{"id":4889,"date":"2019-05-13T12:44:05","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T12:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elearning.bmh.manchester.ac.uk\/sbs-19-20-draft\/?page_id=4889"},"modified":"2024-11-05T11:33:01","modified_gmt":"2024-11-05T11:33:01","slug":"first-year-tutorial-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/handbooks.bmh.manchester.ac.uk\/2024-25\/sbs\/tutorial-guides\/first-year-tutorial-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"First Year Tutorial Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

BIOL10000 Year 1 Student Tutorial Handbook<\/h1>\n

The School of Biological Sciences Tutorial Programme<\/b><\/h1>\n

All Year 1 SBS students are enrolled in the tutorial unit BIOL10000. Tutorials will provide you with knowledge and expertise related to your degree programme as well as transferable skills. The tutorial programme includes small group tutorials and plenary sessions. In the first semester, tutorials are also linked an online unit (Writing and Referencing Skills (WRS); BIOL10741) that will help you to improve your written communication skills. Figure 1 shows the components of the Year 1 Tutorial Unit.<\/p>\n

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Figure <\/i><\/b>1<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b> Tutorials<\/i> in Year 1 include small group and plenary sessions. <\/i>The <\/i>Writing and Referencing Skills (WRS<\/i>; BIOL10741)<\/span><\/i> unit complements tutorial activities and must be passed in order to pass the tutorial unit.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Small group tutorials<\/b><\/span> will take place with other students from your degree programme and your Academic Tutor. Please note that, although times for your small group tutorials should show on your personal timetable, there may be a delay at the start of each semester before they appear. Tutorial dates and times are arranged by your Academic Tutor and are subject to change. Please check with your Tutor if you are in any doubt about the scheduling of your small group tutorials.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plenary sessions <\/b><\/span>will be delivered by specialists to larger groups of students from multiple degree programmes. This format ensures consistent delivery of information to students, and the plenary sessions cover topics that are relevant to all SBS students. Some plenary sessions have associated pre-session work, which should be completed in advance of the session. Table 1 lists the Year 1 plenaries, which will show on your personal timetable. They will be delivered in hybrid format so that you can attend live on campus or remotely via Zoom. Each plenary has a folder on the tutorial Blackboard site (BIOL10000), where you can find Zoom codes and supporting information.<\/p>\n

Table 1. Year 1 plenary sessions.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Plenary title<\/strong><\/td>\nTeaching<\/strong><\/p>\n

Week<\/strong><\/td>\n

Pre-session work<\/strong><\/td>\nWho should attend\/complete<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Semester 1<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Understanding University Assessments<\/td>\n2<\/td>\nYES<\/span><\/td>\nAll Year 1 students<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frontiers of Science<\/td>\n3<\/span><\/td>\nNo<\/span><\/td>\nAll Year 1 students<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
How to Write a Scientific Essay [online resource]<\/td>\n5 (recommended completion date)<\/td>\nNo; online resource<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nAll Year 1 students<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Year 1 Poster<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n \u00a0YES<\/span><\/td>\nAll Year 1 students<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MCQ Q&A Session<\/td>\n10<\/td>\nNo<\/span><\/span><\/td>\nAll Year 1 students<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Semester 2<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
How to Write a Mini Lab Report [online resource]<\/td>\n4 (recommended completion date)<\/td>\nNo; online resource<\/span><\/td>\nStudents enrolled in BIOL10412 or BIOL10422<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Employability: Make the most of your First Year<\/td>\n7<\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nAll Year 1 students<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Experimental Reporting: Field Course<\/td>\n8<\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nStudents enrolled in a Field Course Unit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Table 1. Year 1 plenary sessions.<\/strong><\/em><\/span>\u00a0 You will find descriptions of the sessions, instructions for pre-session work, and information about attending via Zoom in the relevant folder in the ‘Plenary Sessions’ area of the BIOL10000 Blackboard site. <\/i><\/b>Semester 1 teaching week<\/span><\/span><\/span> 1 <\/span><\/span><\/span>begins on Monday 23rd September 2024<\/span><\/span><\/span>; Semester 2 teaching week 1 begins on Monday January 27<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/span>, 2025.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The tutorial programme builds year-on-year and focuses on four major strands of skills: communication (written and oral); professional skills; experimental reporting; and employability, as shown in Figure 2. \u00a0Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) for the Year 1 tutorials are available here<\/a>. The activities in Years 2 and 3 build on the skills that you acquire in Year 1.<\/p>\n

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Figure 2. <\/em><\/strong>Summary of the topics you can expect to cover in small group tutorials (top) and plenary sessions (bottom). There are variations between programmes, and your Tutor and Programme Director may, at their discretion, alter the content of your tutorials.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Tips for success \"\"<\/h2>\n

To supplement your small group tutorials and plenary sessions, there is a curated list of resources available on the BIOL10000 Blackboard site to guide you through the academic year. These \u2018Tips for Success\u2019. are organised by week for each Semester, and they link you to supporting resources at the time that they are likely to be most useful and relevant to your tutorial activities and other major assignments. Completion of the resources is optional but you can keep track of your progress for your own purposes by marking each week as ‘reviewed’. The Semester 1 tips for success can be accessed here<\/a>. The Semester 2 tips for success can be accessed here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are the roles of your Academic Tutor and Academic Advisor?<\/h2>\n

Your Academic Tutor will arrange your small group tutorials and mark your tutorial assessments. Your Academic Tutor will help you to:<\/p>\n