Programme Specifications

With Integrated Year in Industry

Biosciences

August 2024

This programme aims to provide its graduates with the skills and knowledge to meet and exceed the generic statements as outlined in the Biosciences Benchmark Statement with a particular focus on benchmark statements as outlined for students studying programmes focused on Organisms and Ecology and Environmental Biology. Given the focus of the degree there will be an emphasis on climate change and interdisciplinary learning and knowledge.

• Provide opportunities for students to develop further their interest, knowledge and understanding in the biosciences with a specialisation in climate change biology.

• Provide the skills necessary to allow students to adapt and respond to change, and to engage in life-long learning.

• Develop in students an appreciation of the social responsibilities of graduates in biological sciences in general, and in the area of climate change biology in particular.

• The scheme will equip students to develop further their creativity in the field of climate change biology.

In addition to these subject-specific outcomes, the year in industry will also allow students to develop their knowledge of their subject areas in applied contexts and to develop work experience and thus enhance their employability. Specifically, the proposed degree aims to advantage students in the following additional ways:

• To apply approaches, concepts, skills, methods and/or theories in a work-based context relevant to their scheme

• To develop highly valued transferable and professional skills during a work placement, providing a competitive edge in the graduate job market

• To enable students to learn about an organization and its area of work, providing an excellent opportunity to evaluate future career path

Additionally, the aim of the four-year version of this degree will be to develop graduate level skills, related to the industry.

The intended learning outcomes are listed below and mapped to individual modules later in this document. These are focused on producing biologists with experience of working as members of interdisciplinary teams to address problems associated with climate change.

A1 Describe, discuss and understand the key biological concepts and phenomena relevant to Biology and Climate Change confidently, accurately and in detail, using appropriate terminology.

A2 Be aware of the full breadth of the Biosciences, from molecular to cellular, and from organism to ecosystem.

A3 Engage with literature in Biology and Climate Change to develop insight into the subject.

A4 Appreciate the contribution of Biosciences to the innovations that characterise the modern world, and the potential of Biosciences graduates from this field to develop sustainable solutions to current and future challenges.

A5 Stay up to date with advances in Biology and Climate Change, including aspects of sustainability, and appreciate the fluid nature of knowledge that evolves as new findings emerge.

Learning and Teaching
Lectures; practical laboratory and field classes, including optional residential field trips; workshops and seminars; small group tutorials; problem-based learning; self-directed study and research; oral and poster presentations; research projects; peer and collaborative learning; feedback from coursework assignments. Students will be engaged in interdisciplinary work throughout the course of the degree via the interdisciplinary climate change modules.

During their integrated year in industry students will embed themselves within a working environment, allowing for the development of a range of transferable and life skills commensurate with the above. Furthermore, students on this scheme will have the potential to utilise the knowledge and skills associated with other outcomes developed in years 1 and 2. This will be in part dependent on the nature of the organisation in which their position is based.

Assessment Strategies and Methods Unseen and seen examinations; laboratory and fieldwork reports; dissertation; essays; data interpretation exercises; oral and poster presentations.

Students on the integrated industrial year will be required to register for the module BRS0060. During the integrated Year in Industry, students will be required to submit an Introductory Report (worth 30% of the Industrial Year mark) on the organization that they are working for, its structure, aims and operation; and a Workplace investigation, to investigate a technical aspect of the work that they are doing (worth 40% of the Industrial Year mark). Finally, there will be an AU staff assessment of the final student self-evaluation and employer’s report. These will be marked in order to assess the student’s achievement of learning outcome 10.1 above as well as the other learning outcomes of their scheme.

10.2.1 Intellectual Skills

By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to:

B1 Recognise the relationships and interfaces between Biology and Climate Change and other subjects (both scientific and outside of the sciences), such that they are able to operate effectively in a multidisciplinary environment.

B2 Apply ethical awareness to working in the Biosciences, appreciate the historical context of the subject and the societal impacts of advances in the Biosciences.

B3 Demonstrate experience of working in a professional environment.

Learning and Teaching
Lectures; workshops and seminars; small group tutorials; self-directed study and research; laboratory and fieldtrips, including optional residential field courses; research projects; problem-based learning; peer and collaborative learning; oral and poster presentations; feedback from coursework assignments.

Assessment Strategies and Methods
Unseen and seen examinations; laboratory and fieldwork reports; dissertation; essays; data interpretation exercises; oral and poster presentations; online activities.

10.2.2 Professional practical skills / Discipline Specific Skills

By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to:

C1 Apply knowledge and understanding of biological systems and methodologies to design experiments and to solve theoretical and practical problems, with awareness of appropriate controls, possible bias, ethics and sustainability.

C2 Describe, document and enact safe working practices in terms of managing biological, chemical, laboratory or field-based risk, through knowledge-based risk assessments and practical activities.

C3 Select and carry out appropriate quantitative and qualitative practical (laboratory, field or computational) techniques to solve problems relevant to the course, including consideration of the theoretical basis and limitations of various techniques.

C4 Complete independent open-ended investigative work through a project/research-based assignment relevant to the course. This could be a laboratory or field-based project, an evidenced-based review, and/or collecting and evaluating data from a variety of sources.

C5 Collect qualitative and quantitative data from investigations relevant to the course and analyse and interpret these data to allow testing of hypotheses, contextualising of findings, presentation of findings, and suggestions for further lines of investigation.

C6 Applying principles, methods, approaches, concepts, skills and/or theories appropriate to the Biology and Climate Change programme in a professional context, as well as understanding the challenges of working in a professional environment.

Learning and Teaching
Field and laboratory practicals; optional residential field courses; peer and collaborative learning; research projects; oral and poster presentations; feedback from coursework assignments.

Assessment Strategies and Methods
Laboratory and fieldwork reports; dissertation; oral and poster presentations.

By the end of their programme, all students are expected to be able to:

D1 Acquire skills in research and data analysis.

D2 Deploy mathematical and statistical concepts, processes and tools, such as the manipulation of equations and graphical and statistical analysis, to solve problems or evaluate data.

D3 Develop problem-solving and creative thinking skills.

D4 Develop a thorough grounding in information technology skills and use appropriate databases, computational techniques and tools to aid further understanding of and insight into biological processes.

D5 Demonstrate the ability to work independently.

D6 Demonstrate time-management and organisational skills, including the ability to meet deadlines.

D7 Develop the ability to express ideas and communicate effectively, in both written and oral forms, selecting appropriate content, media and methods for the audience, purpose and subject.

D8 Demonstrate self-motivation and self-reliance.

D9 Collaborate and work successfully and inclusively in a group environment, contributing positively and flexibly to team outputs.

D10 Act professionally, with due regard for legal, ethical and societal responsibilities, modelling good practice that promotes positive, sustainable and inclusive perceptions of the Biosciences and of Bioscientists.

D11 Demonstrate professionalism and an understanding of commercial pressures.

Learning and Teaching
Lectures; workshops and seminars; small group tutorials; self-directed study and research; laboratory and fieldtrips, including optional residential field courses; research projects; problem-based learning; peer and collaborative learning; oral and poster presentations; feedback from coursework assignments.

Assessment Strategies and Methods
Unseen and seen examinations; laboratory and fieldwork reports; dissertation; essays; data interpretation exercises; oral and poster presentations; online activities.