Postgraduate Course: Review of Neuroscience (NEBM11018)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Biomedical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This is compulsory course for the MSc by Research in Integrative Neuroscience. Students learn about a breadth of neuroscience research fields focusing on current research and experimental approaches. |
| Course description |
In the first week, the students are introduced to key general research topics and skills, such as academic integrity, animal ethics and the 3Rs, how to consider research papers and what makes a good poster.
The remainder of the teaching consists of 'themed weeks' in which students will learn about different topics or disciplines that are the current focus of neuroscience research being undertaken at the University of Edinburgh, with a different topic covered each week. The themes covered may change from year to year, but examples of current topics include:
Neural development, Neurodegeneration and regeneration; Cellular and synaptic neurophysiology; Sensory and control systems, Motor disorders, Cognitive neurology; Neuroinformatics. In the themed weeks indicated above, students will be familiarized with the breadth of neuroscience research being undertaken at the University of Edinburgh, and will be taught the basic principles and and current approaches and findings in different disciplines within neuroscience research.
The course is assessed via two in-course assessments. ICA1 - a group poster and ICA2, an individual news and views essay and a lay summary.
Students will be allocated to groups and assigned papers related to the first few themed weeks at the outset of the course. To help prepare students for ICA1, there will be a session in which the task is introduced and an interactive discussion on what makes a good poster. Formative feedback will be provided on a draft poster for each group, in advance of the final assessed poster submission and display.
To help prepare students for ICA2, there will be a workshop to introduce the task and discuss the target audience, aims and structure of a scientific news and views essay and a lay summary. Then the students will work through one or more examples of news and views articles and lay summaries, critically appraising them using the marking criteria and feedback forms, and discuss their feedback together as a class. This session will serve as formative feedback in advance of submission of the individual assessed news and views article and lay summary.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Blocks 1-3 (Sem 1-2) |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 80,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8,
Formative Assessment Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
102 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
In course assessment (100%)
In-course assessment 1: 40%
Group poster, in which groups of 3-5 students prepare and display a poster about a primary research paper relevant to one of the themed weeks.
The groups will be pre-allocated, and each group will be assigned a paper related to the themed weeks early in the course. They should prepare an illustrated poster summarising the background, aims and hypotheses, methods, key findings and conclusions of the paper. The posters will be marked during a poster session (typically at Firbush).
The mark for this assessment will be based on a group mark based on the poster structure, content and visual presentation (100%). All students in a group will receive the same mark.
In addition, the students will present the poster (as a group) at the poster session, which will be attended by an audience consisting of their peers and a small number of members of staff with expertise in neuroscience. They will also be asked questions in a short Q&A period. This group presentation of the poster will not contribute to the assessment, but the group will receive formative feedback on their presentation and ability to answer questions.
In course assessment 2: (60%)
Lay Summary and News and views essay based on a primary research paper relevant to one of the themed weeks.
For this individual assessment, students will choose a primary research paper on a topic covered in one of the themed weeks, and write 1) a lay summary and ii) a news and views-style essay based on the research paper.
1. Lay summary (200 word max; 20% of mark) is a precis of the paper aimed at an interested and intelligent non-scientist, and should be written using lay language throughout.
2. News and views essay (1000 word max, 80% of mark) is aimed at a scientist who is not an expert in the topic of the research paper. The 'news' should be highlighted in a succinct opening paragraph to attract the attention of those who are not experts in the field. This paragraph should indicate the significance of the new work. More detail and explanation of the study should follow. This should not only contain a summary of the original research but should put the research into context with other potentially contrasting findings. The article should conclude by commenting on the implications of the new findings and on future research directions. For the latter, gaps that the research has left in our understanding should be identified, and experiments suggested to resolve issues.
ICA1 and ICA2 build on and complement one another to achieve learning outcomes 1-4.
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| Feedback |
Formative feedback:
1. Oral feedback and discussion with peers and instructors on a draft version of the group poster (ICA1)
2. Written feedback from peers and instructors on oral presentation of poster (ICA1)
3. Oral feedback and discussion with peers and instructors on an outline news and views article and lay summary produced by the class in a workshop session (ICA2).
Summative feedback:
1. Written feedback on group poster display (ICA1)
2. Written feedback on Lay Summary and News and Views essay (ICA2)
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Display knowledge, understanding and awareness of the current state of research across a broad range of neuroscience research topics
- Understand methods and techniques used in contemporary neuroscience research
- Develop and apply skills in critically reviewing neuroscience research across multiple fields.
- Communicate research findings and ideas effectively using a range of methods and to specialist, general and lay audiences.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis to forefront issues, or issues that are informed by forefront developments in the subject/discipline/sector.
- Identify, conceptualise and define new and abstract problems and issues.
- Critically review, consolidate and extend knowledge, skills, practices and thinking in neuroscience.
- Communicate, using appropriate methods, to a range of audiences with different levels of knowledge/expertise.
- Undertake critical evaluations of a range of primary research data.
- Exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in professional and equivalent activities.
- Demonstrate leadership and/or initiative and make an identifiable contribution to change and development and/or new thinking.
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| Keywords | Neuroscience |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Emma Wood
Tel: (0131 6)50 3531
Email: Emma.Wood@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Debbie Grahames
Tel: (0131 6)50 3160
Email: debbie.grahames@ed.ac.uk |
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