585.801.21 - Independent Study II

Course Structure

The course is centered around regular engagement with the research environment and Research Mentor, with the expectation that students will spend ~10 hours per week working on the research project. Students are expected to meet weekly with their Research Mentor(s) and four (4) times during the semester with their ABE Mentor.

Course Topics

Topics of research interest will be determined by the student and the Research Mentor(s).

Course Goals

The primary goal of this independent study is to expose students to an active, mentored research environment, where students can develop good research practices; participate in active research in biomedical engineering or a related field; and, through the process, equip themselves for future research activities.

Textbooks

None. Required readings will be assigned by the Research Mentor.

Other Materials & Online Resources

The Research Mentor will need to discuss any specific required software or other research materials/resources with the student prior to beginning the project.

Required Software

The Research Mentor will need to discuss any specific required software or other research materials/resources with the student prior to beginning the project.

Student Coursework Requirements

During the project period, the student is expected to work on a regular basis with the selected Research Mentor(s). Specific requirements for research activities, timing of meetings and updates, and defined research deliverables within the research group setting should be agreed upon between the student and Research Mentor(s) before the project begins. These requirements should then be conveyed to the ABE Mentor in writing.

This course will consist of the following graded student requirements:

Weekly Meetings with Research Mentor (15% of Final Grade)

Student research activity, workload, regularity, and any internal milestone deliverables will be decided and assessed by the Research Mentor. Students are strongly advised to discuss these elements with the Research Mentor before beginning the project, so as to account for the student’s availability, access/proximity to the research lab, other course-related commitments during the semester, etc.

Students are expected to meet weekly with their Research Mentor to assess progress and address questions; students and research mentors may use the course Zoom Office Hours link to facilitate these meetings, particularly if the student is doing research remotely and in-person meetings are not feasible.

After each meeting, students are expected to submit a written record/summary of that meeting to Canvas. Details for submission are found on the Canvas course site. The averaged grade of these weekly meetings, plus satisfactorily meeting all agreed-upon internal research requirements, is worth 15% of the overall course grade. This component of the course grade will be solely assessed by the Research Mentor.

Four (4) Periodic Meetings with ABE Mentor (10% of Final Grade)

As outlined in the Zoom Office Hours section above, the student is expected to contact the ABE Mentor and schedule a minimum of four (4) Zoom office hour sessions distributed evenly across the semester (roughly every 3-4 weeks). For example, a student could meet with their ABE Mentor at the end of weeks 1, 5, 9, and 13.

These update meetings are a part of the overall course grade and will be graded for timeliness, preparedness, progress toward project goals, and quality of expected deliverables, as seen appropriate by the ABE Mentor and agreed upon with the student. If students have questions/concerns that they would like addressed during the meeting, they are strongly encouraged to email them at least 24 hours beforehand. 

Students are expected to submit to Canvas a written record/summary of each of 4 meetings with their ABE Mentor. Details for submission are found on the Canvas course site. The averaged grade of these 4 update meetings is worth 10% of the overall course grade. This component of the course grade will be solely assessed by the ABE Mentor.

Interim Written Deliverables (5% of Final Grade)

Students are required to turn in three (3) brief, written deliverables over the course of the semester that pertain to the background and purpose for the project. Details for content and submission are found on the Canvas course site. The averaged grade of these submissions is worth 5% of the overall course grade.

On each submission (as with all submissions), your words & work must be your own.  Any violations will be treated as a breach of academic integrity.

Final Report (70% of Final Grade)

At the end of the semester, students are required to submit a formal, written, final report as a tangible outcome of their semester of work. Students are strongly advised to provide an early draft to the Research Mentor(s) and obtain feedback prior to submitting the final version. Meetings with the Research Mentor(s) should include discussion of what content the final report should include.

The final report must be 5-6 pages in length. The first page should be reserved for the Abstract, Hypothesis, and Aims. The remaining 4-5 pages should provide a discussion of the research activities and findings, and it must be formatting to include (some of) the following sections, based on the nature of the research area and project:

• Brief abstract, hypothesis, and research aims
• Clinical need/rationale/motivation/introduction
• Significance
• Innovations
• Theory
• Validation methods
• Outcome(s)
• Path for technology development
• Vision for clinical trial
• Market research
• Other (content that is project-specific and not covered the above sections)
• References (minimum 15, maximum 20; not included in the page-length requirements defined above)
• Appendix (optional; may contain content such as software code/scripts developed during the project; not included in the page-length requirements defined above)

Formatting instructions:

• A single file in .docx or .pdf format
• 5-6 pages long, not including title, references, or appendix/appendices
• Arial, Tahoma, or Times New Roman font (11-point, single column, single spaced)
• 8.5” x 11” page size with 0.75” margins on all sides
• All figures should be numbered and captioned
• All tables should be numbered and titled
• All references should be cited using a reputable citation software (Endnote, RefWorks, etc.)

This report must be submitted to Canvas and to each mentor by the final day of classes.

The grade for this submission is worth 70% of the overall course grade. It will be assessed by all mentors.

Grading Policy

All submissions to Canvas (meeting summaries, deliverables, final report) are due according to the recommended due dates posted in the Canvas course site. Although written work is not typically graded for spelling and grammar, egregious violations of the rules of the English language will be noted without comment. Consistently poor performance in either spelling or grammar is taken as an indication of poor written communication ability that may detract from the grade.

A grade of “A” indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week.

A grade of “B” indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System”, Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10).

100-97 = A+
96-93 = A
92-90 = A−
89-87 = B+
86-83 = B
82-80 = B−
79-77 = C+
76-73 = C
72-70 = C−
69-67 = D+
66-63 = D
<63 = F

Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:

Course Policies

Project Continuation & Intellectual Property Development

Although it is not a must, in some cases, a student who enrolls into “EN.585.800 Independent Study I” may then subsequently enroll into “EN.585.801 Independent Study II” to complete a two-semester-long research study. In that case, the student is strongly advised to continue the project that was started in Independent Study I, keeping the same mentors.

The student, especially if enrolling for two semesters, is strongly advised to work towards a goal of creating intellectual property (IP) by the time the project is completed. The IP may be in the form of a research article submitted to a peer-reviewed journal; a conference paper/presentation; and/or a patent application. A point to note is that this publication/patent does not have to be the student’s sole authorship and can include other members from the research group.

It is understood that the actual publication/patent application may carry over beyond the project timeline; however, the student (and the Research Mentor) is advised to work towards the goal of completing all required work, documentation, and other defined expectations by the timeline. Ideally, the article should already be submitted as soon as possible after the project completion.

Extension of the project beyond the 14-week semester schedule is purely at the discretion of the two mentors and their readiness to work with the student beyond the stipulated date. The student will need written permission from both mentors if they need to extend/continue the project beyond the expected timeline.

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students. This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University is committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. If disability accommodations are needed for this course, students should request accommodations through Student Disability Services (SDS) as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.  For further information about this process, please refer to the SDS Website.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically.  For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity.    If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.