BIO160 Bachelor Thesis - Biomedical laboratory sciences

Contents and structure

The bachelor thesis is the final part of the bachelor degree, and is taken in the 5th and 6th semester.

 

Students will complete an independent method and problem-oriented task based on a realistic problem within Biomedical laboratory sciences, which requires knowledge and skills of key areas of the program. The project is a joint project for 2-3 students. It may be a partnership with a medical laboratory or be part of the internal research and development initiatives at HiB.

Each student team is assigned an internal supervisor from the program, who will provide guidance to ensure the scientific and methodological elements are well attended. Students regularly report the progress of the project to the supervisor and to the laboratory contact through oral and written reports. The team make regular entries in a project diary documenting the project activities. On completion of the project the individual students will, through a reflection paper, account for their academic and personal development while working on the project.

The thesis must be conducted in accordance with Guidelines for bachelor thesis at HiB, and a supervisory agreement must be signed.

Learning Outcome

Upon completing the course, the candidate will have attained the following learning outcome:

 

Knowledge

• is familiar with the relevant methods and working practices relating to research and development within the field of biomedical laboratory sciences
• be able to update their knowledge through contact with relevant academic communities and practice fields

Skills

• collect, analyze and refer information in a critical and reflective way
• document and communicate project results in a systematic and scientific way

 

General competence

• work with planning and execution of a biomedical laboratory science project, both independently and in teams
• translate their knowledge and skills into practical solutions
• show reflective, ethical and environmental insight into their work, in accordance with relevant national guidelines

Entry requirements

To be assigned a bachelor project the students must have passed:

• All courses in the first year and BIO129 Biochemistry, BIO130 Hematology and Hemostasis og BIO133 Medical Laboratory Science II. In addition at least 15 ECTS of the following courses: BIO127 Applied Bioinformatics, BIO128 Immunology, BIO131 Microbiology og BIO132 Transfusion Medicine.
• Compulsory work in all courses in the 5th semester must be approved.

Teaching methods

Lectures, laboratory and supervised project work in teams consisting of 2-3 students. A team of one student may be allowed as an exception.

 

25 hours of supervision is mandatory for the team/student in the project period. 

Each team will also attend process guidance, 3 times a 1 hour.

 

Joint project work

Projects will be presented at the end of 5.semester and at the beginning of 6.semester. Project Groups will be formed after assigning projects.The team then develops a project plan in cooperation with the supervisor. The project plan contains problem formulation, feasibility analysis (method selection and required resources), ethical considerations, project organization with project schedule and any cost estimates. The project work typically consists of smaller reaserch projects, evaluation of analyzes/methods or literature studies related to various issues within the discipline.

 

The project team documents the activities of the project regularly in a project diary. The project diary is submitted to the supervisor, who gives feedback regarding the academic content and quality.

Compulsory learning activities

A learning portfolio consists of the following coursework:

1. Individually requirements:

• One submission related to the lectures in the introduction to scientific theory and methodology course
• Attending supervision
• Attending lectures
• A reflection paper (self-reflection on personal development and learning outcome)

2. Requirements for the group:

• Project Plan
• Written project diary
• The Bachelor's thesis in accordance with the template of the institute
• An English abstract
• Presentation of the project
• Presentation and participation at EXPO with poster presentations.

 

All coursework items must be submitted by the given deadlines.

 

The learning portfolio documents the learning process through the semester as a continuous assessment. Only two of the required coursework items will be part of the portfolio assessment as the basis for the determination of the grading (see Assessment).

Assessment

The final assessment is based on two parts: portfolio assessment and oral exam.

Both parts must be passed in order to pass the examination.

 

Portfolio Assessment

The assessment is based on two items of the learning portfolio:

• The Project Plan
• The Bachelor's thesis

Suggested total number of pages for the bachelor's thesis is 30-60. The final deadline for submitting the bachelor thesis will be given by the start of the project.

The grading scale is Passed / not passed. The grade for the portfolio assessment is set for the group as a whole.

 

Oral examination, 1 hour

The team provide a presentation of 20 minutes summarizing bachelor project. Subsequent 10 minutes with summaries and comments from the sensors. Subsequently, the individual oral examination of each of the group members at a maximum of 20 minutes (max).

The oral exam will focus on the team and the individual student's understanding of methods, the choice of methods in their work process, as well as the final result in terms of the bachelor's thesis.

The grading scale is Passed / not passed. The grade for the oral exam is individual.