NS 1021: Methods and Techniques I

Credits: 10 credits

Length: Continuous throughout the year.

Module Synopsis:

This module in each year provides training in Computing and relevant transferrable skills.

Transferrable Skills:

• Reflective Practice Sessions

You are required to keep an individual portfolio containing your research, ideas, notes and results for your entire degree course. You will have a Reflective Practice session once per core module, with a member of staff, where you will be expected to discuss your portfolio and your research practice.

• Research Seminars

As part of the Skills strand of Methods and Techniques there is a programme of Research Seminars. Each year a number of external speakers will visit to give a seminar on their interdisciplinary research. These seminars will consist of a ~45 minute presentation and a ~15 minute Q&A session. After this time refreshments will be provided and you will get an opportunity to talk informally to the speaker and other academics present.

These seminars will provide you with an insight into current cutting-edge research and allow you to converse with researchers in interdisciplinary areas.

After each Seminar you will be required to write a short account of the research in a particular style, as outlined below. This will increase in sophistication with each year, building up your communication skills. 

• Skills workshops

For example, before you are required to do a major presentation you will discuss what makes a successful presentation and analyse a video of yourself giving a brief talk.

Transferrable skills workshops for 2011-12:

• Information Handling I: Reading Scientific Literature
• Information Handling II: Research Techniques
• Communication I: Plagiarism
• Communication II: Report Writing
• Communication III: English Useage
• Information Handling III: Laboratory Notes Critical Review
• Exam Technique I
• Information Handling IV: Error Analysis
• Information Handing V: Graphs and Regression
• Communication IV: Oral Presentations
• Communication V: Oral Presentations
• Employability I: A Degree is Not Enough
• Communication VI: Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Computing: 

Computing is an ever-increasingly important component of scientific practice, as well as almost all careers. The Computing strand of the Methods and Techniques module is intended to ensure you have a solid base of competence in major IT packages, as well as to give you training in more specific scientific analysis and programming software.

We recognise that students will begin the course with widely differing levels of computing expertise, and to accommodate this the Computing strand gives you the opportunity to complete and submit a week's exercises ahead of the class. Should these be satisfactory then you will be excused from that week's class. If they do not reach the competency mark or you choose not to submit in advance then you will be required to attend the session and either complete the task in class, or to complete and submit it subsequently (but in advance of the next class).

IT programme for 2011-12:

• MS OneNote
• MS PowerPoint
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• Origin
• MAPLE