The group project is worth 40% of the total mark for Earth’s Atmospheric Composition (EASC10127).
You will be asked to choose one of two projects that cover the range of subjects covered in Earth’s Atmospheric Composition. The title of each project will convey the key idea that needs to be addressed in the proposal.
Group project learning objectives cover knowledge and understanding, skills, and personal development
Knowledge and understanding
Identify a research gap: pinpoint a specific area within an academic field that requires further investigation.
Formulate a clear research question: develop a focused, significant, and answerable question that guides the entire proposal.
Skills
Conduct a comprehensive literature review: independently locate, critically evaluate, and synthesise academic sources to create a compelling narrative that justifies the proposed research.
Design a sound methodology: select appropriate research methods and create a detailed, logical plan for data collection and analysis.
Write persuasively: articulate research ideas clearly, concisely, and convincingly, demonstrating an understanding of the chosen topic and its potential contributions to the field.
Collaboration and communication: You will learn to work effectively in a group, delegate tasks, manage project timelines, and communicate complex ideas clearly, both in writing and through oral presentations.
Personal Development
Critical thinking and problem-solving: You will develop the ability to critically analyse research problems, anticipate challenges, and devise solutions within the scope of your project.
Time management and organisation: You will gain experience in managing a long-term, multi-stage project, meeting deadlines, and organising a large amount of information efficiently.
Constructive feedback: Within a group-based environment, you will learn to both give and receive constructive feedback, using it to refine your work and improve the overall quality of the final proposal.
Take ownership of your work: On an individual basis, you will show initiative, self-discipline, and accountability for the quality and integrity of their final proposal.
Each group will be provided with a project title, a brief abstract of the idea that needs to be explored, and 10+ peer-review papers that outline the bigger picture of their chosen subject material.
Working with the lecturers and the teaching assistants, the group members will identify some data that can be used to prepare some ideas for the group project.
The assessment will be based on a UKRI NERC proposal with sections on
Summary [300 words]
Vision [1000 words]
Approach [1500 words]
We will closely follow the UKRI guidelines for each section, defined below.
The group-based UKRI application, including Summary and Approach, will be scored using guidance from NERC (20%).
The Vision statement will be delivered on an individual basis (10%) .
Summary: This is an exercise in writing succinctly in a compelling way. 300 words will be used to summarise in plain English, so it is suitable for a variety of readers, for example: opinion-formers, policymakers, and the public. You will include the context for the work, the challenge the project addresses, aims and objectives, and potential applications and benefits.
Approach (1000 words): Explain how you have designed your work so that it
a) is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
b) identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
c) uses a clear and transparent methodology
d) summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon, if relevant.
Images are worth 150 words so use them sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words. Insert each new image onto a new line. Provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit).
References may be included within this section, using the Harvard referencing style. They are not included in your word limit.
Vision (1500 words): explain the importance of your proposed work and how it has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area. Also explain how the proposed work is timely given current trends, context and needs.
Images are worth 150 words so use them sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words. Insert each new image onto a new line. Provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit).
References may be included within this section, using the Harvard referencing style. They are not included in your word limit
Additional evaluation
We will also score individuals based on peer evaluation of the application (10%):
Peer evaluation: group members will anonymously assess each other's contributions using a structured feedback form to identify individual effort and accountability. Ten percent should encourage all group members to actively participate in the project.
In week 1, you will be introduced to the idea of the group project, supported by basic information provided online. We will dedicate one half of a lecture in week 2 to cover the group project. By the end of week 2, you will be asked to sign up to a group project so they are ready to start work in week 3.That gives you 6-7 weeks to complete the project before the deadline in week 10.
Given the typical cohort size of 30, we anticipate a group will comprise of five students. So, there will be ~6 group projects to supervise and assess.
We are happy to support multiple groups working on a similar subject.
A teaching assistant (TA) will be assigned to each group to help them get started and provide support throughout the project.
We anticipate that TAs will spend at least one hour per week with each group.
The weekly meeting will help the TAs to support all group members to establish their roles, contribute equally (avoid free-riding and dominating group members), and to minimise the risk of last-minute rushes toward the week 10 deadline.
Projects labs will be held in week 3, 5, and 7.
In alignment with University policies, here is my statement on use of AI.
"AI tools may be used for identifying ideas, planning, and improving the clarity of your writing, but not for content generation. AI use must be acknowledged in your submission."