Module Information

Module Identifier
PGM2400
Module Title
Research Seminar Skills in the Life Sciences
Academic Year
2025/2026
Co-ordinator
Professor Gareth Griffith
Semester
Semester 1 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Other Staff
 

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Attendance and 300 word abstracts  for a minimum of 6 workshops required.  100%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. To be able to select relevant seminars and reflect on their learning experience.
2. Demonstrate their ability to summarise the salient conent of a 1hr research seminar and to link this to the relevant publications of the speaker.
3. Have a better understanding of current developments in the Life Sciences and the broader research context in areas beyond their own research specialisms.

Brief description

To impart further skills of a subject-specific nature to research students in Life Sciences
IBERS runs a series of weekly research seminars, involving speakers from AU (mostly IBERS but also DGES etc.) and external visitng speakers. Students participating in this module would be expected to attend 10-15 of these seminars during semesters 1 and 2, and to submit 300 word abstracts for six of these.

Aims

This module aims to give PhD students a broad knowledge of a range of subject specific skills that they can apply in a variety of research interests. In particular, it will develop the ability of students to appreciate the relevance of research beyond their immediate area of study

Content

Attendance of IBERS departmental seminars (weekly, usually on Mondays at 4pm) and preparation of a 300 word summary from SIX of these seminars, along with a list of all the seminars which they attended and the rationale for choosing the six seminar for their abstracts in relation to their own research project (which should be about 200 words). Abstracts should contain 1-2 references to papers written by the seminar speaker to demonstrate how the seminar topic relates to the broader interests of the speaker. The assessment should be completed with a short (about 200 words) reflection on the aspects learned by the seminars. The seminars series will be complimented by two workshops, with the first before the start of the seminars series to cover details of the module, while a second workshop later on could concentrate in more detail on the assessment aspects.

Links to past IBERS seminars:-
http://users.aber.ac.uk/gwg/ibers-sem/IBERSsem2012-13.htm
http://users.aber.ac.uk/gwg/ibers-sem/IBERSsem2013-14.htm
http://users.aber.ac.uk/gwg/ibers-sem/index.htm (current session)

NB All parts of this module may be assessed in Welsh if requested.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Communication Writing skills are developed
Improving own Learning and Performance Skills in notetaking and abstract construction to a set deadline are developed, including the selection/reflection process.
Information Technology Skills in searching web/databases for relevant peer-reviewed literature
Personal Development and Career planning Exposure to research level seminars across a range of life sciences topic areas enhances the student's understanding of the breadth of scientific research and also the significance of inter-disciplinary collaboration
Research skills Developed by the need to summarise a 1hr seminar in 300 words, whilst also including some information from the speakers research publications
Subject Specific Skills Depending on choices

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 7