You will learn via a variety of methods during your degree, as well as independent study. It is important to attend teaching sessions if at all possible, and some are mandatory. The University's policy on attendance monitoring can be found here.
Lectures
The lecture is the most common method of teaching large groups of students, and is the cornerstone of most degree programmes. Lectures are often used to impart information, concepts and theories; provide an introductory overview of a subject; arouse student interest in a topic; draw together the main ideas about a subject; and/or review recent research. Some lecture slots may also be used for other activities (for the whole session or integrated into the lecture content).
All lectures are scheduled to last for fifty minutes, although not all lecturers choose to use the full time. Lecture times are standardised throughout the University and are:
9am-9.50am
10am-10.50am
11am-11.50am
12pm-12.50pm
1pm-1.50pm
2pm-2.50pm
3pm-3.50pm
4pm-4.50pm
You should always arrive at a lecture at least a few minutes before it is due to start. You might need to pick up a handout and you will certainly need to organise yourself to take notes. Late arrival at lectures is disruptive for the lecturers and other students. You might also find it difficult to understand a lecture if you miss the beginning.
A lecture is most effectively used by actively concentrating on what is being said. It is important that you attempt to gain an understanding of the material presented, rather than simply trying to memorise it. Making notes is an important part of active learning when attending a lectures or reading a textbook. Notes are concentrated, personal records of spoken or written information. Note making requires you to select the essential information and to organise it properly. Your notes will be the starting point for exam revision.
In any lecture, try to strike a balance between making notes and listening carefully - try to understand the main points of the lecture and, at the same time, try to make sufficient notes to enable you to recall each of these points afterwards. There are techniques for note-taking that you can learn, and with practice you will become increasingly effective. This is an important skill in which you must aim to develop a high level of facility over the first two years of your course. Students often start by trying to write down every word the lecturer says. You will soon find that this is generally impossible, and not even useful, as you will be missing out the analytical aspect of note-taking.
Good notes often include headings and subheadings, underlining or highlighting, and clear layout on the page. The more traditional note-making is linear - with one heading after another down the page. It is very useful to leave a wide margin at one side, so that you can add extra points later - references, details from textbooks, notes from discussions.
Use abbreviations in note-making, but make sure they are clear to you. As soon as possible after a lecture you should read through your notes to make sure they made sense and that you understand them. If you do not understand your notes seek help immediately while the topic is still fresh in your mind.
Lecturers may provide handouts in lectures and usually upload their slides to Blackboard, and recordings of most lectures are available via the Encore system (accessed through Blackboard). These materials are not intended to be a substitute for making your own notes. It is all too easy to become a passive listener (and a poor learner) if you stop taking notes and rely on a handout or Blackboard. For this reason, it is always better to rely on your own notes, rather than copies of other people's, since you will develop your own patterns of note-making and will know best the points about a lecture (or a book) that interested you.
Remember when lecture captures are available it is important that you use them effectively to enhance your learning:
1. Attend lectures – students who attend tend to get better grades.
2. Use the captures to supplement your studies. Dip into the parts you need to enhance your knowledge and understanding.
3. Don’t wait until a few days before the examination to use the captures. Space your learning throughout the semester to enhance your knowledge and understanding.
4. Don’t binge watch! Again, spacing your learning across the semester is a more effective approach.
5. Watch at normal speed (if you speed the recording up you might miss key information).
Nordmann et al 2018 Lecture capture: practical recommendations for students and lecturers, Preprint DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/sd7u4
Practical Classes
Practical work is an essential part of all science degree courses. During the first and second years of degree courses, practical work will be in the form of practical classes. The major aim of practical work is to give you some direct experience of relevant experimental materials. All knowledge and theory in biology depends on practical observation and experiment. Generally a member of staff gives an introduction to the day's practical, and then students work with their lab partner to complete the experiment and record and analyse the results. Attendance at practical sessions is mandatory and monitored, as there is no other way for you to gain the skills and knowledge on your own later.
Level 1 and Level 2 classes are designed to give you:
experience of "real" experimental materials
basic laboratory skills in observation, handling and measurement
technical skills needed to carry out important measurements and to use some standard equipment and materials
an understanding of experimental design
experience in analysing experimental data
experience in using computers
skills in preparing and presenting written reports
a better understanding of your subject
Key points in practical work are thus:
observing
measuring
manipulating
formulating hypotheses
designing and executing experiments
recording
analysing data
reporting
They are assessed by a variety of methods, including a final exam.
Project Work
Some of the practical work you will do during the first and second years of your course will consist of short projects, but in the third (and in the optional fourth) year you will undertake a substantial project extending over both semesters. Guidelines for third and fourth year projects are given here.
Literature Reviews
A major element of the third (and optional fourth) year work is the production of a literature review. Guidelines for the third year literature review and the fourth year advanced literature review are given here. The Long Essays you write for your personal tutor are aimed to build towards this.
Personal Tutorials
During your first year you will be allocated a personal tutor who will normally continue to work with you throughout your degree course. You will meet your them eight times during your first year and six times during your second year. Thereafter, you will see your personal tutor at the beginning and end of each semester. Personal tutorials in all years will have a pastoral role, but in the first and second years, some of the meetings with your personal tutor will also have academic tasks associated with them. Your tutor will set you a number of essays that form part of the grade for MBB165.
Attendance at tutorials is compulsory and a record of attendance and work completed will be kept. Failure to attend or complete work will result in your being reported to the Faculty for unsatisfactory progress and in these circumstances your tutor would be unable to provide you with a reference.
Detailed information on tutorials can be found here.
Academic Tutorials (aka “Round robin tutorials”)
In addition, a formal system of academic tutorials operates during the first and second years for all MBB students. Work associated with these tutorials will be assessed, and the marks will contribute to your grades in practical modules. You will meet a range of other academic staff in a series of “round-robin” tutorials.
Self-Directed Learning
In the broadest sense, self-directed learning is all the work you do when you are not in lectures, practical classes or tutorials. Self-directed learning will thus occupy more than half your working week. Some of this work will be clearly defined, for example the work you have to do for tutorials and practical classes. For this work you will have to organise your time effectively and meet deadlines for the completion of work. Other aspects of self-directed learning are less clearly defined: for example, ensuring that your lecture notes are clear, comprehensible and comprehensive. It is also expected that you will read at least some of the books that are recommended. Such reading will help to consolidate the material covered in lectures and increase the depth of your knowledge and understanding. You should organise your time to allow for some general subject-related reading each week. There is advice on organising your time effectively elsewhere on this website.