Group Studies runs for 10 weeks during the Spring term and counts as a double module of 20 credits. Students usually spend 8 hours per week working directly on the project with an additional 2 hours spent in group meetings (100 contact hours in total). Students choose to study in one out of several groups, including Particle Physics, Photonics, Nanoscale Physics, Extragalactic Astrophysics and Cosmology, Asteroseismology and Finding Planets, Medical Imaging, Cold Atoms, Atom Interferometry and Robotics. Groups are chosen after an introductory meeting towards the end of the Autumn term. There are about 15-20 students in each group. All activities are student-led. Each group appoints a leader who co-ordinates the efforts of typically three subgroups that work on separate aspects of the project. The module is assessed through a Work Management Plan, Problem Sheets, Peer Assessment, Project Talk, Project Report and Viva.
All groups are open to students from any programme, although some students have priority access to certain groups (e.g. PwPPC students have priority on the Particle Physics Group Study). There are no formal lecture module prerequisites, but students have the opportunity to take lecture courses in Year 3 that may be helpful to their Group Study project, e.g. Medical Imaging, Nanoscale Physics, Particle Physics, Planetary Astronomy and Extrasolar Planets and The Life and Death of Stars. |