Semester 4: Developing Programme-specific Skills
A. Data handling/problem
An exercise will be assigned during this semester to help you improve your skills in handling data, applying statistical tests and problem solving. This exercise will give you practice in the types of problems you may encounter on your final year Degree Programme specific Problem Paper.
B. Oral presentation on Dissertation topic
This semester you will be assessed on an individual 10 minute oral presentation to your tutorial group on your Dissertation topic, which will be marked and count as one of your tutorial assignments. Preparing for this presentation will help you in your research for your Dissertation topic. In addition, the feedback you receive from your Academic Tutor and the rest of your group should be helpful for writing your Dissertation. Guidelines for oral presentations can be found in Appendix 4.
C. Programme specific activities To provide additional experience within the area of your degree programme your Academic Tutor will run programme-specific activities. These could include oral presentations, group based activities, data handling/problems, and reading/discussing primary research papers. These activities should help you consolidate your knowledge within the area of your degree programme.
- Exam preparation. At the end of Semester 4 your exams will again be mostly short answer and/or essay based. To gain more experience in this type of examination you will be asked by your Academic Tutor to review one or more topics related to your lecture units. You will then be given a question, or questions, from which you will have to write an essay or short answers under exam conditions during a tutorial session. Your Academic Tutor will mark this work and provide you with feedback that will be helpful in your preparation for the summer exams.
Plenary Sessions
Details of which sessions you should attend are provided on the BIOL20000 Blackboard site. You should bring a device capable of accessing the internet and your student ID number to these sessions to register your attendance.The plenary session counts towards your tutorial attendance record. If you are ill on the day of the plenary session, you must contact the student support office prior to the plenary session start in order to obtain an excused absence. Contacting your Academic Tutor instead of the student support office will result in your absence being unexcused.
Ethics Plenary: Week 1 or 5 (depending on RSM timing)
Intended Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this plenary session students should be able to:
- develop and apply programme specific knowledge to a range of ethical issues
- discuss a range of contemporary ethical issues in science and biomedicine
- develop skills in analysing bioethical arguments
- develop skills in presenting clear arguments and justifying and defending the position they take on these issues.
- Develop their own views on how and when they should ‘whistleblow’ if faced with practices they consider to be unethical
SEMESTER 4: Timetable
At the start of the semester your Academic Tutor will discuss with you details of the content of tutorials for the coming semester, and also deadline dates for the assignments. You should ensure that you record assignment deadlines in a diary or add them to your online calendar.
Remember to inform your Academic Tutor in advance if you cannot attend a tutorial for a legitimate reason and complete all the necessary steps with the Student Support Office. See attendance section for further details.
Suggested Tutorial Programme – Academic Tutors or Programme Directors may provide an alternate schedule at their discretion.
| Tutorials – Semester 4, Year 2: Enhancing Programme Specific Skills | ||
| Week | Academic Tutor-led activity | Plenary Session |
| 1 | 2 Academic-Tutor led and 1 student-led session (PD guidance for Programme specific activity (E1-3) to be completed by week 5 | Ethics (late RSM students/field course students to attend) – Tuesday 29th January 11:00-12:00; Location Simon Building Lecture Theatre B |
| 2 | ||
| 3 | ||
| 4 | ||
| 5 | Dissertation presentation to be completed before submission date | Ethics (early RSM students attend) – Tuesday 26th February 14:00-15:00; Location University Place Lecture Theatre B |
| 6 | ||
| 7 | ||
| 8 | 2 Academic-Tutor led and 1 student-led session (PD guidance for Programme specific activity (F1-3) to be completed by week 12 | NB: Dissertation submission Thursday 21st March 2019 at 16:00 |
| 9 | ||
| 10 | ||
| 11 | ||
| 12 | ||
Marked assignments
| Assignment | Deadline | Mark |
| Programme-Specific Activity | ||
| Dissertation Oral Presentation | ||