topics for the studies are given at the start of the course. After an initial expert presentation (often given by someone external to the department), the groups are given a real-world problem to work on and research. There can be two tutor-led meetings per week (this is up to the students), and the tutor acts as a facilitator, not as a teacher. The tutor also observes the dynamics of each group.

At the start of the course there is a session on group working. This allows time to explore the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork before the assessed parts begin.

Teams are rotated between tasks, and part of the feedback on the previous task is given before the next one begins.

Further Information & Notes

Topics will vary from year to year depending on staff availability.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%), covering two studies (40/60%) and broken down into individual and group components.

Formative Assessment

Initial workshop on team working skills gives feedback individually on role-preferences. Group sessions will receive formative feedback from the facilitator as each study progresses, together with continual guidance in person and by e-mail.

Feedback

Group sessions will receive formative feedback from the facilitator as each study progresses, together with continual guidance in person and by e-mail.

Summative assessment will be provided as a mark with written comments on the team performance. Oral feedback on the presentations will be given by the facilitator at a timetabled feedback session.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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