Laboratory Project and Professional Communication (5 cr)

Objective

The course will provide a general outlook of the duties of the professionals and the needed information and skills for their execution.
The student
• can complete the assignments as an individual or in a team
• knows the work related and problem solving methods as well as the basic principles of project work
• can communicate with the colleagues and various interest groups
• knows the information source types in the field, can acquire data and critically assess it from various angles
• becomes motivated towards the professional studies.

Content

The students will learn the practices of the field by completing a small scale project related to a product, process, service, or a system. The topic of the project is related to the degree programme and it is executed in project groups.

• Expert-level text skills and writing of professional texts
• Interaction skills: customer communication, group work and negotiation situations
• Communication in project and in research and development work
• Communication planning and assessment
• Good practices of digital communication
• Fundamentals of scientific writing
• Ethical and critical use of sources, and proper referencing

Location and time

Microbiology. A Laboratory Manual

Materials

Adams & Moss: Food Microbiology
Benson: Microbiological applications. Laboratory manual in general microbiology. McGrawHill
Lammert. Techniques in Microbiology. A student handbook. Pearson
Cappucino & Welsh. Microbiology. A Laboratory Manual Pearson

Teaching methods

A guided project in which chemical and microbiological analyses are learned

Evaluation scale

0-5

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The students can
• describe the duties of the professional as well as the used work methods and problem solving skills and data sources
• explain how a project is managed and how the tasks of the project are intertwined
• describe one's part of the group work and cooperate in a group
• plan the use of resources and complete one's duties on time
• describe the group activities and the results.

The project work is completed and the results are reported.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

In addition to the previous, the students can
• make a project plan for the group and act as a leader of the project group or as an active member and execute the plan according to the set goals
• work with the group and reorganise work if needed
• point out the quality assurance principles and results of the group
• present the plans and the results of the group both in speaking and writing.

The project has met the assigned goals.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

In addition to the previous, the students can
• plan a versatile project on a large scale, which entails several subtasks
• prepare for the project work by consulting diverse sources and by scheduling the work.

The project is completed and the results are reported by meeting the planned schedules; the assigned goals are met in an excellent way.

Assessment methods and criteria

Communication 40% (Elina/Petri)
Peer and self-assessment 20%
Report "Determination of the content of phosphoric acid in a cola drink" 10% (Mia)
Laboratory work and reports in project 30% (Hye and Mia)

Qualifications

Orientation to the Field and Studies