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Behavioural Ecology Group

Study Guide

MSc theses in Behavioural Ecology (BHE80324 - 39)

Research internships in Behavioural Ecology (BHE70324-39)

June 2013

WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY ANIMAL SCIENCES GROUP

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CONTENT

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 3

PLANNING ........................................................................................................................... 3

Selecting a research topic .................................................................................................. 3

THE THESIS ......................................................................................................................... 4

General ................................................................................................................................ 4

Important learning goals .................................................................................................... 4

The thesis contract ............................................................................................................. 5

The research proposal ........................................................................................................ 5

Carry out an experiments and handling the data.............................................................. 5

The thesis ............................................................................................................................ 6

Precolloquium ..................................................................................................................... 8

Colloquium .......................................................................................................................... 8

Procedure after the deadline is passed ............................................................................. 9

The examination .................................................................................................................. 9

Costs .................................................................................................................................... 9 For students ....................................................................................................................... 9

RESEARCH INTERNSHIP ................................................................................................. 10

General .............................................................................................................................. 10

Arranging an Internship ................................................................................................... 10

Documents that may be necessary for doing an Internship .......................................... 11

Supervision ....................................................................................................................... 11

Upon return evaluation and assessment ........................................................................ 11 Appendices

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INTRODUCTION This study guide provides important information for students that want to do a thesis (major thesis 30 to 39 credits) or minor thesis (24 to 27 credits) or an internship at the Behavioural Ecology Group (BHE). The BHE study guide is aimed primarily at students that follow the Masters Programmes Animal Sciences (MAS) or Biology (MBI) as well at students from other study programs who are interested in Animal Behaviour. Students that have completed their Bachelor study programme (BSc) are allowed to start a thesis / internship (unless explicit approval has been given by a student’s study coordinator). The qualification needed for doing a BHE thesis / internship is the course Behavioural Ecology (BHE30306) and for MAS students also the course Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare (BHE31306). Exceptions are possible, depending on the research topic and after explicit approval of the BHE supervisor. MAS students doing the specialization Animal Health and Behaviour are expected to have completed Health, Welfare and Management (ADP30306). For several topics it is also useful to follow the courses Behavioural Endocrinology (HAP21806) and Life History Evolution (BHE50306) and we advise that students plan their thesis or internship well ahead. For more information on BHE education related matters (including theses and internships) contact bonne.beerda@wur.nl or the secretary (Nienke Huisman) for other BHE related matters: office.bhe@wur.nl

PLANNING During the time you work on your thesis or internship, it is almost impossible to also attend courses. Thus, we recommend to complete as many courses as possible before starting with a thesis or internship. Before the start of a thesis or internship, you will go over a checklist with the secretary (Nienke Huisman). This checklist ensures that you receive all information necessary to start and complete your thesis/internship e.g. computer system accounts and admission passes for the Zodiac and the experimental facilities. You will also fill out a thesis contract together with your supervisor to formalize the start of a thesis and administrate your information.

Selecting a research topic

The research topic of your thesis is determined in close consultation with supervisors of the Behavioural Ecology Chair group as they safeguard the quality of theses with a BHE code. Students usually participate in on going projects by staff members, but other topics are possible as well. Also, research groups outside the WUR can host a BHE thesis or internship. In such cases, please consult a BHE staff as supervisor before contacting an external host institute you may consider for your practical work. A variety of research topics in different research areas are available for students to work on. You can find more specific information 1. at the website of Behavioural Ecology (http:// http://www.wageningenur.nl/bhe) for our

research interests and theses topics and the thesis database www.tip.wur.nl (search for BHE topics). This website lists various topics for theses and internships and is regularly updated.

2. from BHE staff: Prof. Dr. Marc Naguib (marc.naguib@wur.nl; especially relating to wild life, songbirds), Dr Camilla Hinde (Camilla.Hinde@wur.nl; wildlife, song birds and quail), Dr. Bas Rodenburg (Bas.Rodenburg@wur.nl; poultry, quail crayfish), Dr. Bonne Beerda (bonne.beerda@wur.nl; applied animal behaviour & welfare - farm / companion animals), Joanne van der Borg (Joanne.vanderBorg@wur.nl; companion animals)

3. our MSc courses 4. from fellow students

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THE THESIS

General

The size of a thesis varies from 24 ECTS to 39 ECTS, with 1 ECTS referring to 28 working hours. Please examine the study handbook of the university for details. Students are expected to have knowledge of the basic principles of behavioural ecology and / or applied animal behaviour. For the duration of the thesis, the students are expected to work full-time on designing, carrying out, analyzing and reporting their research. However, it may not always be possible to do the work continuously without interruptions. It is primarily the responsibility of the student to make sure that the time spent on the thesis is in accordance with the size of the thesis. Obviously, the supervisor plays a role here as well so that is important to make clear agreements about the duration and credits of the thesis and to make a good planning. These agreements are laid down in the thesis contract (see appendix) which can be downloaded from our website (http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/Expertise-Services/Chair-groups/Animal-Sciences/Behavioural-Ecology-Group/Education/Theses.htm) for download of the contract), or which can be obtained from the secretary's office. You should first fill in your personal details and then contact your BHE supervisor for the other more specific details and agreements. Once you have agreed with your supervisor about a topic, you will need to write a research proposal (see below) which needs to be approved by the supervisor before the actual thesis research is started.

Important learning goals

During the thesis you will learn and improve different skills that are prerequisite for conducting research. The feedback you receive from your supervisor throughout the project will improve these skills. Also the comments you will receive on your research proposal and thesis draft, feedback about your seminar presentations and the final examination will provide you with important feedback about your skills. In order to complete a thesis you must demonstrate skills in: 1. Retrieving relevant literature and reading it critically. 2. Formulating appropriate research questions.

These skills are evaluated on the basis of the research plan / proposal that the student writes and on the basis of the introductions and literature sections of the thesis. The evaluation of the research proposal and the thesis is performed by the BHE supervisor. Students that are abroad / outside WUR will have their research proposal evaluated as well by the supervisor of the hosting organization, but will inform the assigned BHE supervisor to allow monitoring of the research quality.

3. Organizing and performing experiments. This includes the communication and interaction with co-workers. These skills are evaluated during progress meetings and the exam. The evaluation is done by the BHE supervisor or, if students are abroad, the assessment of the supervisor of the hosting organization will be taken into account.

4. Organizing, analyzing and interpreting the data. 5. Drawing conclusions from the results.

Extrapolate the research findings and conclusions to contexts outside of an experimental setting and integrate them within the broader scientific background and contemporary scientific theories.

6. Communicating about the research Communicate its aims, design, materials & methods, results and conclusions, both in writing and oral presenting. These skills are evaluated on the basis of the theses that the students write, their (pre)colloquia and final exams. The evaluation is done by the BHE supervisor, sometimes together with the supervisor of the hosting organization.

7. Learning to learn.

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The students' abilities to acquire new skills and, in an adequate way, handle and respond to new situations is evaluated during progress interviews and the exam. The evaluation is primarily done by the BHE supervisor or, if students are abroad, the supervisor of the hosting organization. For students that do their thesis in the Netherlands, but outside WUR, specific agreements are made (during the intake interview) to define the roles of the BHE supervisor and the supervisor of the hosting organization.

The thesis contract

At the start of the thesis, a thesis contract is filled in, in which the student and his supervisor lay down all arrangements about size, supervision, time planning, evaluation procedure and possible deadlines. The contract can be downloaded from the BHE website.

The research proposal

After student and supervisor have agreed upon the research topic, the student, in consultation with the supervisor, writes a research proposal. This part is crucial for the project and has to be carried out with care. It is compulsory to make this research proposal and it should be written very clearly and concisely. For MBI students, writing the research proposal is a separate course of 6 ECTS (Master Biology Thesis Proposal YBI 373 06). Those students should follow the instructions specified in the study guide for that course. The research proposal otherwise should include at least the following aspects: Cover page: title of the project, name of the student and her/his supervisor, name and size

(ECTS) and code of the thesis, time, start date. Introduction: theoretical background of the study, outline of the problem, aim of the study

and predictions; Material and methods: description of the methods and the material that will be used, origin,

numbers, observation and measuring methods, treatment of the data; statistical analyses;

Expected results: describe (ideally with a graph plotting expected data) the results you expect, assuming that your results are as predicted and that your hypotheses are supported

Time planning that indicates how the different activities fit with the size of the thesis. The writing of a good research proposal requires knowledge of relevant literature. Such (scientific) literature can be obtained from the internet (use web of science for an initial search), the supervisor or the library. Reading and processing of scientific literature is a crucial part of writing a proposal and a thesis and you are advised to work systematically from the beginning, to make notes while reading and to adopt a good record system. The student should give the research proposal to the supervisor before the actual start of the thesis, unless other agreements have been made. Around the time of the start of the thesis research, the student presents her/his research plan in a BHE pre-colloquium. The student needs to contact the BHE secretary's office in time to schedule such a pre-colloquium can be given. The colloquia are usually on the 4th Tuesday of a month. In July and August these dates may vary.

Carry out an experiments and handling the data

During the performance of experiments, it is extremely important to work systematically and accurately from the beginning. Also be aware that if you decide to work in the field on wild animals, that this can involve long working days and work on weekends and holidays, depending on the exact research topic. The observations (and /or experiments) that will be done often require differentiated interpretations and a good understanding of the species, the topic and the context in which the behaviour is studied. It is important to keep a journal

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(or field book) in which all activities and contextual factors of the experiment/observations are written down. It must be possible for the supervisor and others to trace where the data are stored and in what way these have been obtained. In most cases, the data will be processed with the computer. There are several public computers at Zodiac and at other buildings (Forum, Orion) that can be used for data analyses and writing. Where necessary and appropriate we also provide access to specific behavioural software packages for the analysis of behavioural observations. These software packages are available on computers at our behaviour computer lab. Please contact the technical assistant's office for information on technical issues and the BHE behaviour computer lab (Lydia.NieuweWeme@wur.nl). Students that conduct their thesis outside of the facilities used by the BHE group will need a supervisor at the host institution. You will then still be additionally supervised by a BHE researcher. The BHE contact person should be consulted during the first weeks in which the research proposal is written, as he/she has to approve the proposal. The daily external supervisor is responsible for the progress of the project while the BHE supervisor checks whether the project meets the demands for a thesis of Wageningen University and he/she is also will give the final grades.

The actual thesis

The thesis must be written in English. As guideline for formatting and style, the journal Animal Behaviour or Applied Animal Behaviour, depending on your research topic, should be used. These journals provides also detailed instructions for standardized formatting of statistics, figures and tables, literature, etc. Journal articles include the key figures, illustrating the main results. In most theses, a larger number of figures than in a journal article will be appropriate and additional supporting figures or tables should then be added in an appendix. Details should be discussed with the thesis supervisor. The writing of the thesis is often laborious and difficult and the time required is often underestimated. Especially when the student does not start immediately after the end of the data collection with handling and analyzing the data and with writing the thesis, lacks of clarity and unsolved questions arise and this is not beneficial for a good thesis. The title page of the thesis should include the following items: - Title - Name - Registration number - Date - Name of supervisor(s) and contact person(s) - Thesis code and size (ECTS) - Name Chair (Behavioural Ecology) - Wageningen University The structure of the theses resembles that of a scientific paper and includes: - Abstract (obligatory) - Introduction (incl. literature, theoretical background, research problem and aim of the study) - Material and methods - Results - Discussion - References In specific cases a thesis may have to deviate from this structure, but any such deviations need to be discussed with the supervisor beforehand. .

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The abstract In general, the abstract (summary) is maximally 1 page. In the summary, a short description of the background of the study, the methods, key main results and main conclusions are given. It provides the reader with a global impression of the thesis. The Introduction The introduction is a very important part of the thesis, since it describes the background and framework of the research project, the problem definition and the aim. After reading the introduction, it should be clear what the study is about and why it is interesting. The theoretical background which is developed in the introduction involves reference to existing literature. We recommend that you discuss the general framework of the introduction with the supervisor before the actual writing. The theoretical framework does not list and describe different papers one by one, but integrates information from different studies into a new coherent overview. The literature has to be relevant to the study and substantiate the messages' of the student who writes the thesis. The paragraph should present and justify your questions and predictions and briefly mention how they are addresses in your research. Material en methods It is of import that this section is written in clear terminology, as a reader needs to understand what has been carried out how and why. The method section should provide the information in a way that it allows other scientists to repeat the experiment/data collection in the same way. However, incredible long sections with irrelevant information should be avoided. Material and Methods and usually written in past tense. Use active voice where possible. Results The presentation of the results should be restricted to the data that are relevant to the aims of the study. Typically, the data allow the calculation of multiple (cor)relations and group comparisons, many of which may not contribute to answering the research questions. It is therefore important to keep in mind what the most important 'messages' are you want to put forward in the thesis. Tables and figures should be functional in relation to the results that one wants to present and should be self-contained, so as to stand alone. The legend of the table has to be given above the table, the legend of a figure is presented below the figure. Large detailed tables should be presented in a supplement (appendix). Results are usually written in past tense unless when you describe what is presented in a figure. Discussion The discussion provides an interpretation of the results in a way that is clear, concise and logical. Start the discussion with a brief summary with your main findings. Cite evidence from the literature that supports or contradicts your results; explain contradictions. Identify the significant results, and recognize the importance of unexpected or non-significant results. Integrate limitations of your research while you interpret the findings and interpret the results in relation to the original hypotheses and predictions. References Citation of references in the text and the construction of the reference list should be carried out in accordance with the Guide for Authors of either the journal Animal Behaviour (http://www.elsevier.com/journals/animal-behaviour/0003-3472/guide-for-authors#20000) or Applied Animal Behaviour Science (http://www.elsevier.com/journals/applied-animal-behaviour-science/0168-1591/guide-for-authors#20000), depending on the topic of your thesis. Remember that when you download citations from Web of Science and use Endnote automatic formatting, that often the citations are often still not in the correct format and require some adjustments in the Endnote file.

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The BHE supervisors are responsible for the study and the communication/publication of its results. If an external organization is involved in the study, the student, the supervisor and the representative of that organization together agree on their mutual responsibilities beforehand in relation to communication and publication. If possible, the study will result in a scientific publication by the chair group. The supervisor usually acts as first author, the student can possibly act as co-author. Communication (interviews, presentations) and publication is allowed only after written approval of all the supervisors involved. Do not give interviews or presentations about your research without approval. If the BHE supervisor approves it, you can make an appointment with those who have asked for information and ensure that the supervisor is present as well. If you contact external persons and gives information about the research without approval of the BHE supervisor, it may have large consequences for the final assessment of the thesis. For students who participate in animal experiments, the following is particularly relevant: --The DEC-application; the DEC stands for Dieren Experimenten Commissie / Animal experimentation committee. This is the committee that supervises the compliance with the legislation concerning ethical guidelines for use of animals in animal experiments in the Netherlands. It may take several weeks - and in case of objections several months - from application to approval of the experiment by the DEC. Therefore, students have to plan their thesis in time, in order to prevent a delay.

Precolloquium

Students have to present a pre-colloquium around the time of the start of their thesis research. Main purposes of (pre)colloquium presentations are to practice presenting (incl. the use of Powerpoint, choice of relevant parts, clear descriptions of aims and results, etc.) and to discuss the design and results of each others' research. The pre-colloquium takes 20 minutes in total: 15 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for questions and discussion. You need to sign up at the secretary's office at least 2 weeks in advance and submit the title of your presentation. We advise to discuss the Powerpoint presentation with the supervisor before the pre-colloquium is given and to practise it at home beforehand.

Colloquium

To complete each thesis project, a colloquium is given. In 20 minutes, the student gives an oral presentation of the research (or parts of it) in which the background and aim of the study as well as the results and their interpretation are covered. The presentation will be held in English and students are evaluated for the content of the presentation and the presentation skills. Afterwards, there is 5 minutes time for discussion. Students who want to present a colloquium have to sign up at the secretary's office at least 2 weeks in advance and submit the title of their presentation. It is advisable to discuss the Powerpoint presentation with the supervisor before the colloquium is given. The BHE colloquia (a combination of precolloquia and colloquia) are normally given on the fourth Tuesday of each month, in the afternoon (Keep notice of email). It is compulsory for students who do a BHE thesis to attend the BHE colloquia by fellow students. The minimum number of colloquia that must be attended is: 6, 8 or 10, for students doing 24-27 ECTS, 30-33 ECTS or 36-39 ECTS, respectively. During the period of data collection students can ask their supervisor for exemption to attend colloquia if this interferes with their experiments or study. Students working outside WUR should attend research meetings at their host institute. The BHE staff members attending the colloquia will grade the presentations and inform the supervisor accordingly.

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Procedure after the deadline is passed

During the time planned for the thesis, the student has the right to be supervised, according to the thesis contract. If the thesis is not finalized at the deadline, new agreements are made between the student and his supervisor about how to proceed, incl. how to continue with the supervision and how any unjustified delay may affect the grade. As soon as the deadline is exceeded with 2 month (unless there is specific approval by the BHE supervisor) the secretary's office will pass on the qualification 'partially completed' to the Central Student Desk. From that moment on, the student is responsible for any contact with his supervisor.

The examination

A thesis is rounded off with a final interview/examination. During one hour, the thesis and the broader field it is placed in, is critically discussed with two staff members (one of them being the supervisor) of the Behavioural Ecology Chair or with the supervisor and the contact person from the host organization. The examiners will especially address (a) extrapolation of the research results into a broader, more general context and (b) the research itself. Not later than 1 week before the examination, the final thesis has to be available to the examiners and handed in. If not, the examination may be cancelled. The colloquium must have been held before the examination. The colloquium is part of the final assessment of the thesis. Upon completion of the thesis, a Word and a pdf file of the thesis is send to the secretary's office (office.bhe@wur.nl) with cc to the supervisor. The name of the file is as follow: Last name initials (insertion) year month animal species”, e.g. Adrichem yp van 2004 05 kip.pdf. The secretary's office will produce the copies of the report and send them to the supervisors. It is advisable to write the thesis and do the examination as soon as possible after the research is completed. Recent evaluations have shown that some students try to start another thesis or another course while trying to finalize their thesis. Often, the consequences are a delay of many months and a reduced quality of the thesis. The final grade is assessed by the examiners. The assessment is based on the written thesis, the examination and the colloquium. The supervisor takes into account the process as well, such as the project approach, the method of working, the motivation and the draft thesis. The supervisor fills in a thesis-evaluation-form (see Appendix). The student is notified about the final grade and how it was determined. Students should be aware of the fact that -as a consequence of understaffing during the summer months - the possibilities to finalize their thesis in this period are restricted. For those who want to graduate in September, the examination has to be scheduled before July. If the BHE supervisor is away on conferences or vacation in July or August, a colleague will replace her/him for the exam during thesis period or and possibly the grading of the thesis. If you plan to submit your thesis in these months, we advise to contact your supervisor in advance, so that arrangement can be planned ahead of time.

Costs

In general, costs may be reimbursed only if these have been announced by the student beforehand and approved by the supervisor.

For students

The following costs are at the expense of the student:

travelling costs within the scope of the thesis, as far as these are not reimbursed by the organization where the thesis is carried out, unless otherwise agreed with the approval of the supervisor;

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living costs and accommodation expenses in case the thesis is carried out outside Wageningen;

costs that have to be made to get access to word processor within ZODIAC or elsewhere;

the costs of the thesis copy for the student him/herself. For students from abroad: concerning your traveling expenses, part of the tuition fees that you paid to WUR is 750 or 1800 euro research fee. These are cost for the use of expensive research equipment etc. However, it is possible to ask for a return of part of the money if you make specific cost during your thesis, e.g. traveling expenses. To apply for the reimbursement you need to ask the appropriate form from the CSA. http://www.wageningenuniversiteit.nl/UK/education/studentinformation/formscsa/default.htm

RESEARCH INTERNSHIP

General

The aim of the research internship is to work and look around within a professional organisation in order to experience how scientific knowledge on animal behaviour is collected and/or applied. It helps students to decide what type of work they may want to do in the future and can sometimes even be a stepping stone. Therefore, we advise to do the internship at the end of the study. During the internship, the student works within an organisation where he/she can experience activities and circumstances that correspond to his/her career expectations (research, education, policy/administration, information services and business). Students with a WU BSc may decide to do a minor thesis instead of a research internship. The difference between the two being that the latter focuses on one research topic whereas a research internship typically covers different topics – of which one is used for a report. The research internship implies that a report is written following the lines described for the thesis report, but in a reduced way and dealing with only one of the topics that students worked on during their Internship. The research internship is examined similar to a thesis, i.e. there will be a final interview, which is like an examination (but now only with the supervisor). Also, the student has to give an internship colloquium and the supervisor will assess their final judgment based on all three aspects (report, examination and colloquium). The paper has to be handed in to the secretary's office in Word form as well.

Arranging an Internship

± 6 months beforehand collect information through: - making inquiries among fellow students; - searching at the internet; - consulting your own network; - contact secretary’s office or BHE supervisors for opportunities. At the secretary's office, the student can make an appointment. Beforehand, the students are expected to have gained some prior information and have some idea about the type of internship they want to do. In general, the BHE supervisor first contacts the address that is selected. Once the host organisation has agreed on providing an internship, the student contacts the organisation and makes agreements about the time schedule and tasks. When the student and the internship-organisation agree upon the Internship, the BHE supervisor can support the student with necessary documents (see below). Please ask at the secretary's office. Before the internship starts, the student goes over a checklist with the secretary.

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Documents that may be necessary for doing an Internship

As soon as the internship is being arranged, the BHE supervisor or secretary can support the student in: Getting a visa; the secretary can make a signed letter for the visa request. Housing in Wageningen (sublet). If a student wants to sublet the room, one has to get a form at Idealis. At the secretary's office, this form is signed and provided with a stamp. If you terminate the tenancy, you can get the declaration of urgency as soon as you get back. For this declaration of urgency, you need a declaration of the chair that you have left for an internship abroad. The secretary can give you such an internship-declaration. Travel insurance. The collective insurance of Wageningen University at the ABN AMRO bank does not cover activities in foreign countries. Students that have to apply for a special travel insurance, please contact the secretary's office. If the student prolongs his stay for a holiday, this stay is not covered by the insurance. For this purpose, a separate insurance can be arranged at ABN AMRO in Wageningen. Arranging such a separate insurance at another bank or travel agency might be more difficult.

Supervision

The student consults his BHE supervisor before the start of the internship in order to agree upon the aims of the internship. This aim can vary from learning about the setup and working methods of the organisation to active participation in an on going research project. The agreements are put down in the Internship contract (available at the secretary's office). It is important that the Internship organisation knows the aims of the student too as this may direct the tasks that are assigned to the student. Part of the internship might be that the student carries out a specific assignment that is closely linked to the structure of the organisation. The student is primarily supervised by a staff member of the organisation. In case the internship is not going as the student hoped it would, the student can always contact his WU supervisor. The extent to which the Internship is successful depends largely on the student himself (motivation, active participation, taking initiatives). The organisation (within or outside The Netherlands) that offers the opportunity for a student to do an Internship can additionally place demands on the student, such as writing a report or give a presentation. These aspects should also be included in the internship contract. Communication (interviews, presentations) and publication is allowed only after written approval of the BHE supervisor and local contact person (in case of an external Internship). Do not give interviews or presentations about your research without approval. If the BHE supervisor approves, the student can make an appointment with those who have asked for information and he ensures that the supervisor is present as well. Publications must be screened and approved by the supervisor before publishing. If the student contacts external persons and gives information about the research without approval of the BHE supervisor, it will may large consequences for the final assessment of the internship.

Upon return evaluation and assessment

At the secretary's office, an internship evaluation form is available. This form allows the BHE supervisor to record the students' Internship experiences and to assess whether the organisation is a good internship address or not. All students have to fill in that form and hand it in at the secretary. The secretary will send an internship assessment form to the supervisor. This form is used to assess the efforts, initiative, insight and knowledge, and communicative skills of the student. All students are asked to send an email-address of the supervisor to the secretary's office, in order to make electronic submission more easy.

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Wageningen University Master Thesis Agreement

This Wageningen University (WU) master thesis agreement serves to lay down agreements between a master student and a chair group. The agreement registers rights and duties of both parties and is a further supplementation and elaboration of the Higher Education and Research Act (WHW), Education and Examining Regulations and the Student Charter. The form has to be completed for each master thesis by the student and a representative of the chair group before the start of the study activities. Student and representative sign three copies of the form. Both receive a copy. A third one is send to a representative of the programme: the study advisor mentioned below. When the agreement is modified the student will receive a copy of the adjusted form. For complaints on the supervision or assessment the student can appeal to: - The study advisor for advice and support - The Examining Board for advice on procedures or an official complaint. - The Examination Appeals Board. - A dean or a Confidential advisor for students For additional information see the explanation on page 4.

1. Information on student and chair group Student:

Study programme:

Registration number:

Study advisor:

Chair group:

Supervisor(s):

Examiner b1:

Course code:

Examiner a2:

The student is informed upon the (written) guidelines and rules of the chair group for thesis students: yes/no 2. Prerequisite course(s)

1 This name can be entered later.

2 This can be the supervisor.

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Course code: Passed: yes/no

Course code: Passed: yes/no

3. Admission to the thesis Study advisor has stated that the student is

qualified3 for a master thesis and that the thesis is optional for the programme of the student. 4. Title and planning Title of the thesis project:

Date of completion parts of thesis:

Date of start:

Date of midterm evaluation:

Date of finish:

Special arrangements for planning:

5. Arrangements on supervision

(Arrangements on the type and intensity of meetings of student and supervisor on role and responsibilities when more supervisors or more chair groups are involved)

6. Arrangements on facilities

(Work place (office/lab), access to buildings and locations. Availability and use of equipment, materials and facilities)

7. Arrangements on report

(Language and lay out, time and format of transfer of results and data, agreements on secrecy of results and publicity of the thesis report)

3 This means that the student has completed all requirements for starting with this master thesis.

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8. Arrangements for individual situations.

(Circumstances beyond one’s control, disability, absence for special reasons)

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9. Assessment The assessment form4 for theses of WU has to be used. The percentages in the assessment form that will be used are:

Learning outcomes (assessment criteria) percentage

A. Research competence

B. Thesis report

C. Colloquium

D. Examination

The assessment will be done in week (on)

10. Signature The student agrees to report any relevant change in circumstances which may affect the results of the project to the supervisor. The student declares to be acquainted with rules and procedures of the chair group and with the assessment form. The chair group declares to have provided the student with all relevant information (including rules, regulations, and safety issues). Wageningen, Name Date Signature Student:

Supervisor(s):

Examiner a:

Examiner b:

4 https://portal.wur.nl/sites/owi/kwaliteitszorg/Policy Documents and Forms/Thesis assessment form WU UK

v9.xls

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Explanation5 1. Information student and chair group The study advisor has to be asked for advice on the progress of the student and qualification for a master thesis. The study programme (study advisor) has to be informed about the arrangements students want to make for thesis projects in order to establish whether the programme allows the student to take this thesis and to keep record of the student’s progress. The examiner will be the chair holder being responsible for the thesis. The supervisor takes care of daily supervision. A supervisor from an external organization cannot have a formal role, and cannot be involved in the marking because he is not a qualified lecturer. If more supervisors and chair groups are involved each role should be explained under item 5. WUR employees outside the university section (e.g. researchers) can be regarded as supervisor like a WU lecturer. 2. Prerequisites Chairs can require a maximum of two prerequisite courses (in total 12 credits) for starting a thesis. These prerequisites have to be published in the study handbook. The student has to pass the exam(s) to gain access to the thesis. 3. Admission to the thesis The chair group (supervisor, coordinator education) should contact the study advisor personally to be informed about the student being qualified for starting with the master thesis. 4. Description and planning In general reference can be made to a previously described project proposal of the chair group with subject and type of activities. It is considered very important that the student writes a detailed project description and is aware of all consequences with respect to type of activities, intensity and planning of work. If the student intends to interrupt the project for exams or leave the supervisor should agree in advance. 5. Arrangements on supervision A supervisor will have his own rules for planning meetings with students, for involvement of co-workers. Especially when more supervisors and chair groups are involved it should be avoided that the student is confronted with conflicting rules and opinions. Only one supervisor should be the focal point for the student. 6. Arrangements on facilities The chair group takes care of the facilities the student needs. In general it should be assumed that the student is not familiar with the policy concerning priorities for use of equipment and facilities, and is not aware who is in charge of them. It should be explained to

5 This Master Thesis Agreement form is established by the Board of the Education Institute in September 2009: it is a revision of the Thesis Contract used at WU since January 1996.

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the student that arrangements can never be a guarantee for availability and that because of unpredictable circumstances the thesis project may have to be adapted with respect to time planning and/or content. Chair group and student have to find solutions together. 7. Arrangements on report Specific rules on the lay-out of a report, the transfer of data sets and processed results have to be agreed. The thesis project can be part of a larger project in which external partners are involved, or in which results may be generated that require confidentially. The university has rules on protection and embargo of scientific results. Thesis reports can be registered with a restriction on disclosure of contents. The examiners and supervisor(s), however, always need a full copy to assess the student. From October 2009 all master theses have to be uploaded to the Wageningen UR Digital Library through the AIR (Administration Enrolment data and Results). It is up to the involved chair group and student to decide whether the thesis will be made public or not in the Digital Library. 8. Arrangement for individual situations Students can ask for specific facilities e.g. to work with a disability. Student and chair group can ask study advisor or dean for students for advice. 9. Assessment procedure Examining Boards and Board of the Education Institute have decided6 in 2006 that all chair groups of WU have to use the standard assessment form for theses and two examiners. The chair group can adjust the weight (percentages) of the assessment criteria on the excel-form. The student should be informed on this (item 9 of this agreement). The completed assessment form for the thesis has to be uploaded to the AIR.

6 https://portal.wur.nl/sites/owi/kwaliteitszorg/Policy%20Documents%20and%20Forms/thesisthesisthesis-

letter-061102.pdf

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Name chair group Behavioural Ecology Group

Name student

Registration number

Study programme MAS / MBI

Specialisation

Code thesis

Verzorgingspercentage (verdeling vak in %)

Short title thesis

Date examination

Country

Supervisor chair group

Supervisor outside chair group (if so)

Second reviewer/examiner

grading relative

mark 1-10 weight *

Research competence (30-60%) * 40%

1 Commitment and perseverance

2 Initiative and creativity

3 Independence 0.0

4 Efficiency in working with data

5 Handling supervisor's comments and development of research skills

6 Keeping to the time schedule

Thesis report (30-60%) * 40%

1 Relevance research, clearness goals, delineation research

2 Theoretical underpinning, use of literature

3 Use of methods and data 0.0

4 Critical reflection on the research performed (discussion)

5 Clarity of conclusions and recommendations

6 Writing skills

Colloquium (5%) * 10%

1 Graphical presentation

2 Verbal presentation and defence 0.0

Examination (5%) * 10%

1 Defence of the thesis

2 Knowledge of study domain 0.0

* please choose weights such that there sum is 100

TOTAL 0.00

FINAL GRADE 0.00

Comment by supervisor

Comment by 2nd reviewer/examiner

Thesis Evaluation Form Wageningen University

Signature

Fill out the single lined fields. Use a comma or a point as decimal sign, depending on the language chosen.