About this course

The aim of the course is to provide students with practical experience of research as a working method and process by participating in parts of a research project.

During the research practice course (FORSK course), students will gain experience with two or more steps of the research process, including relevant methods and tools. The research process refers to the path from hypothesis or research question through study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of the results.

Students may complete the research practice course individually or in collaboration with other students, but all students must submit an individual report for assessment in the course.

Students can undertake a FORSK course in another academic environment or faculty than the student's own.

Students can find advertised projects for the entire NMBU on the website. Potential projects are not limited to those listed online. Students may contact researchers/teachers to enquire whether they are willing to supervise a FORSK course, and conversely, researchers/teachers may contact students whom they wish to supervise directly.

Regarding supervisors:

  • The main supervisor must have an employment relationship with NMBU and have academic qualifications.
  • A research fellow may be a co-supervisor for a student in a FORSK course, but cannot be a main supervisor.

To undertake the course, students must arrange the FORSK project with their main supervisor, either orally or in writing, and obtain formal approval of the FORSK contract from the faculty.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student:

Skills

The student:

  • has practical skills in some of the research methods of the discipline and is familiar with relevant academic tools, techniques, and forms of expression 
  • can work independently to find, summarise, and use literature and other professional knowledge relevant to the project 
  • can work independently to interpret and evaluate their own results
  • can evaluate their own results against updated professional knowledge within the discipline

General competence

The student:

  • has a good understanding of the nature of research and its contribution to society
  • can independently present their own work and results in writing and orally 
  • has experience using feedback to refine their own work 

  • Learning activities

    The learning activities and tasks should be described in the FORSK contract. They will vary depending on the research project in which students participate and the discipline of the project.

    The learning activities and tasks may include collection of various types of data, participation in field or laboratory work, different types of analysis, model development, literature searches and studies, compilation of literature and results, and report writing.

  • Teaching support

    Guidance and follow-up will be provided by the main supervisor and, if applicable, also by the co-supervisor. It is possible, but not mandatory, to have more than one supervisor.

    It is the main supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that the workload matches the number of credits specified in the contract.

  • Syllabus

    All students taking a FORSK course are expected to familiarise themselves with 1) the national guidelines for research ethics within science and technology or within the social sciences and the humanities, and 2) NMBU's guidelines for research data management. Other than this, there is no set syllabus for the course.

    Other relevant literature tailored to the student’s research project should be identified and included in the FORSK contract in collaboration with the main supervisor/co-supervisor.

  • Prerequisites

    Prerequisite and recommended prior knowledge will vary depending on the project. It is the main supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that the student has a sufficient academic background.

  • Assessment method

    Report assessed on a pass/fail basis.

    A FORSK report assessed as ‘fail’ cannot be resubmitted for evaluation.

    If the student does not submit a FORSK report or the student's FORSK report is assessed as ‘fail’, the student is not entitled to further supervision.

  • About use of AI

    K3 - Use of AI is permitted but must comply with NMBU’s guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

    Descriptions of AI-category codes.

  • Examiner scheme

    FORSK course of 5 or 10 credits: The main supervisor, or a co-supervisor who has an employment relationship with NMBU and has academic qualifications, will evaluate the FORSK report.

    FORSK course of 15 credits: Two internal examiners, who meet the requirements to be a main supervisor, will evaluate the FORSK report.

  • Mandatory activity

    Completion of work in accordance with the FORSK contract and this course description.

  • Notes

    Please see the written FORSK Guide for further details on the application process, FORSK contract, etc.

    Summary of the application process:

    • For projects advertised on the website, the student must ‘pre-apply’ to the researcher/teacher.
    • The researcher/teacher must agree to act as the student’s supervisor.
    • The student and the main supervisor complete the FORSK contract together and submit it to the faculty.
    • NB! The faculty must have approved the FORSK contract before the student can start the course work and before the student can be registered for exam.

    The deadlines for ‘pre-applying’ to a researcher/teacher and for submitting the FORSK contract to the faculty, vary depending on which block/parallel the course starts. See the FORSK Guide for deadlines.

  • Preferential right

    Not applicable.

  • Reduction of credits

    The faculty must conduct an individual assessment of whether the course overlaps with SIF special syllabus and/or other FORSK courses the student previously has completed.

    It is possible to take the same FORSK course only once. However, it is possible to take more than one FORSK course, if so, at different faculties. Students may take FORSK courses when undertaking both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.

  • Admission requirements

    Students enrolled in two-year master’s degree programmes at NMBU. Students undertaking the fourth or fifth year of a five-year master’s degree programme at NMBU.