biol103e-portfolio-blog

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

Introduction

During week 5 my group and I received our group research project for the dry practical assessment, the topic being “The correlation between DCHS1 gene and mitral valve prolapse” (Durst et al., 2015. In week three I was placed in a group of 4, which was allocated by the bench I sat at. Our group received a range of topics to choose from in preparation for our dry practical in week 5, in which a mutual agreement for the topic was decided based on similar interests. The task involved multiple group meetings in the construction of our presentation, in which we would complete a 12 minute oral presentation during week 10. Within our slides and oral presentation, relevant links were made between the DCHS1 gene and mitral valve prolapse and BIOL103 background knowledge. This is evident within the exploration of mutated proteins and the impacts of DCHS1 mutations in particular. The lecture on proteins during week 5 explained how Changes in the structure of the protein can have major effects on its function. Our research addressed the findings concluded from experimental results, and the limitations associated with current technologies that create the need for further research to be conducted. We found a direct correlation of the hereditary mutated gene DCHS1 and mitral valve prolapse (Durst, R, Sauls, K, Peal, DS et al. 2015), yet discovered the urgency towards prevention and the disease, with it being highly prevalent yet no cure exists. 

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

Communication

Upon receiving the assignment I was challenged by the topic of choice, as it was something I had never learnt about before, so I was unsure how effectively i would be able to communicate that within my presentation. I also am not confident in my oral presentation skills, therefore had to prepare thoroughly in order to control my nerves. In order to communicate the ideas explored in the scientific article, I had to complete a lot of background research of the topic areas as i was nervous about letting my group down. Because of this I believe I was then able to communicate my research areas clearly in my lectures slides. This was reflected in my mark, yet feedback suggested I needed to condense my slides. On the day of the presentation I felt less nervous based on my personal preparation and also how prepared my group was. As a group all members communicated information concisely, so our presentation flowed quite well and was engaging to the audience. My group members had strong presentation skills, which helped engage the audience and provide confidence for answering questions at the end. This is reflected with our mark as it was similar to what we were hoping for, and we were happy with the result. Our feedback reflected our effective communication stating ‘strong display of knowledge of paper and BIOL103 concepts’. Improvements for the future would involve a stronger structure of presentation slides, so that the flow of information was clearer surrounding the results of our paper. With feedback stating ‘sometimes difficult to track’. More concise slides would also improve the engagement of the audience. 

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

Group Work

This task involved working in groups of 4, increasing the chance for group conflict as my group members had different schedules based on the courses we are studying. Despite this the group communicated efficiently from our first dry practical, in which Facebook contacts were exchanged and communication was primarily conducted in the group chat. Facebook messenger was an efficient form of communication as it allowed us to discuss issues without working around our different schedules, and it allowed us to communicate when we were at home and working on google slides. Google slides also allowed us to view the whole presentation which allowed us to give each other constructive criticism and ensure everyone was completing their slides. Our second form of communication involved group meetings and despite timetable differences, meeting dates were easily agreed upon in the week prior, in which our group had three meetings before our presentation. These meetings were conducted on the 13th of September, 27th of September and 2nd of October. Group meetings were very effective in discussing our own slides, giving constructive criticism, discussing the feedback from our draft slides and finally practicing presenting to each other. Finally a Facebook messenger group call was held on the 8th of October to complete a final practice presentation. The only conflicts that occurred in this assignment involved the different schedules of each member that restricted our meeting options. This was resolved by group members coming to uni on their days off in order to complete the assessment, therefore our group worked very effectively in resolving any issues and overall there was strong communication between members.

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

Conclusion

Overall this group presentation involved a greater amount of time than I was expecting, yet our group worked very efficiency in ensuring we completed tasks by set dates. I found that working in groups sometimes prolonged the completion of the assignment, as you had to wait for each group member to complete their area in order to move onto the next section. Despite this, being part of a group that communicated effectively allowed everything to be completed on time. The fact that we had numerous communication sources, particularly the facebook messenger group chat allowed everyone to be aware of what stage everyone was working and allowed us to resolve any problems we were having with the assignment. I found my group members all wanted to achieve a good mark for this assignment, and therefore all group members were contributing an equal amount of effort to the task. I found that when all group members utilise the communication forms it is far more beneficial, as all members were verbal about not only the areas they were confused about but in giving constructive criticism. This communication compared to past group assignments I have done, I found to be far more effective in the completion of work as nothing was done last minute. Before this assignment i would have preferred to work individually yet after being in a group in which all members contributed equally and have similar goals, I now know that efficient communication allows group work to be conducted easily

[biol103e-portfolio-blog]

References

Durst, R, Sauls, K, Peal, DS, deVlaming, A, Toomer, K, Leyne, M, Salani, M, Talkowski, ME, Brand, H, Perrocheau, M, Simpson, C, Jett, C, Stone, MR, Charles, F, Chiang, C, Lynch, SN, Bouatia-Naji, N, Delling, FN, Freed, LA, Tribouilloy, C, Le Tourneau, T, LeMarec, H, Fernandez-Friera, L, Solis, J, Trujillano, D, Ossowski, S, Estivill, X, Dina, C, Bruneval, P, Chester, A, Schott, J-J, Irvine, KD, Mao, Y, Wessels, A, Motiwala, T, Puceat, M, Tsukasaki, Y, Menick, DR, Kasiganesan, H, Nie, X, Broome, A-M, Williams, K, Johnson, A, Markwald, RR, Jeunemaitre, X, Hagege, A, Levine, RA, Milan, DJ, Norris, RA & Slaugenhaupt, SA 2015, ‘Mutations in DCHS1 cause mitral valve prolapse’, Nature, vol. 525, no. 7567, pp. 109–113, viewed 24 October 2019, <https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=26258302&site=eds-live>.

HeartPoint, 1997, HeartPoint: Mitral Valve Prolapse, image, viewed 24 October 2019, >http://www.heartpoint.com/mitralvalveprolapse.html<

DNA Gif, 2019, Matthew Butler, image, viewed 24 October 2019, >https://giphy.com/gifs/gif-animation-animatedgif-YlmI36YAWe7KScC7hK<

Gify, 2019, image, viewed 24 October 2019, >https://giphy.com/gifs/valve-jtAPhRFD5FiV2<