Teacher(s)
Language
French
Main themes
The two main topics covered in this course are the essential office softwares and the document research.
The first theme focuses on learning the extensive use of the following tools in a scientific context:
· a spreadsheet (basic principles, numerical calculations, matrix calculations graphical representations, data analysis, pivot tables, statistical tools, data import, etc.);
· a word processor (basic principles, simple and complex formatting, styles and references, tables, objects embedding, structure and bibliography, etc.);
· a presentation program (basic principles, design rules, objects embedding, animation methods, structure, etc.).
The second theme focuses on learning to search and make use of scientific resources:
· how to prepare a research and to define a subject;
· how to search for scientific documents;
· how to analyze and evaluate sources (journal, book, website);
· how to produce a written scientific work (writing, quotations, notes and bibliography, plagiarism situations);
· how to use bibliographic management software in connection with a word processing program.
The first theme focuses on learning the extensive use of the following tools in a scientific context:
· a spreadsheet (basic principles, numerical calculations, matrix calculations graphical representations, data analysis, pivot tables, statistical tools, data import, etc.);
· a word processor (basic principles, simple and complex formatting, styles and references, tables, objects embedding, structure and bibliography, etc.);
· a presentation program (basic principles, design rules, objects embedding, animation methods, structure, etc.).
The second theme focuses on learning to search and make use of scientific resources:
· how to prepare a research and to define a subject;
· how to search for scientific documents;
· how to analyze and evaluate sources (journal, book, website);
· how to produce a written scientific work (writing, quotations, notes and bibliography, plagiarism situations);
· how to use bibliographic management software in connection with a word processing program.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | Specific learning outcomes of the course The aim of this course is to enable students to acquire the computer knowledge and skills necessary to research, process and format (data and references) the resources required to produce oral presentations and written work of scientific quality. Practical applications, in relation to the specific areas covered in the first year of the Bachelor of Science, will provide students with a specific experience closely linked to their studies and their future profession. |
| Contribution of the course to the learning outcomes of the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine programme. This course contributes to points 2.3; 2.6 of the learning outcomes. |
|
Content
Course content:
Six supervision sessions in IT rooms are also scheduled until mid-November to enable students to receive support with their group projects, which form the core of this learning experience.
- Introduction, course objectives, overview of works, UCLouvain resources for documentary research.
- Basic and advanced documentary research, Scopus, PubMed, Open Access, generative AI.
- Evaluating of sources (including generative AI), citations and reference management, Zotero.
- Word: styles, references (table of contents, index, etc.), page layout and insertions, …
- Excel: basic functions, imports, tables, formulas, sorting and filtering, …
- Excel: graphics, statistics, logical functions, pivot tables, …
- Presentation tools: PowerPoint and Canva, posters, public speaking, mind mapping.
Six supervision sessions in IT rooms are also scheduled until mid-November to enable students to receive support with their group projects, which form the core of this learning experience.
Teaching methods
Lectures (22.5 hours) and supervised sessions in IT rooms (11.5 hours) are delivered in Q1 from the start of the academic year so that students can quickly apply what they have learnt about documentary research and IT tools to other courses. As practical training forms an integral part of the course, students will be required to undertake group work to apply what they have learnt. Both during lectures and in the IT rooms supervision sessions, students will be encouraged to interact and share their questions, particularly in preparation for the two revision/consolidation sessions, which will be structured around questions submitted in advance.
Starting with a scientific article containing data tables (a different article for each pair of two students) in zoology, animal ecology, veterinary medicine or animal production, each pair must carry out a critical analysis of the answers to three questions posed to a generative AI of their choice and the answers found in the scientific literature following a documentary research. The required output will consist of:
The documentary research and the IT tools presented form a logical and structured learning programme whose overall value is greater than the mere sum of its parts. From the start of the academic year, active attendance at lectures and, where necessary, at supervision sessions in IT rooms is therefore essential. Carrying out a group project is also a learning experience, and so the active involvement of each student in the work will be key to its success.
Starting with a scientific article containing data tables (a different article for each pair of two students) in zoology, animal ecology, veterinary medicine or animal production, each pair must carry out a critical analysis of the answers to three questions posed to a generative AI of their choice and the answers found in the scientific literature following a documentary research. The required output will consist of:
- A project proposal outlining the scope of the work to follow (due 12/10/26)
- An 12–13-page Word document with a bibliography (due 28/10/26)
- An Excel production (table and graphics) based on the data from the article (due 23/11/26)
- A 5-slide PowerPoint presentation, Canva design or poster, optional (due 07/12/26)
The documentary research and the IT tools presented form a logical and structured learning programme whose overall value is greater than the mere sum of its parts. From the start of the academic year, active attendance at lectures and, where necessary, at supervision sessions in IT rooms is therefore essential. Carrying out a group project is also a learning experience, and so the active involvement of each student in the work will be key to its success.
Evaluation methods
As part of this course, students will be assessed in two ways:
Continuous assessment, accounting for 40% (08/20) of the final mark, consisting of works to be submitted by the deadlines set out above. Assessment will focus on the quality and completeness of the required work in Word (composition, literature review, comparative analysis with generative AI, bibliography) and in Excel (import, tables, calculations, graphics, etc.). The Word and Excel assignments will be worth a maximum of 5 and 3 marks. The optional work requested for the oral presentations may be awarded a bonus of up to 2 marks. In the event of plagiarism (Art.107§2) of the Règlement Général des Examens), a mark of 0 will be given for the work in question. If all the works are found to involve plagiarism or academic dishonesty, the pair will be summoned to explain themselves and, where appropriate, the lecturer may propose a ‘T’ mark for cheating to the examination board during the January session. In the event of a fail in this continuous assessment, the revised work (in whole or in part) must be submitted by 30 April 2027 for the June session. In the event of a deferral to August, the assessment of the work will involve a live revision of the work during an oral examination.
The January exam, which accounts for 60% (12/20) of the final mark, is a written exam. It will consist of two parts: a multiple-choice test worth 6 marks on theory (24 questions: 0.25 marks are awarded for each correct answer and no marks are awarded for unanswered or incorrect answers) and open-ended questions worth 6 marks, covering the course material and the work completed. This written exam is neither open-book nor computer-based. In June and August, this examination will be conducted orally and will include the same types of questions.
If students sit the exam again in June or August following a fail in January, remedial measures are in place in Q2: either to improve or redo all or part of the work if they have failed that part of the assessment, or to revise the course material if they have failed the written part in the January session, or both if they have failed both parts.
Continuous assessment, accounting for 40% (08/20) of the final mark, consisting of works to be submitted by the deadlines set out above. Assessment will focus on the quality and completeness of the required work in Word (composition, literature review, comparative analysis with generative AI, bibliography) and in Excel (import, tables, calculations, graphics, etc.). The Word and Excel assignments will be worth a maximum of 5 and 3 marks. The optional work requested for the oral presentations may be awarded a bonus of up to 2 marks. In the event of plagiarism (Art.107§2) of the Règlement Général des Examens), a mark of 0 will be given for the work in question. If all the works are found to involve plagiarism or academic dishonesty, the pair will be summoned to explain themselves and, where appropriate, the lecturer may propose a ‘T’ mark for cheating to the examination board during the January session. In the event of a fail in this continuous assessment, the revised work (in whole or in part) must be submitted by 30 April 2027 for the June session. In the event of a deferral to August, the assessment of the work will involve a live revision of the work during an oral examination.
The January exam, which accounts for 60% (12/20) of the final mark, is a written exam. It will consist of two parts: a multiple-choice test worth 6 marks on theory (24 questions: 0.25 marks are awarded for each correct answer and no marks are awarded for unanswered or incorrect answers) and open-ended questions worth 6 marks, covering the course material and the work completed. This written exam is neither open-book nor computer-based. In June and August, this examination will be conducted orally and will include the same types of questions.
If students sit the exam again in June or August following a fail in January, remedial measures are in place in Q2: either to improve or redo all or part of the work if they have failed that part of the assessment, or to revise the course material if they have failed the written part in the January session, or both if they have failed both parts.
Other information
Demonstrations and support in Word, Excel and Power Point during lectures and practical sessions will be based on the Office Suite for Windows on Dell PCs. This suite of IT tools is installed on Dell UCLouvain PCs in the libraries and learning centres or in the IT training rooms and is freely accessible to students after identification. Students may, of course, use their own laptops, but it is strongly recommended that they do not attempt to use a tablet or free software with incomplete functionality.
The team at the Bibliothèque des sciences et technologies Learning center Pasteur (BST) is also there to help students with documentary research and bibliography management. Check out their website and help services at https://uclouvain.be/fr/bibliotheques/bst and don't hesitate to ask for their help at reception desk.
For group work, BST also has 28 work rooms available on the different floors of the library: 21 work rooms seating 4 to 5 people, 6 of which are equipped with a screen, 5 rooms seating 8 people with a screen, 4 of which are equipped for video-conferencing (can also be used for projection), 2 self-study rooms equipped with a double-screen computer (1 to 3 people max.).
The team at the Bibliothèque des sciences et technologies Learning center Pasteur (BST) is also there to help students with documentary research and bibliography management. Check out their website and help services at https://uclouvain.be/fr/bibliotheques/bst and don't hesitate to ask for their help at reception desk.
For group work, BST also has 28 work rooms available on the different floors of the library: 21 work rooms seating 4 to 5 people, 6 of which are equipped with a screen, 5 rooms seating 8 people with a screen, 4 of which are equipped for video-conferencing (can also be used for projection), 2 self-study rooms equipped with a double-screen computer (1 to 3 people max.).
Online resources
All the resources of this course are made available on the Moodle UCLouvain institutional platform.
Bibliography
Le catalogue des bibliothèques UCLouvain propose de nombreux livres et e-books sur les outils bureautiques, la recherche documentaire ou la rédaction scientifique.
En BST, les livres avec la cote de rangement Z au niveau 1 sont de bons compléments en matière de rédaction scientifique, gestion de bibliographie, etc. et les livres avec la cote de rangement A d'excellentes synthèses simplifiées sur toutes thématiques.
Parmi les bonnes références de prises en main Word et Excel, plusieurs exemplaires du titre suivant sont disponibles en BST dans la section des manuels de référence au Niveau 0 :
Coffret livres Excel et Word (versions 2019 et Office 365) - Coffret de deux livres (Editions ENI 2019, 1456 p.)
Pour le travail, outre les e-books et revues en lignes, en BST les livres de zoologie sont classés en QL (niveau 3) et ceux de médecine vétérinaire et élevage en SF (niveau 4).
En BST, les livres avec la cote de rangement Z au niveau 1 sont de bons compléments en matière de rédaction scientifique, gestion de bibliographie, etc. et les livres avec la cote de rangement A d'excellentes synthèses simplifiées sur toutes thématiques.
Parmi les bonnes références de prises en main Word et Excel, plusieurs exemplaires du titre suivant sont disponibles en BST dans la section des manuels de référence au Niveau 0 :
Coffret livres Excel et Word (versions 2019 et Office 365) - Coffret de deux livres (Editions ENI 2019, 1456 p.)
Pour le travail, outre les e-books et revues en lignes, en BST les livres de zoologie sont classés en QL (niveau 3) et ceux de médecine vétérinaire et élevage en SF (niveau 4).
Teaching materials
- Les présentations Power Point du cours sont toutes disponibles sur Moodle en version .pdf
Faculty or entity
Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)
Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Bachelor in Veterinary Medicine
