MDSA30280 SSRA Research Elective I

Academic Year 2022/2023

This is an 8-week research module is offered to UCD School of Medicine (SoM) students involved in supervised laboratory, clinical based, PACE-R (Patient advocate centered educational research) or Internationally based research initiatives during their undergraduate course in UCD SoM.

Student supervision will be carried out by staff within and associated with the UCD SoM and affiliated hospitals, PACE-R and International hosts. Project selection for this research elective, and the mechanism of student assignment to each project is the responsibility of the module coordinator and a designated committee of academics and relevant project supervisors.

Applicants will be expected to:-

1. Source your own project and/or review "Available Projects" (Student hub).
2. Email supervisors of projects you are interested in including completed Student Project Application Form 2022 (found on the SSRA Website).
3. Students may be selected on academic record and/OR may have to present for interview with the relevant Lead and co-supervisor(s).
4. Once selected, undertake an 8 week research project from June to August (Summer).
6. Keep a daily laboratory / research/Reflective journal signed each week by the Lead and/ OR co-supervisor.
7. Write an abstract in the style of the Irish Journal of Medical Science (IJMS).
8. Submit a research report in the format specified in the Student hub
9. Obtain a good supervisors report
10 Submit a pdf of research posters

OUTSIDE OF THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS:-

Outside of the assessment process, all students will be asked to present their research activity as a poster which will be adjudicated by a panel of academics for the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals for excellence in Research with the winners to be announced at the Annual Summer Student Research Award (SSRA) Symposium held annually in the following Autumn trimester.

IMPORTANT:- Please be advised that the final assessment for this module will appear as DISTINCTION/ PASS/ FAIL.


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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students are expected to have fulfilled the following learning outcomes:-

1. Adhere strictly to designated guidelines for completion of application forms for project selection.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of research report writing which MUST be submitted as part of the assessment process.
3. Display an authoritative understanding of the research question in hand and design a coherent experimental strategy to critically evaluate the research question.
4. Understand why particular experimental approaches have been used to address the research question in hand.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the requirement of ethical approval if appropriate to the project.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of the statistical tests used in determining the significance of the findings if appropriate.
8. Following a strict set of AUTHOR guidelines submit an abstract in the style of IJMS. Assessment will be based on adherence to journal style, word count and designated journal format.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of how to generate a poster

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

200
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Project based 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Equivalents:
SMMS Research Elective II (PATH30090)


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Students are required to submit a PDF of their posters to ssra@ucd.ie Unspecified n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

20
Attendance: Supervisors report Unspecified n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

20
Lab Report: Submission of Laboratory/Reflective journal to include all relevant documentation and signatures. Labbooks submitted TWO weeks after the designated submission deadline will NOT be accepted Unspecified n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

40
Assignment: Write their research as a 250 word abstract following the guidelines for the Irish Journal of Medical Science (IJMS) (Refer to SSRA information book) Unspecified n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

20

Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Dr Eoin Brennan Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Melinda Halasz Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Peter Holloway Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Stephen Lalor Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Brendan Loftus Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor Amanda McCann Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Alison Reynolds Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Rachel Toomey Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Deborah Wallace Lecturer / Co-Lecturer