Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton

Knowledge and understanding
Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The broad scientific background to your project.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding in the specific area of the project.
• Relevant scientific literature and ways to summarise key facts and issues emerging from a detailed study of that literature.
• The specific resources required for the specific project, and their availability at the appropriate times.

Cognitive (thinking) skills
Having successfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• Evaluate research literature critically and identify existing gaps in knowledge.
• Recognise and select experimental, analysis, and statistical techniques appropriate for the specific project.

Practical, subject specific skills
Having sucessfully completed the module, you will be able to:

• Plan for the successful execution of technically complex research projects while constrained by limited time and possible competition for other resources.
• Assess a project in terms of health and safety issues.
• Carry out a risk assessment.
• Understand the ethical implications of your project.

Key transferable skills
Having successfully completed the module, you will be better able to:

• Apply information skills by using a library effectively, in particular its database and archive resources.
• Write a technical report.
• Give an oral technical presentation.

The aims of this module are to:

• Ensure that you are fully prepared to proceed with the MSc project immediately after completing the qualifying examinations in the summer.
• Develop basic ability to define a research question and plan an investigation to answer that question.
• Develop written and spoken presentation skills for a scientific audience.

• To enable you to find relevant literature and to critically review that literature and its impact on your project.
• To ensure that you identify the resources required to complete the project and that you develop a realistic and achievable plan for the research.
• To provide feedback on your written and spoken presentation skills.

Library Skills

• Use of OPAC and other catalogues.
• Finding your way around the library.
• How to start searching the literature.
• Any problems you may have already encountered.

Use of Endnote

Literature Searching and Citation Skills

Introduction to the project

• Literature review.
• Project planning.
• Oral presentation.
• The dissertation.
• Independent learning.
• Resources available to enable you to develop these skills.

Health and Safety

• Introduction to the ISVR safety procedures.
• Risk assessment.
• Human experimentation safety and ethics.

Technical writing workshop

• Using samples of your written work an interactive workshop will be held to help you improve your writing skills.

Literature review and project planning

• Guided by your project supervisor you will carry out a literature review and write this up in a report along with a project plan.

Oral presentation workshop

• An interactive workshop will be held in small groups to help you improve your presentation skills.

Oral presentations

• Each student will give a short presentation on their project.

Initial lectures for the whole class explaining the various processes of project identification and selection, literature search and analysis, technical writing, and project planning and preparation.

Interactive sessions on technical writing and oral presentation skills.

More detailed discussion with the project supervisor to guide the project development work.

Feedback provided by the project supervisor, or by the module lecturers as required. Much of the learning takes place during the preparation and execution of the three coursework assignments.

Secondary text

2.2 The Writing Process which helps you ‘get going’ together with sections 2.3, Developing your message through paragraphs and 2.4, Presenting your work professionally found at: http://www.academic-skills.soton.ac.uk/develop.htm together with a grammar guide., The Writing Technically Guide gives you some basic information on technical writing style – see section,