The aim of the course is to prepare Masters students for their research projects and more widely for ‘life as a professional chemist’. It incorporates specific research skills as well as other transferable skills. The course is designed to meet UCL goals of a ‘Connected Curriculum’ in developing research-led teaching. Additionally, employability and connection of chemistry to the real world is embedded within this course.
Students will take part in several projects, including a choice of individual projects and group projects that are engaging and help connect the students to the department and the wider research community as a whole. The individual projects (students pick one) may include making a video blog about their scientific interests, ‘interview a researcher’ essay, disseminating newspaper headlines, and involvement in an outreach project.
Group work will include a presentation project and workshops on how to search and assess journal articles, leading to an assessment. The former will develop the students confidence in oral presentations and communication skills, and the latter will allow the students to critically asses the available literature and identify papers that best describe a research area. This will benefit the students in their literature project module and help them in their research project generally.

MODULE TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

Lectures: A variety of skill-based topics will be introduced through online lectures. Pre-prepared electronic handouts may be provided by the lecturer. The lecturer may additionally require students to make your own notes during the lecture.

Workshops: Learning is supported by workshops on the above topics. Workshops are an opportunity to receive feedback on your understanding of the module material, hence preparation and active participation is essential if students wish to derive the most benefit.

Self-study: In addition to timetabled hours, it is expected that students engage in self-study in order to master the material. This can take the form of practicing example questions (workshop questions, additional questions available on Moodle); participating in peer marking, organising group work and further reading in textbooks and online.