The Practice
A Development Project was funded by BILT to develop a New Group project for final year students using students as researchers. This New Project needs to fulfil particular ILOs, in particular it needs to provide students, working in groups, with a real research experience which is affiliated with, rather than embedded in, a research lab. This is to address the widening gap between available spaces for students to undertake their final year capstone project in research labs and increasing student numbers. During the Development project three students were trained in some selected techniques that would provide me, as the supervisor of both Development and New projects, with valuable insight into the best way to design and run the project. New equipment was trail run by the students during the Development project which was very useful in estimating further capital input required to run the New Group project yearly looking ahead.
The Impact
Three students working for 7 days provided significant impact.
The feedback has been of a very positive student experience and has also provided valuable sign posting for staff to make particular changes to how the training was delivered and in particular what the students found overly challenging.
The students acknowledge that working on this Development project has provided them with valuable skills in techniques that, although they may not use again, they can appreciate has made them think and work independently- a critical component of any capstone project.
The practice has enabled them to experience a short sharp insight into how researchers work.
They have gained some pretty niche techniques and I would recommend they add it to their CVs as they all expressed an interest in going on to study for a PhD.
They felt very positive about the benefits there would be to students like them who might choose to do a group final year project as part of a team.
For the staff directly involved (me) the project provided an opportunity to work in a new space.
I was able to extract valuable organisational information regarding how best to run the project e.g. the project uses material with a small usable window, and the project uses equipment that is housed far and wide in the BMS building. The development project informed me of the limits of what I can expect from the students doing the New Project. E.g. particular time consuming techniques using shared equipment.
Very importantly the Development project allowed me to observe how much time it takes for groups of inexperienced students to do tricky stuff, and how long it takes to train them, and how much I can then expect them to train each other.
The Development project enabled me to suggest that I take in double the number of students (12) than was initially suggested (6) so long as capital for doubling required equipment was available (it was, so I did take on 12 students).
Next Steps
The Development project has now morphed into the New (expanded) project (academic year 21/22) which is to be expanded again ( academic year 22/23)
Contact
Email Lucy MacCarthy-Morrogh
