Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Practical | 6 x 3 hour practical classes including report writing session |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Laboratory practicals 2 and 3. Report. | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Laboratory practicals 4, 5 and 6. Report. | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module. | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate good laboratory practice
2. Undertake a range of standard analytical procedures to acceptable standards of accuracy and precision
3. Convert primary analytical readings to obtain experimental data
4. Produce experimental reports to a required format
Brief description
The course consists of practical sessions covering several common laboratory procedures that are relevant to biological sciences. It includes an introductory session covering good laboratory practice and the format of laboratory write-ups. The remaining sessions are assessed and include a range of common analytical and microscopy techniques.
Content
This course focusses on the process of acquiring reliable experimental data and provides experience in the practical elements of this process. Several common laboratory procedures relevant to the biological sciences are considered. It commences with a consideration of laboratory safety issues and the principles underlying laboratory analyses. An initial laboratory class then introduces students to issues of accuracy and precision using volumetric analyses to illustrate these concepts. Further laboratory practical classes then cover aspects of solution preparation and titration, instrument calibration, spectroscopic analysis and light microscopy. After the initial introductory class, students will be expected to produce experimental reports based on their findings from each of the laboratory sessions.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Data handling skills will be developed in practical sessions and assessed in coursework reports. |
| Communication | Development of written in the subject, assessed in coursework. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Reference to published literature in practical report assignments. |
| Information Technology | Word processing, spreadsheet manipulation and presentation of data. Assessed in coursework reports |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Familiarisation with quality control/quality assurance issues essential to career in science |
| Problem solving | Practical classes will provide opportunities to develop problem solving skills and these will be assessed in coursework reports |
| Research skills | Coursework reports require reference to library and web resources. This will be assessed. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Practical experience of laboratory practice |
| Team work | Working in pairs during laboratory practical sessions. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 3