trent school of the environment honours thesis & community ... · catherine eimers...
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Trent School of the Environment Honours Thesis & Community-Based Research Information Session
Thursday February 14, 2019; 3:00 pm ESB C205
Course instructor/coordinator:
Catherine Eimers ([email protected]; ESB A142)
Agenda:
The TSE capstone experience
What’s the difference between an Honours thesis and a Community-based research project?
The application process: what to do next?
There are 13 degree programs within the TSE. Each degree program requires some sort of ‘capstone course’ experience in the fourth/final year.
◦ Capstone courses offer students the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills gained throughout their degree to tackle a problem or project either independently or as a group
◦ Different flavours of capstone experience: seminar course; project-based course; field course; placements; Honours Thesis; Community-Based Research project
◦ Thesis and CBR are for students interested in research
◦ Both require a minimum average of 75% in your discipline
Why do an Honours thesis or CBR project:
◦ If you are planning to go on to graduate school (MSc., MA)
◦ Competitive edge in the job market (develop a portfolio)
◦ One-on-one interaction with faculty (letters of reference) and community hosts (CBR)
◦ Conducting an independent or team research project can be highly rewarding
◦ This stream is suited to students who enjoy research, and are innovative and self-motivated
How to choose between an honours thesis and CBR project:Some differences:
◦ Honours thesis topic is chosen by student and faculty advisor (more flexible). All students produce a thesis.
◦ CBR projects are developed and hosted by community groups (less flexible); deliverables are more broad ranging.
◦ The approach/steps to meet those deliverables are flexible (designed by student and faculty advisor with support from Trent Community Research Centre (TCRC) https://www.trentu.ca/tcrc/ and U-Links (Haliburton County) http://www.ulinks.ca/
The ‘deliverables’
Honours thesis:◦ Abstract, Introduction/Literature review, Objectives/hypotheses, Methods, Results, Discussion,
Conclusions, References, Appendices. Range from 30 – 90 pages; typical length is 50 pages. Worth ~40% of grade.
◦ Other graded deliverables: LOI, two presentations, subsections of thesis, etc.
CBR project:
◦ More varied range of deliverables depending on community needs. Some examples: geomatics products, literature reviews, surveys, technical reports, educational resources, data bases, models, etc.
◦ Other deliverables: research agreement; presentations (including Community forums); research poster.
◦ BOTH research stream courses will be taught together. Two-hour course block in your timetable. Combined workshops, different timelines and deliverables. CBR course is worth 1 credit; Thesis is 2 credits.
To give you an idea of what to expect for the
Honours course, this is the mark
breakdown used in 2018-19:
Type of Assignment Weighting Due Date Grading Letter of intent (mini-proposal) 10 September 27 FA and CI
Literature review (annotated
bibliography)
10 October 19 FA and CI
Proposal seminar (to peers and course
instructors)
10 Nov 15/22/29 CI and peers
Methods (5-10 pages, inclusive of
maps, diagrams, etc.)
10 December 7 FA and CI
Key results storyboard (poster) 10 February 11 FA and CI
Final presentation (to peers and TSE
faculty)
10 April 4 CI and peers
Thesis draft 40 March 11 FA and CI
Final revised thesis (40; draft mark may
be adjusted based
on improvements to
final product)
April 8 FA and CI
FA = faculty advisor; CI = course instructor
Sample Course Evaluation: CBR
The application process: what to do nextYou must apply to do a TSE Honours thesis or CBR project:◦ Honours application forms available here, or from Mary O’Grady (ESB C204) or the TSE website
◦ Information required: your name and program; courses you’ve taken; interim grade, and an idea of your research interest(s)
◦ Indicate name(s) of faculty you’d like to work with on the form; if a faculty member agrees to supervise your research, have them sign the form. Best to speak with faculty SOON in order to gauge their interest and availability
◦ CBR application form available from the TCRC website: https://www.trentu.ca/community-based-research/sites/trentu.ca.community-based-research/files/documents/Student-Application-Form%202018.pdf
◦ Note: final supervisor-student assignments are at the discretion of the course instructor and may be adjusted to even out work load or to target a specific CBR project. Best to inquire/apply EARLY.
Honours thesis applications due April 1
Submit to Mary O’Grady
Name: Date:
Student Number:
I am interested in pursuing an accelerated MSc. degree in ENLS. My cumulative program average to date is
greater than or equal to the required 80%
Faculty Signature: ___________________________________________ Date:
Student Signature: __________________________________ Date:
I am interested in pursuing an Honours thesis
I am interested in completing a Community Based Research Project
Faculty name(s):
In the space below, list the name(s) of faculty members you have approached about supervising this work. If a TSE faculty member
has already agreed to supervise your research, he/she should sign the form below.
On a separate single page attached to this application, provide a brief (2-3 paragraph) outline of your research
interests. If you have already identified a thesis title and/or objectives, or a title of a community based research project
please provide these details.
Trent School of the Environment
HONOURS THESIS and COMMUNITY BASED RESEARCH project APPLICATION
TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE TSE OFFICE BY April 1
I am entering my fourth year as a major or joint major in:
_______________________________________(e.g. WASC BSc.; GEOG BA or BSc.; ERST-GEOG BA, etc.)
email address:
In the space below, please list all courses you have completed within your degree program that you consider to be of
direct relevance to the research that you intend to carry out.
In the space below list all courses that you are considering taking either in the summer or during the final year of your
degree program.
_________________________
____________________________
I understand that 1) I must meet all admisson requirements for the Honours thesis course or community based research project, 2)
faculty workload balance and sabbaticals may require adjustments to the assignment of faculty supervision by the TSE Director
subsquent to this application, 3) I must make any further adjustments to the research topic in consultation with my faculty supervisor,
and 4) depending on the nature of the topic, I may be required to carry out some work during the summer period preceding my final
academic year.
CBR application: 2-page form; also resume, cover letter and current transcript. Submit to TSE (Mary O’Grady; we will pass on to TCRC)
Due before end of term (**sooner the better**)
https://www.trentu.ca/community-based-research/sites/trentu.ca.community-based-research/files/documents/Student-Application-Form%202018.pdf
Thinking about CBR?
List of available projects (more to come over the summer*)
https://www.trentu.ca/community-based-research/current-projects
Consider dropping into the Celebration of Community Research, an annual celebration and showcase of community-based research. Monday March 25, 2019 in the Trent Student Center Atrium, 9:00 am – noon.
Trent Community Research CentreSuite 3.10, Trent Student Centretrentu.ca/tcrc
Ryan [email protected], Trent Community-Based ResearchPhone: 705-748-1011 x7464
Michael [email protected] AssociatePhone: 705-748-1011 x7677
Want to see honours students in action? Come watch their 3-minute thesis presentations!
Thursday April 4, 2 – 4pm
GCS 115
New: Accelerated MSc. program
Environmental and Life Sciences Program (ENLS)
Designed to allow research-oriented students with >80% average to fast-track into the ENLS MSc. program
*Separate application form*
MUST have faculty agreement ◦ Faculty member must have a project that can be expanded from BSc. to MSc. scope and
scale
◦ Faculty member must have funding to support a graduate student in ENLS
Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program (ENLS)
Two-year MSc. Accelerated MSc.
Intake date September, January or May (apply in fourth year of BSc.)
May (apply in third year of BSc.)
Duration 24 months 12 – 16 months
Course requirements Two, 0.5 credit ENLS courses Two, 0.5 credit ENLS courses• 0.5 credit during fourth year of BSc.
(counts toward BSc. and MSc.)• 0.5 credit during MSc. year
Grade entry 77% 80%
Interested in the accelerated MSc.?Linda Cardwell (ENLS program coordinator)
Environmental Science Building, Suite A211
Email: [email protected]: (705) 748-1011 x 7360
Administrative Assistant: Mary Lynn ScriverEmail: [email protected]: (705) 748-1011 x 7360