Oral Health Sciences Research Project (DENT40002)

Intended learning outcomes

In undertaking a research project and writing up a thesis of approximately 10,000 words and presenting two oral talks, the student will have demonstrated the ability to:

• take joint responsibility for their learning and to accept responsibility for moving towards intellectual independence;
• read the literature and determine that a problem can be addressed;
• state the problem in the form of a hypothesis that can be tested experimentally;
• design and conduct this experiment;
• develop methods, collect data and analyse the results using the appropriate statistical methods;
• discuss the findings in light of the limitations of the experiment and in relation to previously published work;
• consider what further work might arise from the conclusion;
• express the study in correct English and present it in a form consistent with the acceptable scientific conventions for the particular discipline in both written and oral forms.

Generic skills

• critical analysis and decision making;
• how to seek and retrieve relevant information;
• how to work effectively in a team environment;
• planning and organization;
• problem solving;
• time management;
• extended observation;
• good oral and written communication.