Bachelor's Thesis
18 EC
Semester 2, periode 5, 6
5042BPB18Y
| Eigenaar | Bachelor Biologie |
| Coördinator | dr. Dorian Swarts |
| Onderdeel van | Bachelor Biologie, jaar 3Bachelor Bèta-gamma, major Biologie, jaar 3 |
The student chooses well before the official starting date of the bachelor project (and the preceding course Research Project Design and Planning) a subject and contacts a teacher/researcher for supervision. The student registers the project on DataNose and provides a short description of the background, research question, methods and timeline of the project. A concise research proposal in which these aspects are further elaborated upon will be written during the preceding course Research Project Design and Planning. During this course the student is also studying the available literature on the chosen topic and formulates together with the supervisor one or more research questions. If needed, the research proposal can be optimised using the first few weeks of the bachelor project. The research proposal forms the first part of the bachelor thesis but is not part of the final mark for the bachelor project (grading of the research proposal will be done as part of the preceding Research Project Design and Planning course).
In week 1-2 of the bachelor project the student reads more literature if needed and will get acquainted with the techniques that are being used for the internship (i.e. lab skills or field work).
In week 3-8 field work is being performed or research in the lab. In week 6, there will be an interim evaluation for both student and supervisor.
In week 9-10 data analysis is done and if needed extra measurements can be taken.
In week 11-12 the bachelor thesis will be finished. The thesis will have the structure of a scientific research article. The student will receive at least one feedback round from the supervisor on a draft version of the thesis. In addition, peer-review will take place. In week 12 a final presentation will be provided by the student in English on the bachelor project symposium.
The final deadline to hand in the bachelor thesis and the associated data files is 4 July 2022, unless agreed otherwise with the supervisors and coordinator (well) before the deadline. If the final deadline is missed the student will receive an 'NAV' (niet aan voldaan), with the possibility to hand in the report again as a resit (maximum grade 6).
Please contact the bachelor project coordinator as soon as possible in case of a possible delay.
More details can be found in the bachelor project manual, which can be find on the Canvas page Bachelor Biologie.
All study material until March of year 3.
|
Activity |
Number of hours |
|
Presentation |
16 |
|
Self study |
488 |
|
Total 18 EC x 28 hours |
504 |
Aanwezigheidseisen opleiding (OER-B):
Aanvullende eisen voor dit vak:
The student is expected to work 40 hours per week on the project and to participate in planned activities by the research group.
| Onderdeel en weging | Details | Opmerkingen |
|
Eindcijfer | Cijfers via projectpagina op DataNose | |
|
10% Presentation | Moet ≥ 5.5 zijn | |
|
40% Bachelor thesis | Moet ≥ 5.5 zijn | |
|
40% Practical work | Moet ≥ 5.5 zijn | |
|
10% Data management | Moet ≥ 5.5 zijn |
An independent resit is possible for the research report, the data repository and the final presentation. The maximum grade for a resit is a 6.
It is not possible to do a resit for the practical work. In case of a fail for the practical work, a new bachelor project on a new topic needs to be done, preferentially with a different supervisor. This is also the case if one of the resits of one of the other components remains insufficient.
The final research report is written in English and starts with a title page with the report title, the student name and number, the supervisors (assessor, examiner and daily supervisor), and the submission date. It contains a summary, material and method, results, discussion and references. There is no minimum or maximum to the number of words, pages or references used. In general, the length of the report should be comparable to a journal article reporting the same research, 4,000 words is a good indication. The basic principles can be found in the manual “Wetenschappelijke verslaglegging” (Scientific Writing) of the course “Academische Vaardigheden” (Academic Skills, year one bachelor Biology). A PDF-version of this manual, as well as additional supporting material is available on the Bachelor Biology Canvas page. The research report will be graded according to the rubric in DataNose by both the supervisor(s) and the examiner.
The final oral presentations (in English, 12 minutes + 3 minutes discussion) will take place during the last week of June at the UvA. The schedule will be announced in June. Students will organise the symposium, act as session chairs, and guide the discussion. The assessment by a panel of jury members (appointed by the coordinator) is made according to the rubric of the bachelor project. The grades for the oral presentation are the average grades of the panel members. Parents/guardians of the students are also welcome during the presentations.
In case of external projects, students may also be asked to give an oral presentation at the department/institute where the project was performed. Such presentations may be used to prepare for the oral presentation and discussion at the University of Amsterdam, but cannot replace a presentation at the UvA and will not be formally graded.
Raw data, derived data and all analysis (scripts) needed to go from raw data to derived data are preferentially documented in a on-line data repository (possibly under embargo). Details of the way to set up this data repository can be found at bit.ly/bsc_data and on Canvas. A clear description of where the data files can be found need to be present in the final report as well as on DataNose.
Dit vak hanteert de algemene 'Fraude- en plagiaatregeling' van de UvA. Hier wordt nauwkeurig op gecontroleerd. Bij verdenking van fraude of plagiaat wordt de examencommissie van de opleiding ingeschakeld. Zie de Fraude- en plagiaatregeling van de UvA: http://student.uva.nl
Week 1-3
Reading literature and updating the project description (if needed). Optional adaptation of the research proposal, pilot experiments, construction of data files.
Week 4-8
Practical work, documentation of the data and preliminary analysis. In week 6 both student and supervisor will receive a mail with a request to report on the current status through a small questionnaire.
Week 9-10
Final experiments. Analysis and documentation of the data. Writing an outline of the final research report with introduction, the proposed figures and conclusions, submitted end of week 9 latest week 10. Receiving feedback from the supervisor.
Week 11-12
Writing the final version of the report. Peer review by students. Submitting the final report in DataNose at the end of week 12. The data files will be shared with the supervisor and/or stored in a data repository. Oral presentation of the project will take place at the symposium.
Het rooster van dit vak is in te zien op DataNose.
For honours students, a simple extension of the bachelor project is not sufficient; they are expected to make a specific assignment, which will take part partly during the regular trajectory and partly afterwards. Honours students can contact the honours extension course coordinator for more information.
All study content of the Biology bachelor programme until March of year 3.
Er was onvoldoende respons op de vakevaluatie om op basis hiervan wijzigingen door te voeren.