BSc Biomedical Sciences with a Year in Industry: Course Specification and Learning Outcome, Exercises of Physiology

Download BSc Biomedical Sciences with a Year in Industry: Course Specification and Learning Outcome and more Exercises Physiology in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Royal Holloway, University of London Course specification for an undergraduate award BSc Biomedical Sciences with a Year in Industry (B991) Section 1 – Introduction to your course This course specification is a formal document, which provides a summary of the main features of your course and the learning outcomes that you might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if you take full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. Further information is contained in the College prospectus, and in various handbooks, all of which you will be able to access online. Alternatively, further information on the College’s academic regulations and policies can be found here. Further information on the College’s Admissions Policy can be found here. Your degree course in Biomedical Sciences with a Year in Industry is delivered in four stages, apart from the year in industry, each stage comprises one year of full-time study, or two years of part-time study, during which you must follow modules to the value of 120 national credits. The curriculum is based around a set of mandatory modules and the course offers a strong foundation in Stages one and two, which covers the requirements of the benchmarking statements in Biosciences and Biomedical Sciences and allows for specialisation in Stage four, while at the same time allowing some degree of diversification of interests. Stage one comprises a fixed selection of mandatory modules and seeks to provide the necessary grounding for the study of the subject at degree level with appropriate Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, and Physiology and including a strong element of laboratory training that forms the cornerstone of the subject. In Stage two you take 5 mandatory modules to the value of 75 credits in Physiology, Molecular Biology, as well as molecular studies of biomedical subjects such as Immunology, Neurology and Pharmacology and select optional modules that include Microbiology, Developmental Biology, Cell Dynamics and Bioenergetics and Metabolism. Stage two builds on the foundations laid in Stage one and provides a basis for the study of the research-led specialist options in Stage four. All the modules include a substantial element of laboratory training that prepare you for the selection and implementation of the individual research project in stage four. In Stage 3, you spend a year in a relevant industry placement, to gain valuable experience in the workplace. The assessment from this year in industry counts as 30 credits which, for the purposes of award classification, is counted in the fourth stage. In Stage four there are 2 mandatory modules the value of 45 credits, which are the Molecular Basis of Inherited Disease module and the individual research project. The project is regarded as the culmination of your training in experimental design, research techniques, data analysis and presentation. You select the remaining modules from options. Many of the modules specialise in medically oriented aspects of the subject, and have a strong element covering specific categories of disease, their underlying cause and treatment. The options include Clinical Physiology and Medicine, Clinical Diagnosis of Disease, Biology of Parasitic Diseases, Cell and Molecular Neuroscience, Human Embryology and others. Clinicians and other hospital experts contribute to several of the final year modules, providing teaching at the cutting-edge of clinical approaches and expertise. The course emphasises the importance and relevance of a wide range of subject areas for medicine and the understanding and scientific investigation of human disease. It also involves training in a variety of practical techniques and skills relevant to research work in Biomedical Sciences. The system is also flexible and allows you to transfer to other degree streams within the Department up to the start of the second term, or indeed to other Molecular Bioscience degrees up to the start of the second stage. You can also take up to 30 credits from outside the Department of Biological Sciences, but within other Science departments, during stage two/four. Options are selected in consultation with your Personal Tutor and the Director of Teaching/Department Lead in UG Education. 2 While Royal Holloway keeps all the information made available under review, courses and the availability of individual modules, especially optional modules are necessarily subject to change at any time, and you are therefore advised to seek confirmation of any factors which might affect your decision to follow a specific course. In turn, Royal Holloway will inform you as soon as is practicable of any significant changes which might affect your studies. The following is a brief description for some of the most important terminology for understanding the content of this document: Degree course – May also be referred to as ‘degree programme’ or simply ‘programme’, these terms refer to the qualification you will be awarded upon successful completion of your studies. Module – May also be referred to as ‘course’, this refers to the individual units you will study each year to complete your degree course. Undergraduate degrees at Royal Holloway comprise a combination of modules in multiples of 15 credits to the value of 120 credits per year. On some degree courses a certain number of optional modules must be passed for a particular degree title. 5 This table sets out the most important information for the mandatory modules on your degree course. These modules are central to achieving your learning outcomes, so they are compulsory, and all students on your degree course will be required to take them. You will be automatically registered for these modules each year. Mandatory modules fall into two categories; ‘condonable’ or ‘non-condonable’. In the case of mandatory ‘non-condonable’ (MNC) modules, you must pass the module before you can proceed to the next year of your course, or to successfully graduate with a particular degree title. In the case of mandatory ‘condonable’ (MC) modules, these must be taken but you can still progress or graduate even if you do not pass them. Please note that although Royal Holloway will keep changes to a minimum, changes to your degree course may be made where reasonable and necessary due to unexpected events. For example; where requirements of relevant Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies have changed and course requirements must change accordingly, or where changes are deemed necessary on the basis of student feedback and/or the advice of external advisors, to enhance academic provision. *Contact hours come in various different forms, and may take the form of time spent with a member of staff in a lecture or seminar with other students. Contact hours may also be laboratory or, studio-based sessions, project supervision with a member of staff, or discussion through a virtual learning environment (VLE). These contact hours may be with a lecturer or teaching assistant, but they may also be with a technician, or specialist support staff. **The way in which each module on your degree course is assessed will also vary, however, the assessments listed above are all ‘summative’, which means you will receive a mark for it which will count towards your overall mark for the module, and potentially your degree classification, depending on your year of study. On successful completion of the module you will gain the credits listed. ‘Coursework’ might typically include a written assignment, like an essay. Coursework might also include a report, dissertation or portfolio. ‘Practical assessments’ might include an oral assessment or presentation, or a demonstration of practical skills required for the particular module. 3.2 Optional modules In addition to mandatory modules, there will be a number of optional modules available during the course of your degree. The following table lists a selection of optional modules that are likely to be available. However, not all may be available every year. Although Royal Holloway will keep changes to a minimum, new options may be offered or existing ones may be withdrawn. For example; where reasonable and necessary due to unexpected events, where requirements of relevant Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Bodies (PSRBs) have changed and course requirements must change accordingly, or where changes are deemed necessary on the basis of student feedback and/or the advice of External Advisors, to enhance academic provision.There may be additional requirements around option selection, so it is important that this specification is read alongside your department’s Student Handbook, which you can access via their webpage. 3 BS3900 Year in Industry Up to 50 weeks 101 40% 60% 30 6 MNC 4 BS3010 Individual Research Project 183 117 25% 75% 30 6 MNC 4 BS3590 Molecular Basis of Inherited Disease 21 129 80% 20% 15 6 MC 6 Year 1 Year 2 Year 4 None BS2005: Microbiology BS3020: Special Study: Dissertation BS2040: Cell Dynamics: Division and Movement BS3030: Biology of Parasitic Diseases BS2060: Developmental Biology BS3420 Nutrition and Medical Biochemistry BS2510: Bioenergetics and Metabolism BS3510: Molecular and Medical Microbiology BS2520: Protein Structure and Function BS3530: Applications of Genetic Engineering in Health and Disease BS3540: Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer BS3560: Functional Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics BS3570: Human Embryology and Endocrinology BS3580: Cell and Molecular Neuroscience BS3595: Clinical Physiology and Medicine BS3600: Clinical Diagnosis of Disease 3.3 Optional module requirements During stage two, you must choose options equal to the value of 45 credits from a list of stage two modules offered by the Department. During stage four, you must choose options equal to the value of 75 credits from a list of FHEQ level 6 modules offered by the Department. Section 4 - Progressing through each year of your degree course For further information on the progression and award requirements for your degree, please refer to Royal Holloway’s Academic Regulations. Year in Industry Students taking an industrial year take additional module BS3900 and thus have 150 credits in their final year. Students on degree courses with Year in Industry need to fulfil the requirements set out in the departmental Year in Industry Handbook in order to progress to the placement and be eligible for the degree title. 7 Section 5 – Educational aims of the course The aims of the Honours Degree course in Biomedical Sciences with a Year in Industry are to: • provide, through a core of modules, a sound knowledge and understanding of those areas of Bioscience necessary for understanding the biology of diseases and the scientific investigation of human health and disease. These include biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, physiology and anatomy, and pharmacology; • provide a sound knowledge and understanding of those areas of the subject relevant to the diagnosis and development of therapies for a range of diseases; • develop an insight into the current frontiers of knowledge in major aspects of the Biomedical Sciences, primarily through a series of specialised Stage 3 modules; • develop, through a flexible and progressive structure, a range of subject-specific and transferable skills, including practical laboratory skills, self-management, information retrieval, communication and presentation skills, working with others, decision making and meeting deadlines, that equip you for future employment; • provide professional experience in a relevant workplace environment; • provide experience of independent research through a final year project; • produce graduates who can work safely and responsibly with biological and chemical materials and laboratory equipment. 10 Section 9 – Indicators of quality and standards QAA Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) Level 4-6 Your course is designed in accordance with the FHEQ to ensure your qualification is awarded on the basis of nationally established standards of achievement, for both outcomes and attainment. The qualification descriptors within the FHEQ set out the generic outcomes and attributes expected for the award of individual qualifications. The qualification descriptors contained in the FHEQ exemplify the outcomes and attributes expected of learning that results in the award of higher education qualifications. These outcomes represent the integration of various learning experiences resulting from designated and coherent courses of study. QAA Subject benchmark statement(s) http://www.qaa.ac.uk/quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements Subject benchmark statements provide a means for the academic community to describe the nature and characteristics of courses in a specific subject or subject area. They also represent general expectations about standards for the award of qualifications at a given level in terms of the attributes and capabilities that those possessing qualifications should have demonstrated. 11 Section 11 – Intermediate exit awards (where available) You may be eligible for an intermediate exit award if you complete part of the course as detailed in this document. Any additional criteria (e.g. mandatory modules, credit requirements) for intermediate awards is outlined in the sections below. Award Criteria Awarding body Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE) Pass in 210 credits of which at least 90 must be at or above FHEQ Level 4 and at least 120 of which must be at or above FHEQ Level 5 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Certificate in Higher Education (CertHE) Pass in 120 credits of which at least 90 must be at or above FHEQ Level 4 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College Section 10 – Further information This specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the course and the learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate when taking full advantage of the learning opportunities that are available. More detailed information on modules, including teaching and learning methods, and methods of assessment, can be found via the online Module Catalogue. The accuracy of the information contained in this document is reviewed regularly by the university, and may also be checked routinely by external agencies, such as the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Your course will be reviewed regularly, both by the university as part of its cyclical quality enhancement processes, and/or by your department or school, who may wish to make improvements to the curriculum, or in response to resource planning. As such, your course may be revised during the course of your study at Royal Holloway. However, your department or school will take reasonable steps to consult with students via appropriate channels when considering changes. All continuing students will be routinely informed of any significant changes. Section 12 - Associated award(s) BSc Biomedical Sciences (B990) BSc Biomedical Sciences with a Year in Industry (B991)