Keeping a record...

Here I kept a clear record of the notes I took from all the sessions I had with my supervisor. This has helped me to stay firmly on track throughout the project, as I kept referring to these notes in case I forgot anything important to do. It has also helped me to manage my time efficiently.

Appointment date	Queries	Outcome (From notes)
15/11/2011	- Not sure about topic choice and what I could do for the project - How long do I have to decide on a topic?	The topic can be about anything that I’m interested in. Maybe doing some research can help me decide. It will also be useful to choose a topic related to my studies and future studies in university. I could either produce an artefact and a small report plus presentation or a report (5000 words) and a presentation.
17/11/2011	- I want to talk about neurodegeneration and it’s disorders: Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and ALS. Is this an appropriate topic choice and how do I structure my title?	- Yes I could write about the different neurodegenerative conditions and how Neurodegeneration affects the brain. -Title: Neurodegeneration, impact and prognosis: An investigation into the effects of neurodegenerative conditions on the brain and what treatment is available.
24/11/2011	-Can I post new information I find on my blog and what sort of things do I need to include? - How often do I need to post a comment?	- Remember to update my blog regularly, at least twice a week - Post a comment called ‘bibliography’ with the references for all the sources I use. - I could write about the new information I find but I need to reference it. - I could also post my title and initial ideas.
27/11/2011	- I don’t think it’s going to be easy comparing 3 neurodegenerative diseases. I’m not sure what I can do. - I also don’t know what my focus point is.	- I could work on 1 neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s and compare the treatments available. - So my focus point will be comparing the treatments for PD and as a conclusion finding the most effective form of treatment.
1/12/2011	- I want write a bit about research projects for PD how could I incorporate this in my report? - Also I’d like to write about possible future treatments for PD, such as stem cell therapy as they could become a potential cure for PD.	- Use the information obtained from research projects to support my argument on the different type of treatments available for PD. - Also what research projects are doing for future treatments e.g. gene therapy. This could be a cure once researchers find ways to unlock the other barriers that prevent the complete success of alleviating PD symptoms.
03/12/2011	Show my work so far and ask for advice.	- Advised me to keep a record of my progress.
17/12/2011	Ask what I could do to improve report	- Find information from a variety of sources e.g. books, articles, magazines, news, internet, blogs etc.
01/01/2012	- What is the presentation based upon? - Is there a specific layout/structure the presentation needs to be in?	- Don’t worry about the presentation at this stage. First complete the report. - The presentation is based upon the planning of the project and evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of my learning etc.
16/01/2012	- Still confused about my focus point such as how I am supposed to structure my argument. So I’ll show an example to my supervisor	- She approved of the example I wrote Which is to back my ideas with evidence from research projects.
18/01/12	- How am I supposed to structure my references?	-  My supervisor gave me a short guide on using the Harvard Referencing System. It has examples on how to reference different sources.
20/01/12	Ask for any handouts that could help me with planning.	- She gave me a layout plan for the presentation.
28/01/12	- What to include for report introduction.	- Describe my choice of title and explain how I developed my ideas (I also have to change my title since I changed my focus point)
07/02/12	- Check my report introduction with my supervisor	- Start with a rationale and include why I have chosen to focus on Parkinson's and use secondary research rather than primary. Also write why I felt research into research projects about Parkinson's is important.
15/02/12	- Showed the sources I used and how I referenced them	- References are good, but I could still find more information from different sources other than internet and books to show a deeper understanding of the issues around Parkinson’s disease and it’s treatments.
08/03/12	- Check my completed report to make final adjustments	- I could asses the references I used - Reduce the words to 5000 - Add page numbers. - Write an abstract, 150 words long - Add an appendix page and move the drug table to that page. Also add a record of the Google calendar I used for planning and a copy of my blog.
11/03/12	- Should I make a poster about PD?	-Yes. But include interesting and informative information about PD.