discipline of radiation therapy school of ...lecturer (radiobiology, research methodology and...

September 2011

DISCIPLINE OF RADIATION THERAPY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

(http://www.medicine.tcd.ie/radiation_therapy)

_________________________________________________________Table of Contents

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTACT DETAILS Page 3

INTRODUCTION Page 4 SERVICES AND FACILITIES Page 7 DISCIPLINE MEETINGS Page 8 STUDENT REPRESENTATION/STUDENT SUPPORT Page 8 COURSE OUTLINE page 10 STUDENT LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT Page 12 STYLE GUIDE FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS Page 16 REFERENCING Page 20 PLAGIARISM Page 29 CLINICAL PLACEMENT Page 33 DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES Page 35 HEALTH & SAFETY Page 35 SENIOR SOPHISTER RESEARCH PROJECT Page 37 FOUNDATION & NON-FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP Page 43 GENERAL INDICATIONS ON GRADE COMPONENTS Page 47 ACADEMIC YEAR STRUCTURE Page 49 CLINICAL PLACEMENT YEAR TIMETABLE Page 50

___________________________________________________________Contact Details

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CONTACT DETAILS

Staff Main Area of Responsibility

Extension Email

Mary Coffey Head of Discipline 3248 [email protected]

Agnella Craig Lecturer (Principles and Practice of Cancer Care)

3926 [email protected]

Dr Gerard Menezes

Lecturer (Physics for Radiation Therapy)


Michelle Leech Deputy Head Lecturer (Treatment Planning)


Dr Laure Marignol Head of Research and Lecturer (Radiobiology, Research Methodology and Statistics)


Claire Poole Head of Clinical Education


Daléne Dougall Executive Officer 3234 [email protected]

Dr Sıobhán Ní Chuınneagáın

Lecturer on academic leave

[email protected]

_____________________________________________________________Introduction

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INTRODUCTION The aim of this handbook is to provide you with information relating to College

and College policy, specific information relating to the Discipline of Radiation

Therapy and a comprehensive course outline. The information contained in this

document is correct at the time of publication, but may be subject to review from

time to time. Students are reminded that they should refer to the University

Calendar for further details of General Regulations, and that the General

Regulations have primacy over departmental handbooks.

The Discipline of Radiation Therapy, School of Medicine, is located in the Trinity

Centre for Health Sciences, St. James‟ Hospital. The Radiation Therapy course

provided by the Discipline is a four year honours degree that entitles graduates to

become members of the Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy.

The major objective of the course is to enable students to become competent,

autonomous professional radiation therapists. This course is the only

programme offered nationally and, in this context, clinical education will take

place in all the radiotherapy departments in the country. Lectures will take place

on the College Campus and in the Discipline. In the Junior Freshman year a

higher percentage of the lectures are delivered on the College Campus with

fewer delivered in the Discipline. This percentage decreases through the Senior

Freshman and Junior Sophister years and in Senior Sophister all lectures take

place in the Discipline.

The Profession of Radiation Therapy

The radiation therapist is a member of the multidisciplinary team responsible for

the preparation and delivery of a course of radiotherapy to a cancer patient and

for the psychosocial care of the patient throughout the process. The degree

programme will provide you with the knowledge and skills to actively participate

in the appropriate areas of the patient pathway and to analyse, evaluate and

_____________________________________________________________Introduction

5

make decisions as necessary. It will also prepare you to initiate, participate and

encourage research related to the profession.

Professional Body

As this degree confers a licence to practice as a Radiation Therapist,

membership of the Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy (the

professional body representing radiation therapists) is a requirement. The

student membership is €60.00 and covers membership for the four years of the

course. If you decide to remain as a member of the IIRRT after you have

graduated the full annual membership fee will apply.

Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance at lectures and clinical placements is a

requirement of the Discipline of Radiation Therapy and attendance records will

be taken. Students unable to attend for any reason should notify a member of the

academic staff or the Executive Officer before 10am or, if this is not possible,

ensure that the school is notified as early as is practical. A medical certificate

must be submitted if a student is absent, through illness, for a period exceeding

two days. Days missed from the clinical placements must be worked during the

holidays. Notes or handouts are not an effective substitute for attendance

at lectures, practicals or tutorials.

ENVIRONMENT

You are not permitted to bring food or drink into the lecture theatres or the

treatment planning laboratory. Canteen facilities are available in The Stone

Building located opposite the Trinity Centre for Health Science. Students must

not put feet/shoes on furniture. Please refrain from putting chewing gum on the

furniture.

_____________________________________________________________Introduction

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Mobile phones

Mobile phones must be turned off during all class or laboratory activities. Their

use is not permitted in the corridors when classes or laboratories are in progress.

_______________________________________________________Services & Facilities

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SERVICES AND FACILITIES

Photocopying and printing

Photocopying cards can be purchased from the Discipline Executive Officer.

Cards cost €10.00 (200 copies) or €2.50 (50 copies). Please note: these cards

are not compatible with the photocopiers in the John Sterne Library or in College.

Paper for printing can also be purchased and a printer is available in the

treatment planning laboratory at a cost of €2.50 for 50 sheets. A4 Feint

Ruled/Margin and punched pads €1.00 each are also available from the

Executive Officer.

Computers

IS Services provide a number of computer rooms on campus for student use. All

students are provided with a username and password at registration and you will

need your username and password to login to these computers. Information on

these facilities can be viewed on the web at

http://www.tcd.ie/ISS/facilities/comp_rooms.php.

Radiation therapy students may also use the Treatment Planning Laboratory in

the Discipline of Radiation Therapy. PCs in this lab are on the Trinity network

therefore your username and passwords apply here. This laboratory is available

only to radiation therapy students. Please check the notice on the door for

opening hours and availability. Students may not use the computer

laboratory when classes are in progress. Food or drink is absolutely

forbidden in the laboratory at all times. College policies and procedures are to

be adhered to in this laboratory.

See college website for details: http://www.tcd.ie/Secretary/Policies/conduct.html

http://www.tcd.ie/ISS/facilities/comp_rooms.phphttp://www.tcd.ie/Secretary/Policies/conduct.html

_______________Discipline Meetings and Student Representation / Student Support

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DISCIPLINE MEETINGS AND STUDENT REPRESENTATION

Student Representation

Student representatives are appointed following Students‟ Union/Graduate

Students‟ Union elections and will act as your representative for the academic

year. There will be one student representative for the Freshman years, one for

the Sophister years, and one for Postgraduates.

Discipline Committee Meetings

A full Discipline Committee Meeting will be held once each term. This committee

consists of all discipline staff and elected student representatives. Student

representatives attend as full members of the committee. If there is an issue you

would like raised at this level, please ask your student representative to place the

item on the agenda with the Executive Officer, preferably well in advance of the

meeting. It is the responsibility of the student representatives to consult with

those they are representing prior to the meeting, and afterwards to feedback

details of the meeting to them.

STUDENT SUPPORT

Tutor System

Your time spent in College should be both educational and enjoyable and the

staff of the Discipline is available to answer any questions you may have or to

offer support throughout your four years with us. In addition all students

registering in Trinity College will be assigned a tutor. This tutor is your contact

person if you have any queries or difficulties. For routine enquiries related to

your course please contact the Discipline Executive Officer.

E-mail

Each student will be provided with a Trinity e-mail account. This should be

checked regularly (daily) as this is one of the means by which you will be

contacted in relation to timetable changes or other important notices.

_______________Discipline Meetings and Student Representation / Student Support

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Contact details

It may be necessary to contact you directly and to facilitate this contact details for

you will be kept on file in the Discipline Office. Please provide a mobile phone

number and inform the Executive Officer of any changes to your contact details.

____________________________ ______________________________Course Outline

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COURSE OUTLINE

The course will be delivered in eight semesters over four years. The mode of

delivery and assessment method is topic dependent and detail will be provided

separately. The overall structure of the course is given below and further detail

can be found in the College Calendar. The credit value of a subject reflects the

contact hours, independent study, preparation for tutorials or workshops and

assessment.

Junior Freshman

The modules of the Junior Freshman year and the associated credit value are:

Biological Principles and Properties (10 credits), Chemical Principles and

Properties (10 credits), Physics for Radiation Therapy (10 credits), Principles and

Practice of Cancer Care (5 credits), Psychology (5 credits), Anatomy 1(10

credits) and Clinical practice (10 credits).

Senior Freshman

The modules of the Senior Freshman year and the associated credit value are:

Physics for Radiation Therapy (5 credits), Biochemistry and Human Genetics (5

credits), Anatomy 2 (10 credits), Communication (5 credits), Physiology and

Histology (5 credits), Principles and Practice of Cancer Care (5 credits),

Research Methodology and Statistics (5 credits), Radiographic Anatomy (5

credits) and Clinical practice (15 credits).

Junior Sophister

The modules of the Junior Sophister year and the associated credit value are:

Anatomy 2 (10 credits)(for Junior Sophister students in 2011 only), Principles and

Practice of Cancer Care (10 credits), Radiobiology (5 credits), Radiotherapy

Treatment Planning (10 credits), Treatment preparation and localisation (5

credits), Physics for Radiation Therapy (5 credits) and Clinical practice (15

credits).

____________________________ ______________________________Course Outline

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Senior Sophister

The modules of the Senior Sophister year and the associated credit value are:

Principles and Practice of Cancer Care (5 credits), Treatment preparation,

localisation and Planning (5 credits), Health Care Management (5 credits),

Research Project (20 credits) and Clinical practice (25 credits).

___________________________________________Student Learning and Assessment

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STUDENT LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT

As a University student your role is to be an active learner. This means that

you must involve yourself fully in the learning process and not rely on the

lecturers to provide you with all the material for a particular topic. The lecturers

are there to guide and advise you and to stimulate you to think, to identify and

evaluate relevant material, to enable you to carry out assignments independently

or within a group and to feed back your findings as part of the assessment

process.

It is important that you learn to organise and manage your time in order to

achieve the best results. You should keep up with the lectures throughout the

course and not rely on learning information at the last minute, prior to the

examination. Do not rely on rote learning. If you are having difficulties with a

particular aspect of a course ask for help as early as possible, it will be too late to

rectify the problem at the time of assessment. Remember that staff members are

here to help you to achieve your potential.

The purpose of assessment is to allow the lecturers to understand where you are

in relation to achieving the defined outcomes of the course and to aid in ensuring

you achieve these outcomes. From your perspective assessment allows you to

evaluate where you are in the learning process and areas where greater

attention is required. Assessment should test your knowledge, understanding

and ability to apply knowledge in different settings. Assessment can be

summative, as in the case of the end of year examination, or formative based on

continuous assessment. For this reason a wide range of assessment methods

are used in this programme, some of which are outlined below.

End of year examination

This type of examination takes the form of an unseen paper. A wide range of

questioning technique is used including MCQs, short answer questions and


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essays. End of year examination tests recall, understanding and ability to apply

information to specific situations.

In the examination it is important to:

attempt the required number of questions. The first ten minutes you

spend on an answer will invariably gain you more marks than the last ten

minutes.

Read the questions carefully and answer the question asked, do not write

all you know about a topic.

Write legibly and clearly mark all diagrams, graphs etc.

Look at the weighting in each section of the question as it indicates the

level of detail required, and answer accordingly.

Essay

An essay covers a specific topic in detail. This assessment method tests your

writing skills, ability to recall and integrate information from a range of sources,

level of comprehension of a topic, ability to apply knowledge in a wider context

and to draw logical conclusions.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

A question stem is given with a list of alternative answers and the student is

asked to select one or more alternatives as defined by the question.

They are used to test ability to recall facts, to apply factual knowledge to specific

situations or to evaluate given information.

Project work

Project work in this programme may be either individual or in groups. Both

methods are designed to have specific outcomes. As an individual you will learn

to synthesise knowledge from a range of sources, to generate, develop and


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evaluate ideas and information and apply them to the specific task set. As a

group member you will learn to communicate, collaborate, work as a team

member, delegate, monitor activity and evaluate the process.

Workbook / Portfolio

Workbooks are used in the laboratory based subjects and in clinical education.

Students have to assemble a body of work which illustrates an ability to apply

knowledge from a range of areas.

Oral presentations

Oral presentations are

Useful for helping you to identify the most important points in your work

and to present these in a concise and coherent manner.

Helpful to you in gaining the confidence to speak to an audience and to

answer questions as they arise.

Integral to several continuous assessment assignments.

UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION

Describe

This requires detailed description of the given topic.

Define

A definition requires a clear and concise statement of the meaning of the word or

phrase given. Details are not necessary and will not, in general, gain extra

marks.

Compare

This requires you to consider two or more topics and discuss where similarities

exist between them.


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Contrast

This requires that you consider two or more topics and discuss the aspects that

are different between them.

____________________________ _____________Style Guide for Written Assignments

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STYLE GUIDE FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Sentence and paragraph construction

“If you don‟t know where you‟re goin‟, you will probably not wind up there.”

- Forest Gump

Plan before you write. Write out ideas and organise them into a structure. Do not

work from line to line, work from this structure. When you write, avoid long

sentences. One thought per sentence is most effective. Aim for at least three

paragraphs per page. There should be natural breaks in the flow of what you

write; if there are not, you are probably alternating between ideas and need to re-

focus. Write with clarity and precision. Do not quote; paraphrase, providing

references. Do not use personal pronouns (I, we, ours etc).

Use the active voice

Passive

It has earlier been demonstrated that lung cancer can be caused by

smoking.

Active

Researchers earlier demonstrated that smoking can cause lung cancer.

Verbs

Keep verbs parallel

Consider the following example:

Not in parallel: “The lecturer said he was a poor student because he waited until

the last minute to search the literature, completed his assignment in a careless

manner and his motivation was low.”

Better – In parallel: “The supervisor said he was a poor student because he

waited until the last minute to search the literature, completed his data collection

in a careless manner and lacked motivation.”


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Choose tenses rationally

The present tense is used for stating the general case, what is already known,

what is widely accepted. Use the present tense to describe a treatment protocol

that is currently used. Use the past tense for specific citations and to refer to

researchers‟ results, for example, “Browne et al (2005) showed…”.

Tautology and unnecessary words

Avoid redundancy and tautology (saying the same thing twice, using different

language). In effective writing and particularly in scientific writing, efficiency and

clarity of language is key. Omit unnecessary words, for example, don‟t write “due

to the fact that”, use “because” instead. Write with directness, for example, "was

dependent upon" has the same meaning as" depended on".

Use of abbreviations

On first mention in the text do not abbreviate, but write out in full, followed by the

abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter you can refer to this entity using the

abbreviation alone, for example, multidisciplinary team (MDT) or Radiation

Therapist (RT).

The correct word

Do not use words that you do not understand. Choose unambiguous vocabulary.

Less or Fewer?

Less is used when referring to collective noun (e.g., "less time")

Fewer is used when referring to multiple items (e.g., "fewer beams")

Which or That?

As a general rule, if changing "which" to "that" does not alter the meaning, then

"that" is probably correct.

Because or Since?

These are interchangeable, however "because" is often clearer than "since".

Effect or Affect?


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“Effect” used as a noun means “result”; as a verb it means “to bring about”.

“Affect” is an entirely different word that is used as a verb and means “to

influence”.

Some examples

Do not use Use instead

prove support

fact evidence

due to the fact that because

a decreased number of fewer

has been shown to be is

it is possible that may

exhibit show

utilize use

in other words thus/hence/therefore

Avoid the following: „few and far between‟, „in a sense‟, „in so many words‟,

„basically‟& clichés – they‟re “the tip of the iceberg”.

Structure your work

The required structure will be assignment-dependent. For written assignments

some or all of the following sections may be used:

Cover page

Table of Contents

Sections as required e.g.

Background/ Introduction

Discussion

Conclusions

References

Appendices


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The cover page should include: your name; student number; the title of the

assignment; the module; the lecturer‟s name; the submission date.

Each section must begin on a new page. It is not necessary to begin each

sub-section on a new page.

Page numbering

Pages should be numbered consecutively, except the cover page. Put the

numbers where they will be clearly visible; the right hand side of the page is best.

Tables & figures

Keep in mind that tables and figures should be self-explanatory, but you must

discuss them in the text and direct the reader from the text to the relevant

tables/figures by referencing the figures/tables in parentheses. Tables and

figures are numbered consecutively (using Arabic numbers) in the order in which

they are mentioned in the text.

Paragraphs & indentation

Generally, the first line of each paragraph is not indented. If you do something

like this, the most important thing is to do it consistently throughout the

document.

Capitalisation

Capitalise the first letter of important words. Capitalise names of organisations –

unless the organisation has a long name that is more like a description. You

should also capitalise headings and table titles.

Headings

For most pieces of work two or three level headings are sufficient. Do not put a

full stop at the end of a heading. The most important consideration for formatting

is clarity and consistency. If you choose, for example, to make the first heading

Times New Roman, bold, size 14, flushed left, all headings that follow should be

made the same.

Spacing and Punctuation

Space once after all punctuations, except around colons in ratios.

Word Count


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Assignments have word count e.g. 2000 words maximum. The word count does

not include the cover page, table of contents, reference list or appendices. It is

important to keep to this word count. Make a plan before you begin writing,

consider the sections you need to include and decide on a rough word count that

each will require.

Line-spacing

Line-spacing should be one-and-a-half times or double spaced.

Font type & size

The font should be plain for example, Times New Roman. Remember, a font that

reads well on screen does not necessarily read well on paper. The size of the

main text should be 12 pt. Use bold, italics and underlining sparingly. Be

consistent when typing and formatting, for example, if you double return after a

subheading – do this after every sub heading.

REFERENCING

Referencing is a standardised method of acknowledging and identifying

information sources you have used in your essay/assignment/thesis. There are

many referencing styles used for academic work. The style used in the Discipline

of Radiation Therapy and outlined in this handbook is the Vancouver style, which

is mainly used in the medical field.

Why Reference?

Correct referencing is essential to avoid plagiarism (see section on Plagiarism

below), to acknowledge the source of any direct quotations used in your work

and provides the reader with the opportunity to read in detail the work of the cited

authors.

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

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What is the difference between ‘References’ and ‘Bibliography’?

The reference list is called „References‟, not „Bibliography‟. A Reference list is a

list of all the items you have actually cited in your document. A

Bibliography lists all of the material you have consulted in preparing your

document whether or not you have actually cited the work.

How to Reference

When referencing your work, particular attention must be given to the punctuation

and order of details. Specific punctuation and order is unique to each referencing

style.

These details for all types of information sources are given in detail in this guide.

A reference list is given at the end of the essay/assignment/thesis, containing all

the citations you have used in the text of your work. You must follow the

Vancouver style, as outlined in this reference guide in ALL of your

academic work. You may be penalised for deviations from this guide in

your academic work.

Referencing is a structured and easy to follow process. When reading through

information sources, always follow these steps:

1. Note down all the bibliographic details of the information source,

including page number(s). If you are referencing a book, this means the

author/editor, title, year of publication, edition, volume number, place of

publication and publisher. If you are using information from a journal

article, the details you should note down are: author(s), year of

publication, article title, journal title, volume and issue number and page

numbers. If you are using an electronic journal, you must also include the

date that you accessed the article and database name or web address

(URL).

2. Insert the citation using either standard numbers in brackets (1,2,3) or

superscript numbers 1,2,3 at the appropriate place within the text. Note that

brackets are not used with superscript numbers.

3. Give a reference list at the end of the essay/assignment/thesis.

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

22

How to insert citations

1. Give each reference a consecutive number as it is cited for the first time in

the essay/assignment/thesis. That number is then the identifier for that

information source and if that source is used again later, the same number

is repeated. Numbers are inserted to the right of commas and full stops

and to the left of colons and semi-colons. You can list more than one

source at any given reference point, e.g. „McIntyre, among others (1,2,5)

have reported dysphagia as a late effect of radiotherapy in the treatment

of base of tongue tumours‟. Use of superscript numbers, as shown earlier,

is also acceptable. Please note that commas separate the numbers in this

instance. If using consecutive numbers, e.g. (1,2,3,4), it is usual to join

these numbers with a hyphen, e.g. (1-4).

2. The references should be listed at the end of your

essay/assignment/thesis in the numerical order in which they are cited in

the text.

3. If using direct quotations, use double quotation marks. Single quotation

marks are only used for quotations within quotations. Overuse of direct

quotations is not recommended; it is difficult to decipher your level of

understanding of the subject matter should the text contain multiple direct

quotations. Should the direct quotation contain an apparently unusual

statement or misspelled word, type [sic] after the word or statement to

illustrate that this is the original source and not a mistake on your part. If

the quotation is longer than 4 typewritten lines, it should be offset in the

text as a discrete block, e.g.

Baumann (1) succinctly outlines the differences in radiosensitivity between

tumour types:

“Radiosensitive tumours such as lymphomas and seminomas can be

controlled with low doses of 45Gy or even less, and in this situation there is a

low incidence of normal-tissue damage. By contrast, glioblastoma multiforme

is a very resistant tumour that is not controlled even after doses as high as

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

23

70Gy. Most tumour types, including squamous cell carcinomas and

adenocarcinomas, are of intermediate sensitivity”.

Note how this is different to a shorter quotation, e.g.

Baumann (1) describes the radiosensitivity of some tumour types stating that

“radiosensitive tumours such as lymphomas and seminomas can be

controlled with low doses of 45Gy or even less”.

How to create a Reference List

The reference list is arranged numerically in the order in which references are

cited, in the Vancouver style. It is imperative that the correct punctuation,

order of details and font are used, e.g. book and journal titles are not placed

in quotation marks nor placed in italics.

Examples of in-text citation and corresponding reference listing of all

information sources is given below to assist you in using the Vancouver style.

This is not an exhaustive list, if in doubt, please ask a lecturer in the

Discipline.

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

24

Books In-text Reference List

Single author This is described by Mullins (1) as… OR Mullins (1) describes this as…

1. Mullins E. Statistics for the quality control chemistry laboratory. Cambridge: The Royal Society of Chemistry; 2003.

2-6 authors „….related to proliferative capacity‟. (2) OR Balducci and Extermann (2) have stated that…

2. Balducci L, Extermann M. Biological basis of geriatric oncology. New York: Springer; 2005.

More than 6 authors

Many radiation oncologists (3)….

3. Abitol A, Albano K, Anderson L, Crocker I, Donath D, Erickson B, et al. Principles and practice of brachytherapy. Armonk: Futura; 1997.

No author „.. the most prevalent technique‟. (4)

4. Brachytherapy Physics. Madison: Medical Physics Publishing; 1995.

Multiple works by same author

Radiation oncology research (5-6) has illustrated that… [if not previously cited]

5. Hoskin P. Radiotherapy in practice-brachytherapy. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2007. 6. Hoskin, P. Radiotherapy in practice-radioisotopes. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2008.

Editor Radiobiological analysis (7) has shown…

7. Steel G, editor. Basic clinical radiobiology. London: Hodder Arnold; 2002.

Different editions The most recent statistical analysis (8)

8. Moore D, McCabe G and Craig B. Introduction to the practice of statistics. 6th ed. New York: Freeman; 2009.

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

25

Encyclopedia or Dictionary

„quantitative is defined as..‟ (9)

9. Oxford dictionary for scientific writers and editors. Oxford: Clarendon; 1991. Quantitative; p.234 [Include the word defined- in this case „Quantitative‟.]

Article or chapter in a book

As discussed by Balducci and Aapro (10)

10. Balducci L, Aapro M. Epidemiology of Cancer and Aging. In: Balducci L, Extermann M, editors. Biological basis of geriatric oncology. New York: Springer; 2005.

Article or chapter in a book-no author

Analytical algorithms are useful in both photon and electron therapy (11)

11. Monte-Carlo based patient dose computation. In: Mayles P, Nahum A, Rosenwald JC, eds. Handbook of Radiotherapy Physics: Theory and Practice. New York: Taylor & Francis, 2007; p.603-620.

E-book Smyth‟s work on this matter (12)

12. Smyth, J. Brachytherapy [monograph online]. Dublin: Red Publishing; 2009 [cited 2009 August 4]. Available from: NetBookslibrary.

Pamphlet The pamphlet produced by the Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy(13)

13. Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy. The role of the radiation safety officer [pamphlet]. Dublin: Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy; 2009.

Thesis As described by Matthews (14)

14. Matthews R, Coffey M. Assessment of a workload model in a radiotherapy department [BSc thesis]. Dublin: University of Dublin, Trinity College; 2009.

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

26

Conference Proceeding

This was discussed at a conference in 2008 (15)

15. Gomez Chova L, Marti Belenguer D, Candel Torres I, editors. Perceptions of module leaders in utilising online technologies to facilitate critical thinking. Proceedings of the International Technology, Education and Development Conference; 2008 March 3-5; Valencia, Spain. Valencia: IATED; 2008.

Image in a book The anteroposterior lumbar radiograph (16)

16. Weir J, Abrahams P. Imaging atlas of human anatomy. London: Mosby; 2003.

Print Journals In-text Reference List

Article ...as described by Hong et al (17)

17. Hong L, Chen C, Garg M, Yaparpalvi R, Mah D. Clinical experiences with onboard imager kV images for linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy setup. Int. J. Radiation Oncology Biol. Phys. 2009; 73 (2): 556-561.

Article-no author The prevalence of cancer is ever increasing (18)

18. Cancer care in Ireland. Radiography Ireland Today. 1985; 2(1):34-38.

Newspaper article “...and cutting edge technology” (19)

19. Keaney H. Private hospital is planned for Carraroe site. The Sligo Champion 2009 July 22; 8. [8 refers to page number]

Newspaper article-no author

“..on the timescale of delivery of radiotherapy services” (20)

20. Harney talks on radiotherapy at WRH. Waterford Today 2007 October 17;5. [5 refers to page number]

Press release This was outlined by the RPII (21)

21. Radon lung cancer risk 25 times greater for smokers [press release]. Dublin: Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland; 2005 September 27.

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

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Electronic Journals

In-text Reference List

Full-text from an electronic database

This issue is discussed by Valentini et al (22)

22. Valentini V, Cellini F, Minsky B, Mattiucci G, Balducci M, D‟Agostino G et al. Survival after radiotherapy in gastric cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Radiotherapy and Oncology [serial online]. 2009 [cited 2009 Sept 10]; 92: 178-183. Available from: Science Direct.

Full text from the internet

Each year in Ireland, over 500 men die from prostate cancer, usually some years after they were diagnosed (23)

23. Irish Cancer Society. Action Prostate Cancer [serial on the internet]. 2009 [cited 2009 Sept 10]. Available from: http://cancer.ie/prostate/whatisprostate.php

Cochrane Review

There is no evidence that radiotherapy could help to prolong the survival of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (24)

24. Chapman E, Berenstein G, García Diéguez M, Ortiz Z. Radiotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD003880. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003880.pub4..

World Wide Web

In-text Reference List

Document on WWW

As part of the survey, participants were asked about the rules relating to smoking in their homes (25)

25. Department of Health and Children. Smoking Patterns in Ireland: Implications for policy and services [homepage on the internet]. c2009 [updated 2009 July 27; cited 2009 Sept 10]. Available from http://www.dohc.ie/publications/pdf/slan_smokingreport.pdf?direct=1

Image on the web

The image of the linear accelerator (26)

26. IAEA Radiation Protection of Patients [image on the internet]. c2009 [updated 2009 July 27; cited 2009 Sept 10]. Available from: http://rpop.iaea.org/RPOP/RPoP/XPages/XPages2/Content/InformationFor/ HealthProfessionals/2_Radiotherapy/RadSafetyExtBeamRadiotherapy.htm

http://rpop.iaea.org/RPOP/RPoP/XPages/XPages2/Content/InformationFor/http://rpop.iaea.org/RPOP/RPoP/XPages/XPages2/Content/InformationFor/

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

28

Referencing software

You will be trained and encouraged to use the EndNote software to meet your

referencing needs.

Submission

All course work must be submitted as detailed on the assignment and at the

designated date and time. Permission for late submission can be requested in

the case of illness when a medical certificate will be required or in other

extenuating circumstances at the discretion of the staff. Late submission will

incur a penalty. Please retain a copy of all work submitted for your records.

You will be given clear details of submission procedures for assignments in

advance. The procedure may involve sending an electronic copy of the

assignment to the course lecturer or submitting via turnitin. Before you email

Secondary Sources In-text Reference List

Book Nag refers to Hilaris‟s work (27)

27. Nag S. Principles and Practice of Brachytherapy. New York: Futura; 1997. Record the book that was sourced by you.

Journal article Berger and Belka refer to the work of Enzinger and Mayer in their article (28)

28. Berger B, Belka C. Evidence-based radiation oncology: Oesophagus. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2009; 92 (2):276-290.

Other Sources In-text Reference List

Personal communication It was confirmed (S Smyth 2009, personal communication, March 15) that the patient had received a total dose of 40 Gy.

Not included as cannot be traced by the reader

____________________________ ________________________________ Referencing

29

your work you must re-save your document under a new name. Your

name_name of assignment, for example:

James_Byrne_PPCC1

Save the file as a Word document. Once you have saved your assignment under

the required name, type the assignment name and your name in the subject line

of the email, attach the re-saved file and email to the designated email address

(it may not be the course lecturer). It is advisable to use your TCD mail account

to submit assignments.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is a serious offence in 3rd level education and may result in severe

disciplinary action. It is imperative that all students are familiar with College

policy on plagiarism. If it is suspected that submitted work is plagiarised

and this is found to be the case, severe disciplinary action will result. It is

your responsibility to ensure that you are cognisant of plagiarism and of

College Plagiarism laws.

Plagiarism is crediting someone else‟s work as your own by failing to

acknowledge the original author. Plagiarism is illegal. Copying and pasting into

assignments from any source (including the internet) is not acceptable unless

you put the information in quotation marks, and acknowledge where the

information came from. Paraphrasing other peoples work (internet or otherwise)

is also unacceptable without proper acknowledgement. Acknowledgement is

given by using references. Some direct quotations can be a useful tool in

assignments but their overuse is ill advised as it is important that you show an

understanding of the topic. Assignments must always be submitted in electronic

format (in addition to the requested format). Assignments are routinely checked

for plagiarism using college software.

____________________________ __________________________________Plagiarism

30

The following text comes from the College General regulations and information - http://www.tcd.ie/assets/documents/calendar/part1_general_regulations_and_information.pdf

Plagiarism is interpreted by the University as the act of presenting the work of others as one‟s own work, without acknowledgement. Plagiarism is considered as academically fraudulent, and an offence against University discipline. The University considers plagiarism to be a major offence, and subject to the disciplinary procedures of the University. Plagiarism can arise from deliberate actions and also through careless thinking and/or methodology. The offence lies not in the attitude or intention of the perpetrator, but in the action and in its consequences. Plagiarism can arise from actions such as: (a) copying another student‟s work; (b) enlisting another person or persons to complete an assignment on the student‟s behalf; (c) quoting directly, without acknowledgement, from books, articles or other sources, either in printed, recorded or electronic format; (d) paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, the writings of other authors. Examples (c) and (d) in particular can arise through careless thinking and/or methodology where students: (i) fail to distinguish between their own ideas and those of others; (ii) fail to take proper notes during preliminary research and therefore lose track of the sources from which the notes were drawn; (iii) fail to distinguish between information which needs no acknowledgement because it is firmly in the public domain, and information which might be widely known, but which nevertheless requires some sort of acknowledgement; (iv) come across a distinctive methodology or idea and fail to record its source. All the above serve only as examples and are not exhaustive. Students should submit work done in co-operation with other students only when it is done with the full knowledge and permission of the lecturer concerned. Without this, work submitted which is the product of collusion with other students may be considered to be plagiarism. It is clearly understood that all members of the academic community use and build on the work of others. It is commonly accepted also, however, that we build on the work of others in an open and explicit

____________________________ __________________________________Plagiarism

31

manner, and with due acknowledgement. Many cases of plagiarism that arise could be avoided by following some simple guidelines: (i) Any material used in a piece of work, of any form, that is not the original thought of the author should be fully referenced in the work and attributed to its source. The material should either be quoted directly or paraphrased. Either way, an explicit citation of the work referred to should be provided, in the text, in a footnote, or both. Not to do so is to commit plagiarism. (ii) When taking notes from any source it is very important to record the precise words or ideas that are being used and their precise sources. (iii) While the Internet often offers a wider range of possibilities for researching particular themes, it also requires particular attention to be paid to the distinction between one‟s own work and the work of others. Particular care should be taken to keep track of the source of the electronic information obtained from the Internet or other electronic sources and ensure that it is explicitly and correctly acknowledged. It is the responsibility of the author of any work to ensure that he/she does not commit plagiarism. Students should ensure the integrity of their work by seeking advice from their lecturers, tutor or supervisor on avoiding plagiarism. All departments should include, in their handbooks or other literature given to students, advice on the appropriate methodology for the kind of work that students will be expected to undertake.

If plagiarism as referred to as in the last paragraph on page 25 is suspected, in the first instance, the head of school will write to the student, and the student‟s tutor advising them of the concerns raised and inviting them to attend an informal meeting with the head of school, and the lecturer concerned, in order to put their suspicions to the student and give the student the opportunity to respond. The student will be requested to respond in writing stating his/her agreement to attend such a meeting and confirming on which of the suggested dates and times it will be possible for the student to attend. If the student does not in this manner agree to attend such a meeting, the head of school may refer the case directly to the Junior Dean, who will interview the student and may implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2.

If the head of school forms the view that plagiarism has taken place, he/she must decide if the offence can be dealt with under the summary procedure set out below. In order for this summary procedure to be followed, all parties attending the informal meeting as noted in the paragraph above must state their agreement in writing to the head of school. If the facts of the case are in dispute, or if the head of school feels that the penalties provided for under the summary

____________________________ __________________________________Plagiarism

32

procedure below are inappropriate given the circumstances of the case, he/she will refer the case directly to the Junior Dean, who will interview the student and may implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2. If the offence can be dealt with under the summary procedure, the head of school will recommend to the Senior Lecturer one of the following penalties: (a) that the piece of work in question receives a reduced mark, or a mark of zero; or (b) if satisfactory completion of the piece of work is deemed essential for the student to rise with his/her year or to proceed to the award of a degree, the student may be required to re-submit the work. However the student may not receive more than the minimum pass mark applicable to the piece of work on satisfactory re-submission.

Provided that the appropriate procedure has been followed and all parties are in agreement with the proposed penalty, the Senior Lecturer may approve the penalty and notify the Junior Dean accordingly. The Junior Dean may nevertheless implement the procedures as referred to under CONDUCT AND COLLEGE REGULATIONS §2.

________________________________________________________Clinical Placement

33

CLINICAL PLACEMENT

Clinical placement features in all four years and will take place in clinical

departments in Dublin and countrywide. Hours spent on clinical placement will

correspond to local practice in the hospital thus may include an early start or a

late finish. Clinical placement will take place during term time and during

vacation periods. Clinical assessments must be handed up regularly throughout

the academic year. All assignments for this module will be submitted

electronically through Web-CT. This allows students on distance placement the

opportunity to access all paperwork and submit assignments. A complete record

of clinical work must have been submitted by the end of each academic year

prior to the examinations, thus a clinical portfolio is built up over four years.

During clinical placement students must wear a uniform and adhere to the dress

code laid down by the clinical department. Students must familiarise themselves

with the guidelines pertaining to each department. A name badge and a TLD

badge must also be worn at all times during placement. Care must be taken of

these TLD badges as they form part of the permanent record of radiation

exposures. See Health and Safety section.

Clinical Placement in year one is largely familiarisation with patients undergoing

radiotherapy, the staff involved in the radiotherapy process and orientation of

students into the hospital environment. Full attendance is mandatory and several

work-sheets must be completed.

In year two students begin to develop the necessary technical skills required of

this profession. The introductory component of this is delivered in small group

teaching in a skills lab at the Discipline of Radiation Therapy.

Clinical placement in years three and four is concerned with linking theory to

practice and gaining competence in a range of skills. A number of formal

practical assessments must be completed. Students must also complete a

________________________________________________________Clinical Placement

34

number of case studies/patient profiles and a range of workbooks. Clinical

practice in all years is graded. A student is not able to pass their Clinical Practice

in Radiation Therapy by compensation; they must pass both elements (written

work and clinical placement) separately in order to rise with their year. Clinical

practice in years three and four contributes to the final degree classification. A

clinical handbook will be provided to each student outlining the requirements of

this module.

_____________________________________Disciplinary Procedures / Health & Safety

35

DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES

Credit for each academic year is obtained by satisfactory attendance at lectures,

practicals and tutorials, by carrying out the required assignments or practical

work, and by passing examinations. Failure to comply with any of the above will

lead to the instigation of disciplinary procedures.

Students who constantly disregard Discipline regulation will be subject to

disciplinary procedures. Interviews will be held with the student in the presence

of his/her tutor and the proceedings recorded and signed. Failure to improve will

result in the student not being allowed to rise with their year.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Adherence to health and safety regulations is essential in both the academic and

clinical setting. During clinical placement all students will be required to wear a

TLD radiation monitoring badge. Badges are supplied by the Radiation

Protection Institute of Ireland through the Discipline. The TLD badge deposit fee

is €50. Lost or damaged badges must be replaced at the student‟s own

expense. Students will not be permitted to attend for clinical placement without

their TLD badge and badges must be returned to the Executive Officer

immediately following completion of placement. Failure to return your badge by

the designated date will incur a penalty fee.

Vaccination Requirements

The Irish National Vaccination Committee recommends that health care

workers be immunised against Hepatitis B. (Please see RCPI National

Immunisation GUIDELINES 2002: Chapter 18: Immunisation and Health

Information for Health Care Workers and Others in „At Risk‟ Occupations:

www.doh.ie/pdfdocs/immuguid.pdf). A course of vaccinations normally

consists of three or four injections over a period of time. In some cases

booster doses are required. The cost of a full course of three injections is

http://www.doh.ie/pdfdocs/immuguid.pdf

_____________________________________Disciplinary Procedures / Health & Safety

36

€40 per vaccination or €110 for the course of three if paid together.

Payment can be made by cash, credit/debit card or cheque made payable

to „College Health Service TCD‟. Students must pay on the day of the first

injection or will have to reschedule their appointment. There are specific

requirements for each programme, as follows:

TR055 – Radiation Therapy: Precautions against infectious diseases

See the College Calendar for details

105. In the interests of reducing the risk of the transmission of infectious

disease from patients to students, or student to patient, all new entrants

must attend their regular medical practitioner prior to registration to certify

their vaccination status or immunity to tuberculosis, measles, rubella and

chickenpox.

106. Students studying radiation therapy are also strongly advised to be

vaccinated against hepatitis B, if not already immune, for their own

protection.

Cross infection in the Clinical Environment

It is incumbent on students to make themselves aware of, and adhere strictly to,

each hospital‟s written protocol for the control of cross infection when they enter

the clinical environment. This is to protect both students and patients, since

vaccines for some of the more recently discovered diseases (e.g. Hepatitis C and

HIV) have not yet been developed.

_________________________________________________________Research Project

37

SENIOR SOPHISTER RESEARCH PROJECT

Requirements and guidelines

All students must undertake an independent research project on a topic of their

choice in their Sophister years. The results of this research must be written up in

an acceptable format (see the style guide in the student handbook) and

submitted by the specified dates.

Aims of the project

The project is intended to:

- Test students‟ ability to conceive of, plan and carry out a research project

by integrating and extending on the knowledge acquired from all courses.

- Give students the opportunity to demonstrate and develop skills in

carrying out and writing up an independent piece of research using the

academic concepts, theories and practical applications acquired from the

course.

- Provide training in research methods.

Overview of project deadlines

Topic/Area Deadline

Submission of Project form step 1 January

Submission of Project form step 1 revised February

Submission of Project form step 2 March

Submission of Project form step 3 and Ethics form April

Submission of literature review October

Submission of completed project December

Poster presentation tutorial June

Submission of electronic poster June

External examiners

meeting

Poster presentation / Project VIVA June


38

Supervision

Role of the supervisor:

Each student will have a supervisor allocated from within the discipline. The

primary function of the supervisor is to give general guidance and advice on any

aspects of the project. It is not the responsibility of the supervisor to design

specific aspects of your research (e.g. design your methodology or decide on

your method of analysis). However, your supervisor will give you critical and

rational feedback on your ideas. Supervisors may also advise you on your plans

for writing up the project; however they are not responsible for checking spelling

and grammar.

Submitting work to your supervisor:

To ensure that you use the time allocated with your supervisor effectively please

ensure that you submit any material that you would like to discuss well in

advance of the agreed meeting time (approx. two days or other agreed

timeframe). You must ensure that all work you submit for discussion is in line with

the style guide (and has been proof-read) and that it is the most recent draft.

Before you email your work you must re-save your document under a new file

name.

Your name_Project_meeting number

For example: James_Byrne_Project_1

Save the file as a Word document. Once you have saved your assignment under

the required name, type the file name in the subject line of the email, attach the

re-saved file and email to the supervisor. It is advisable to use your TCD mail

account to submit assignments.


39

Contact hours with your supervisor:

The responsibility for the management of the project and ensuring that the

supervisor is up to date with the project lies with the student.

Students are required to:

- Make first contact with their supervisor.

- Develop a time-line with their supervisor for progress on the project.

- Agree a schedule of meetings with their supervisor and ensure that the

agreed schedule is adhered to.

- Take responsibility for keeping all collected data, participant information

and relevant materials in line with ethics requirements.

- Take the initiative in discussing any problems with the project work and/or

its supervision so that these can be resolved as soon as possible.

Supervisor‟s progress appraisal:

Your ability to effectively and efficiently carry out research, your progress and

your professional attitude throughout the year will be evaluated by your

supervisor following each meeting. Factors that will be considered include:

- your ability to work independently

- the amount of guidance/direction you require on the development of your

project

- the quality of your preparation and your participation in each research

meeting

- your ability to adhere to your research schedule and project deadlines

- your ability to take on board constructive criticism and advice and to use

these to inform the development of the project

Ethics

Students must complete the College ethics form and submit it to their supervisor

by e-mail by the specified dates. Supervisors will send individual feedback on the


40

ethics form back to each student. You must submit three signed hard copies of

the finalised ethics form to your supervisor by the specified date.

In addition, students whose research includes patient contact or review of patient

information from any hospital must go through the local ethics committee in that

hospital as well as the College Health Science Faculty Ethics Committee.

Students whose research includes staff from hospitals must also go through the

local ethics committee in the hospital. Hospital ethics forms should be submitted

together with the college forms.

Literature Review

Each student must submit a literature review, including bibliography and

reference sections, to their supervisor by the specified date. The maximum word

count is 2,500 (not including bibliography and reference sections). The literature

review provides the background to your research project. It should review any

landmark publications and current research in your area of study. You may use

the information you included in your literature review in the introduction section of

your final project. You may be asked about anything you include in your

literature review, including the sources included in your bibliography and

reference sections, in your viva voce with the external examiners. The literature

review must be included as an appendix in your final project.

Written report

You should write up your research report as for a journal publication, following

the style guide included in the student handbook. The project will be limited to

5,000 words (not including bibliography and reference sections). Students who

exceed this word limit will be penalised. You must submit three bound copies

(one hard-bound) and one unbound copy (not stapled or hole-punched) of the

project and e-mail an electronic copy (pdf format, 1 file if possible) to the

Executive Officer by the specified date. Please ensure that the pdf filename


41

contains your surname. Paper for the unbound copy will be provided by the

Executive Officer as it must not exceed 80g.

Assessment

Students will be assessed on the quality of the project and their demonstrated

knowledge of the topic to the external examiners. Students will also be expected

to produce a poster outlining their project and to be available to discuss their

poster with the external examiners, academic or clinical staff who attend the

poster presentation day.


42

Criteria for marking the project:

Literature review

- Organisation - Relevance of literature - Critical analysis - State of current understanding - Insight into the area

Excellent - The choice of headings is appropriate, specific. The writing progresses from the broad to specific with a smooth pace.

- Recent and relevant literature is logically organised, well discussed, critically appraised and compared to provide a clear yet sufficiently complex picture of current perspectives on the issue.

- Specific examples are used to reinforce points. - There is clear and insightful articulation of the research

topic.

Very Good - Information presented is clear, well structured, and logical. - Student describes, evaluated and compared relevant

studies, showing a good level of understanding, no major oversights.

- A reasonable discussion of current perspectives on the issue in provided.

- The research topic is clearly communicated.

Fair - Basic structure is adhered to. - Adequate, reasonable selection of material is described,

discussed and summarised. - The description of perspectives on the topic is not always

clear and systematic, with little analysis taking place. - The research topic is communicated reasonably well.

Weak - The literature is often not directly relevant and is only summarized or describe.

- No synopsis of current perspectives on the issue is provided and no critical appraisal or discussion is evident.

- The research topic is poorly communicated and/or presented in a disorganised, incoherent way.

Submitting to conferences or meetings

All submissions to conferences or meetings on work related to your research

project must be cleared first with the Head of Research in the Discipline.

_______________________________Foundation & Non-Foundation Scholarships

43

FOUNDATION AND NON-FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP

Foundation Scholarships (selected abstracts from the College Calendar)

The College was founded as a corporation consisting of the Provost, the

Fellows, and the Scholars. Scholars who are members of the corporation are

called foundation scholars, or scholars of the house, to distinguish them from

the holders of other scholarships. Foundation scholarships cannot exceed

seventy in number. Foundation scholars have the right to vote, alongside the

Fellows, on certain changes to the Statutes of the University.

Foundation scholars are elected annually in various subjects on the result of

an examination held in Hilary term.

Foundation scholars are entitled to the following statutory emoluments and

privileges; they

a. have their Commons free of charge;

b. are entitled to rooms free of charge for up to nine months of the year;

c. receive a salary which, together with any grant they may receive from

an outside body; shall amount to not less than €253.95 per annum

(after payment of the annual fee)

d. are entitled to remission of the annual fee appropriate to their main

course of study if they are not in receipt of outside scholarships or

grants, save that undergraduate scholars from non-E.U. countries shall

have their fees reduced by an amount corresponding to the appropriate

fee level of an Irish student.

Scholars must satisfy the requirements necessary for them to proceed with

their class. Any scholars failing to do so will forfeit their scholarship.

Non-foundation Scholarships (selected abstracts from the College

Calendar)

As foundation scholarships are limited in number, non-foundation

scholarships are also provided by the College. Students elected to these


44

scholarships enjoy the same emoluments and privileges as foundation

scholars subject to the same conditions.

(full text relating to foundation and non-foundation scholarship can be found in

the College Calendar)

Scholarships are awarded in all courses to students showing outstanding

achievement in a set of non-compulsory examinations usually taken in the

Senior Freshman year. The Scholarship can last up to five years when you

receive it thus covering the period required to complete the undergraduate

and a postgraduate programme.

Foundations scholarships are awarded to those students gaining the highest

marks in the scholarship exams and are awarded to a number of students that

equally balances the scholars whose tenure is expiring ensuring that the total

number remains constant at seventy.

RADIATION THERAPY

Foundation scholarship is based on the results in the scholarship

examinations which cover material taught in Junior and Senior Freshman

years:

For 2011 these examinations will be

Radiation Therapy 1: Chemistry and Biochemistry

Radiation Therapy 2: Biology, Physiology and Anatomy

Radiation Therapy 3: Physics for Radiation Therapy and Principles and

Practice of Cancer Care.

Students who are placed in the first class or in the second class, first division,

in the examination for scholarship may, at the discretion of the court of

examiners, be exempted from one or more of the annual Senior Freshman

examinations. Students not achieving this level must automatically sit the

summer examinations.


45

1. Assignments must be completed and submitted independent of the

scholarship system.

2. Students will be required to sit all examinations preceding the

Scholarship examinations.

3. Scholarship examinations are held before the commencement of Hilary

term.

Procedure for application

1. Candidates must give notice of their intention to take the examination

not later than 1st November.

2. Forms for notification of intention must be completed on the prescribed

form which can be obtained from the Examinations Office.

3. Candidates wishing to withdraw their application must do so at least

two weeks before the first date of the examination. (There is no

examination fee for the Scholarship examination.)

4. Scholarship examinations are held only once per year, there are no

supplemental or special papers under any circumstances.

5. Scholarship examination results are posted on the College website so

students are advised to consider applications seriously and to complete

all papers.

Announcement of Results

The announcement of successful scholarship candidates is made in public,

outside the Examination Hall at 10:00am on Trinity Monday. The full set of

results for all candidates is then posted up on noticeboards outside the Public

Theatre.

NB: candidates will not be told about exemptions until Trinity Monday.


46

__________________________________ General indications on grade components

47

GENERAL INDICATIONS ON GRADE COMPONENTS The approach to marking at third level differs significantly from that used in

second level. Although all universities have slight dissimilarities in their grading

schemes and the criteria they use to inform these, there is a general

acknowledgment of what level of work constitutes a first class, a second class

and so on.

Students should note that „categorical marking‟ is applied for each answer in an

assessment; this means that there are subdivisions (-2, -5, -8) within each class.

In general, lecturers use the same guidelines and categories for continuous

assessment and end-of-year written exams.

The following scheme is intended as a guide to explain to students what level of

work is needed to get certain grades; it is not definitive. Students who would like

further clarification of how assessments are marked within each course are

advised to contact the course co-ordinator.

__________________________________ General indications on grade components

48

Grade Assessment criteria

Addresses the Question

Quality of content

Understanding Quality of writing

Coherence & Structure

Integration Additional Reading

I 70

Completely Only relevant info. Shows insight

Excellent Critical discussion

Excellent throughout

Shows integration

Multiple & varied sources used well

II.1 60-69

Very well Only relevant information

Very good Some critical analysis

coherent with good structure

Some integration

Evidence of some additional reading

II.2 50-59

Mostly Mostly relevant information

Good Descriptive At times lacking in coherence and weak structure

Weak integration

Only notes & textbooks

III 40-49

Only some of the time

A lot of irrelevant information

Weak at times Descriptive Weak throughout

No integration

Only notes & core textbook

Fail Not at all Irrelevant or no information

Demonstrates no understanding

Descriptive Completely lacking

No integration

No evidence of reading

___________________________________________________Academic year structure

49

____________________________________________Clinical placement year timetable

50

Dates Outline of Clinical Placement 2011/2012

26th SEPT-11- University (Clinical Teaching)

2nd Years (4weeks)

3-OCT-11

10-OCT-11

17-OCT-11

24-OCT-11

31-OCT-11 3rd Years (7 weeks)

07-NOV-11

14-NOV-11

21-NOV-11

28-NOV-11

05-DEC-11

12-DEC-11

19-DEC-11 Christmas Period

26-DEC-11

02-JAN-12

09-JAN-12 4th Years (9 weeks)

16-JAN-12

23-JAN-12

30-JAN-12

06-FEB-12

13-FEB-12

20-FEB-12

27-FEB-12

05-MAR-12

12-MAR-12 1st Years (4weeks) 19-MAR-12

26-MAR-12

02-APR-12

16-APR-12 4th Years (6 weeks)

23-APR-12

30-APR-12

07-MAY-12

14-MAY-12

21-MAY-12

28-MAY-12 2nd Years (4 weeks)

04-JUN-12

11-JUN-12

18-JUN-12

3rd Years (6weeks)

25-JUN-12

____________________________________________Clinical placement year timetable

51

discipline of radiation therapy school of ...lecturer (radiobiology, research methodology and...

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