Supervision of online bioinformatics projects

Aims:

To give the Masters student experience and training in bioinformatics research through a high quality research project either in industry or in academia.

Objectives:

To understand and experience:

1. the technical skills required for efficient bioinformatics research;
2. the organisation and implementation of research;
3. working to deadlines and as part of a team;
4. the skills required to record, report and write up original scientific research.

The responsibilities of the University supervisor include:

1. giving guidance about the nature of research and the standard expected, the planning of the research programme, literature and sources, attendance at taught classes where appropriate and about requisite techniques (including arranging for instruction where necessary);
2. ensuring that, where relevant, the work-based supervisor receives appropriate training and support in the use of the on-line communication tools that will be used for maintaining contacts between the student in the workplace and the University;
3. maintaining contact through regular on-line meetings (the frequency of meetings being appropriate to the research being undertaken and agreed in advance);
4. being accessible to students at other appropriate times for advice and responding to difficulties raised by the student;
5. giving detailed advice on the necessary completion dates of successive stages of the work so that the thesis may be submitted within the agreed timescale;
6. requesting written work or reports as appropriate and returning written material with constructive criticism and in reasonable time;
7. ensuring that the student is made aware when progress is not satisfactory and facilitating improvement with advice and guidance;
8. establishing, at an early stage, the supervisor's responsibilities in relating to the student's written work, including the nature of the guidance and comments to be offered as the work proceeds and on the draft of the thesis before it is submitted. It must be made clear to the student that research for a higher degree is undertaken within the general principle that a thesis must be the student's own work;
9. making students aware of other researchers and research work in the department and Graduate School;
10. encouraging the student to publish the research;
11. providing pastoral support and advising students, where appropriate, of University support services;
12. bringing to the attention of the students the health and safety regulations and academic rules, regulations and codes of practice of the University;
13. bringing to the attention of the students, regulations concerning absence due to ill health.

While supervision is mainly online, using bulletin boards, email and videoconferencing as appropriate, students may also wish to arrange face-to-face meetings. These meetings may take place in Manchester. Other students arrange project meeting to co-incide with an international conference, or another visit by the supervisor to the student's home country.

The responsibilities of the workplace supervisor include:

1. being accessible to students at appropriate times for advice and responding to difficulties raised by the student;
2. bringing to the attention of the students the health and safety regulations of the workplace and what to do if things go wrong;
3. bringing to the attention of the students, regulations concerning absence due to ill health.

The responsibilities of the student include:

1. pursuing the programme with a positive commitment, taking full advantage of the resources and facilities offered by the academic environment and, in particular, contact with the supervisor, other staff and research students;
2. discussing with the supervisor the type of guidance and comment believed to be most helpful, and agreeing a schedule of on-line meetings;
3. ensuring that he/she is aware of the health and safety regulations and academic rules and regulations and codes of practice of the University;
4. successfully completing any training programme arranged within the prescribed time period;
5. taking the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem, bearing in mind that prompt discussion and resolution of problems can prevent difficulties and disagreements at a later stage;
6. maintaining the progress of the work in accordance with the stages agreed with the supervisor, including in particular the presentation of written material as required, in sufficient time to allow for comments and discussion before proceeding to the next stage. Where possible, students will be given details of the work programme for the academic year at the beginning of the year;
7. agreeing with the supervisor the amount of time to be devoted to the research and the timing and duration of holiday periods;
8. deciding when to submit the thesis. The student should take due account of the supervisor's opinion but must recognise that it is only advisory. The student must ensure that appropriate notice of intent to submit a thesis is given, in accordance with the published University procedures;
9. checking the completeness and accuracy of the text of the thesis submitted; failure to check the thesis carefully may result in the thesis being failed or cause a delay in the award of a degree.

Writing your thesis

The results of the supervised research project will be presented as a bound dissertation (minimum length 20,000 words, maximum length 30,000 words or equivalent scientific data content) according to the University regulations (90 credits).

Literature projects (Diploma)

Once the taught part of the course is successfully completed, a Diploma candidate will undertake a dissertation on a given aspect of bioinformatics.

Aims:

To give the Diploma student experience and training in abstracting and assessing information from a variety of published sources.

Objectives:

To understand and experience:

1. the organisation and implementation of literature research;
2. working to deadlines;
3. an opportunity for developing the skills required to search the literature and the other resources such as the internet, record, analyse and write up the research into a comprehensive report.

Choosing your topic

The literature project gives experience in abstracting and assessing information you have received during the taught element of the MSc course and reviewing additional information as necessary. It also gives you an opportunity to develop your communication skills through the planning and writing of the report.

Writing your dissertation

The dissertation should be about 10,000 words, and will account for 30 credits.

Thesis submission and assessment

If the student has satisfied the Board of Examiners regarding the taught part of the course, he/she will be allowed to continue with a research or literature project.

Prior to submitting the thesis, students are required to give notice of submission by completing a form downloaded from the on-line Project Handbook. Please ensure that the form is returned as soon as possible as this will allow time for the supervisor to nominate two internal examiners. An early notice of submission will speed up the process of examining the thesis as examiners have to be appointed and approved by the University (this can take up to 2-4 weeks). This can only begin once your Notice of Submission form has been received.

Assessment of the Thesis

Research dissertations submitted by taught Masters/Diploma students in the Faculty of Life Sciences are examined by two internal examiners. The external examiner acts in a moderating role in relation to all the dissertations submitted, after the reports have been individually marked by the two internal examiners separately and independently, with no prior knowledge of the assessment made by each other.

You will submit two copies of your dissertation to the Teaching Office in the Faculty of Life Sciences. Internal examiners will assess your work and will return completed report forms to the Teaching Office. These reports and recommendations will be collated and sent to the External Examiner for his/her moderation in advance of an Examiners' Meeting.

The examiners can recommend:

1. Award of a Masters Degree, with or without Merit or Distinction (see below);
2. Award of Masters subject to minor corrections, referral of the thesis but encouraging resubmission;
3. Rejection with no permission to resubmit.

Note that a maximum of two submissions for the award of Masters are permitted i.e. only one revision under normal circumstances. If the revised Masters dissertation fails to satisfy the examiners, no award is made.

Those students whose theses require minor corrections to be done will normally find they are given a week or so to do them and will need to return their thesis to the Teaching Office.

The Award of Distinction

For the award of Distinction, a candidate must excel in both the taught and research elements of the programme. He/she should have obtained an average of not less than 70% in the taught components, with no evidence of weakness in any subject area, and 70% or more for the Masters research dissertation. The dissertation must be submitted by the end of the course, unless there are significant mitigating circumstances, approved in advance, by the Faculty Masters Committee, for missing this deadline. Distinctions will only be awarded to exceptional candidates, so it is expected that in some years no Distinctions will be awarded.

Distance learning in computational biology

Research projects in computational biology

Updated 6 September 2011 by Heather Vincent