| Unit name | Cells in Health and Disease |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BIOCM0023 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Verkade |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Biochemistry |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Understanding the underlying mechanisms that cause disease is critical in developing treatments and in preventing the disease in the first place. It is therefore essential that we study cells and organisms both under healthy and diseased conditions and make critical comparisons between the two. In this unit you will be taught by experts in the field that work on such questions in their daily research. In their lectures they will demonstrate how basic research is applied to understand diseases at the cellular, tissue and organismal level and how this knowledge is applied to their own research on, for instance, cancer or blood disorders. This unit is critical in understanding the link between basic and applied translational research.
How does this fit in with your programme of study?
This optional unit in Teaching Block 1 will give you an insight into the underlying mechanisms of disease and compare those to healthy conditions, exemplified by diseases such as trafficking, blood disorders and cancer. This will support students interested in undertaking further research in these areas as part of the Literature Review, Project Proposal or Research Project.
Individual and group activities will build your confidence in vital skills used throughout the programme, including critically engaging with scientific literature, independent research skills, experimental design and academic writing. Through teamwork and your individual oral presentation, you will build oral communication skills, to support you in delivering a presentation about your Research Project.
An overview of content
The unit will consist of a series of lectures on a specific topic (e.g. cancer, blood disorders), providing the essential background needed to explore the area in greater depth. Each topic will be concluded by an interactive workshop where a specific aspect of the topic will be discussed in more depth. Following these series of lectures, you will explore one of the topics in more depth as part of a case study. Here you will apply your knowledge from the lectures and, by discussions in small groups, you will investigate how different experimental approaches can be used to address an outstanding question in the specific research field.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of this unit
After this unit
Learning Outcomes
This unit will consist of mix of integrated lectures delivered by subject experts, interactive workshops led by the subject experts and facilitated student-directed inquiry based Active Learning Groups (ALG). Lecture topics will present areas of research interest and provide the foundational knowledge needed to carry out independent research for the coursework essay. Discussions in ALG will support the development of your individual oral presentation, where you will carry out further research on your presentation topic.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks:
You will have the opportunity to complete a formative essay and a formative oral presentation as part of the integrated assessment approach for the MSc Biomedical Sciences Research programme; these tasks will be undertaken as part of the MSc Core Skills unit. You will receive support and guidance on how to prepare for these tasks and you will receive feedback on your work. Reflecting, and responding to feedback will allow you to improve your critical approach to engaging with research. It will also allow you to refine your written and oral communication skills.
In this unit, your work with peers in student-directed inquiry based Active Learning Groups (ALG) will support you to develop knowledge fundamental to your summative oral presentation.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
Coursework essay (60% of unit mark): essays will address societal issues closely related to the topic of Biomedical research.
Oral presentation (40% of unit mark): oral presentation. Building on discussions in the facilitated Active Learning Groups, topics for individual presentations will explore technical approaches to addressing important research questions in one of the key subject areas explored in the unit.
When assessment does not got to plan
If you are unable to submit your coursework essay by the deadline, you can request an extension at least 48 hours in advance of the submission deadline.
If you are unable to present your oral presentation, an alternative opportunity to deliver the presentation will be offered.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to the programme of study. The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BIOCM0023).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
