Master thesis' accompanying seminar

Teacher(s)

Bogaert Patrick;

Language

English
> French-friendly

Main themes

The master thesis is an initiation to research work. It is a personal approach that, under the guidance of a teacher, develops the capacity to master experimental approaches, to interpret results on the basis of state-of-the-art knowledge and to identify the perspectives of future investigations. In addition to this methodology, the student should be able to communicate clearly and orally the results of his work. He should also keep a critical mind on the correspondence between the followed approach and the pursued objectives.
In order to make them more visible, these communication activities and critical analysis exercises are valorized through seminars focused on the educational aspects of scientific communication. English must be used for the communication.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	At the end of this activity, the student is able to: ·       masters computer tools to prepare and present slideshows, as well as tools to prepare scientific graphics ; ·       present in English the context and state-of-the-art in the field of his work by defining the objectives and the followed methodology and /or experimental approach ; ·       present orally and in English the results that were obtained and the scientific interpretations that can be made from them, both to peers and experts in the field of bioengineering ; ·       identify the main achievements of his work and the prospects for future developments; ·       answer to open questions and justify his claims in a scientifically rigorous, balanced and critical way. M.6.2., M.6.4., M.6.5., M.6.8., M.6.9.

Content

In a coordinated manner, the master thesis promoters of the BIRE and BIRF programmes and the head of the programme committee take the initiative to bring together all the students that are offocially registered for the master thesis. A first meeting during the first semester allows each student to give a presentation of approximately fifteen minutes in English, outlining the objectives of their Master’s thesis, the current state of knowledge, the planned work, and any difficulties encountered. A second meeting during the 2nd semester aims to present, in the form of a seminar of around fifteen minutes in English, the objectives of the work, a summary of the research results and their discussions as well as the difficulties encountered. These meetings are followed by a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the oral presentation, the progress of the work, the proper maintenance of the research calendar and the student's critical thinking.The seminar presentations are organized in sessions based on the themes and the promoters. The master thesis promoters and the head of the program committee will ensure that all students complete their two seminars. Students are required to attend a minimum number of other seminars by prioritizing topics close to their own theme, according to the terms and conditions communicated to them during the year. Students whose main promoter is not part of the Faculty will be responsible for organizing the seminars themselves, either in agreement with one of the Faculty's laboratories, or in the laboratory where they carry out their research. In the latter case, the promoter must confirm in writing that the student has completed both seminars.

Evaluation methods

The oral presentation presented at the public defense of the dissertation is the final outcome of the seminars given during the academic year. The presentation must be given in English, except for the SAIV Master’s programme, for which it may be given in French.The note for this course corresponds to the evaluation of the oral presentation of the dissertation by the jury. This evaluation will focus on 2 criteria, with equivalent weights: 1. Clarity of the presentation (quality of the slideshow, voice modulation, time allocation between the different parts of the presentation, keeping the public attention, etc.) 2. Scientific rigor of the presentation (terminology, slide content, synthetic capacity, etc.). This rule applies to all students, including those whose supervisor is not a teacher of the faculty of Bioscience Engineering. Coordinators verify with the responsible teacher in each team (or with the supervisor when the student completes his dissertation outside the Faculty) before the defence that all students have actually presented two seminars. Any student who fails to meet this requirement may be awarded a failing grade (0/20), regardless of the quality of their oral presentation during the thesis defence.

Other information

This course can be taught in English.

Teaching materials

• Nothing required

Faculty or entity

> AGRO