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Module

MAS8092 : MMath Project and Research Skills

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Stefan Kolb
  • Owning School: Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 30
Semester 2 Credit Value: 30
ECTS Credits: 30.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

To complete an in-depth study of a particular topic in mathematics or statistics leading to the preparation and submission of a report.
To provide students with skills in research necessary for their project.
To develop key literacy and communication skills.
To research the literature and produce a short presentation on a topic related to their project.

Module Summary
A project on an approved topic in an area of Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics or Statistics. The workload of the module will normally be 30 credits in each of Semesters 1 and 2. Details of the arrangements for the allocation of projects, the work and supervisory arrangements, and the presentation and assessment of the report, presentation and poster, are given in the web pages: https://ncl.instructure.com/courses/32642/pages/maths-and-stats-stage-4-projects and are separately available from the module leader.

Outline Of Syllabus

Students are required to liaise with their project supervisor for an approved topic in their subject area.
Workshops and seminars will cover the following topics:
Research seminars: a selection of invited speakers presenting current research topics in the students’ subject area.
Scientific literature: searching, curating and citing the scientific literature.
Presentation and communication skills.
A schedule of the delivery of the different workshops and up to date details on times and locations of the research seminars will be provided at the beginning of the course on Canvas.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching101:0010:00Workshops and activities
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching32:006:00Reading group discussion
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDrop-in/surgery221:0022:00Supervisory Meetings
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study174:0074:00Detailed writing of the dissertation
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study1418:00418:00Background reading and other preparatory work including assessment completion
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study120:0020:00Work on relevant Digital Skills (R or Python)
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study150:0050:00Work on presentation and poster
Total600:00
Jointly Taught With
Code Title
MAS8392MMathStat Project and Research Skills
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The workshops cover the use of LaTeX for the presentation of mathematical text, and advice on written, poster and oral presentations. Workshops will also cover key research skills provided by the library on scientific communication, referencing and coding in an appropriate programming language (R or Python). The supervisory meetings will assist the student in progressing with the selected topic but the majority of the work on the module will be done by the student in private study.
Attendance at research seminars will expose students to advanced research talks in their area and learn how to effectively present research findings, ask insightful questions, and engage in academic discussions. Students will then summarise this through a short report.
A small reading group seminar will allow students to discuss a chosen topic with their peers and reflect upon this with a short report.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams
Description Length Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Oral Presentation151M1015 minutes presentation on research project.
Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Poster2M10Poster on research project
Dissertation2M6035-to-45-page report on research project
Written exercise1M101-page report on the skills activities
Reflective log2M102-page report on their selected topic
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The oral presentation, poster presentation and reading group discussion are to assess the students’ ability to explain mathematical ideas and analysis to a general audience. The activities report of activities is to ensure students have exposure to leading research in their area and learn how to effectively present research findings, ask insightful questions, and engage in academic discussions. The topics report is to assess students’ ability to self-assess and reflect on their small group discussion, developing their critical thinking and reflective writing. The dissertation is designed to assess their in-depth understanding of their chosen topic, and to develop written presentations skills.

The length of the project report may vary somewhat between projects, but it should be about 35 to 45 pages long (12 point type).

Reading Lists

Timetable