| Text only | |||||
 |
 |
||||
|
|||||
This course provides core material regarding the fundamental properties of molecules, membranes and cells that are essential for the understanding of physiology, pharmacology and neuroscience. It deals with some basic principles of membrane physiology, and pharmacology, and gives an overview of signalling processes, ion channels, transport mechanisms, synaptic transmission and central nervous system signalling.
Course Co-ordinators: Dr Alison Jack (ext. 7527) a.jack@abdn.ac.uk and
Dr Steve Tucker (ext. 7491) s.j.tucker@abdn.ac.uk
To provide students with core knowledge appropriate to study the fundamental mechanisms involved in cellular and membrane function. Specifically to:
1.Provide a basic understanding of the fundamental role of ion channels and membrane potentials in electrical communication between excitable cells.
2.Explain the action potential in terms of the properties of the ion channels underlying it. Be able to describe how and why action potentials may be modulated.
3.Introduce the range of biochemical signalling mechanisms used by cells.
4.Have an understanding of the main neurochemical pathways in the central nervous system.
5.Give an overview of the mechanisms by which substances are transported across cell membranes
6.Describe the properties of specific ion channels.
7.Describe the processes governing transmitter release at the neuromuscular junction.
Welcome: Dr Alison Jack and Dr Steve Tucker
a) Registration for SM3002.
b) Introduction and overview of the SM3002 course.
Principles of Membrane Physiology: Dr Stephen Davies
1. Membrane potentials. Overview of electrical communication between cells. Fluid mosaic model of membrane. Basis of resting membrane potential. Nernst equation. Usefulness of reversal potentials. IV-curves.
2. Voltage-gated and Ligand-gated channels. Voltage-gated channels, especially evidence for Na+ and K+ in action potential, and Ca2+ in transmitter release. Ligand-gated channels, classification according to ligand, mechanism (ionotropic vs metabotropic), or ion selectivity. Relation to EPSPs, IPSPs.
3. Axonal conduction and synaptic transmission. Concepts of resistance, conductance, capacitance. Graded (non-propagated) potentials vs action potentials. Electrical vs chemical synapses. Overview of chemical synaptic transmission.
Statistics for the Terrified: Dr Steve Tucker
An introduction to basic statistics relevant to the interpretation of biological data. This lecture will enhance student understanding of data handling and statistics ahead of the problem solving and laboratory exercises.
The Action Potential: Dr Alison Jack
The generation of the action potential represents an excellent example of how an understanding of the properties of specific ion channels can explain the "behaviour" of a neuron. These lectures will cover the use of the voltage clamp technique by Hodgkin & Huxley in the 1950's to characterise the properties of the separate Na+ and K+ channels in the squid giant axon, and their relation to electrical events during the action potential. Propagation of the action potential (myelination, specialisation at the nodes of Ranvier) and signal modulation will then be considered in order to demonstrate how axons differentiate between the various stimuli that may impinge on neuronal systems.
Signal Transduction: Dr Alison Jack/Prof. Graeme Nixon
Overview of the major signalling systems in mammalian cells and the concept of why signalling is necessary. Four types of receptor-effector coupling described: ion channels; G-protein linked ion channels and second messengers; tyrosine kinase linked receptors; steroid receptors. Examples of each type of coupling including receptor structure and interaction with ligand eg nicotinic acetylcholine receptor for ion channels. Structure and function of heteromeric G proteins. Description of small G proteins. Dual regulation of adenylyl cyclase. Second messenger systems eg cAMP, IP3, Ca++. Growth factor receptors and their regulation including guanylyl cyclase and cytokine receptors. Intracellular receptors eg steroid receptor DNA binding domain with zinc fingers. Mechanism of action of some pharmacological agents which modify signalling system is described.
Also discussed are signalling systems based on nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is now known to be an important mediator of several physiological processes and is involved in some disease states. The last two lectures in this series will examine the regulation of nitric oxide production and metabolism and the intracellular signalling pathways controlled by this molecule. The various roles for different isoforms of nitric oxide synthase will be examined. In addition, the physiological roles of nitric oxide will be explored, including regulation of the cardiovascular system, immune system and nervous system.
Neurochemistry: Dr Steve Tucker and Dr Nigel Hoggard
1. Introduction to neurotransmitter signalling systems in the central nervous system with a particular focus on noradrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways.
2. Introduction to neuroendocrine signalling systems in the central nervous system with a particular focus on hypothalamic control of pineal gland activity and the internal circadian clock.
3. & 4. Neuroendocrinology of Obesity. These lectures will demonstrate how our understanding of the endocrine pathways, in particular the pathways in the brain related to obesity, has developed in recent years.
• Why has obesity become such a problem in our society and what factors are responsible for the development of obesity. The emergence of the leptin endocrine system linking peripheral fat with central pathways in the brain.
• The integration of the melanocortin system and other systems centrally with the leptin pathway. The role of Monoamine neurotransmitters in obesity. The implications of these developments in our understanding of the mechanisms of energy balance in the treatment of obesity.
5. The physiological and pharmacological processes of drug addiction and dependency will be discussed as will the effects of alcohol on central nervous system function.
Ion and non-Electrolyte Transport Pathways: Dr Gordon McEwan
1. Transport of ions and nonelectrolytes across membranes. Forces producing movement of substances across cell membranes. Fick's law of diffusion. Passive diffusion. Facilitated diffusion - transport proteins/carriers. Active transport linked to ATP hydrolysis. ATPases as pumps to create favourable electrochemiacl gradients. Cotransporters (symporters) and exchangers (antiporters).
2. Cell volume regulation and intracellular pH regulation. Reminder of osmotic effects on cell volume - swelling and shrinkage. Physiological factors affecting cell volume. importance of volume regulation. Mechanisms involved in maintenance of cell volume - regulatory volume increase/decrease. Physiological factors affecting intracellular pHi. Mechanisms involved in pHi regulation.
3. Epithelial transport. Barrier function of epithelia. Role in mediating vextorial transmport. Concept of polarity - apical and basolateral membrane domiansSpeciffc transmort proteins in specific locations. Importance of tight junctions. Transcellular versus paracellular transport. Role of basolateral Na/K ATPase in driving transepithelial electolyte transport. Transepithelial water transport. Na/glucose cotransport.
Ion Channels: Dr Rod Scott
1. An introduction to ion channels and their basic properties or why study ion channels? What are ion channels, what are their functional roles, how are they studied and how are they classified?
2. Voltage-gated ion channels: Voltage clamped currents and the role of voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels in action potentials. Pharmacology, activation, deactivation and inactivation. The structures of voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels.
3. Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels: Calcium dependent cellular events, Ca2+ as in intracellular messenger transducing electrical activity into biochemical events. An introduction to Ca2+ homeostasis. Characteristics of low and high voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.
4. Ligand-gated ion channels: Metabotropic vs. ionotropic receptor signalling. G-protein coupled receptors and responses of rod cells to light. The basics of chemical neurotransmission and the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor cation channel, basic channel states and channel structure.
5. Chloride channels: Gating of diverse Cl- channels. The GABA A receptor chloride ion channel complex function, ion selectivity, pharmacology and structure. Pre and post-synaptic inhibition. Ca2+ -activated chloride channels and secretory ion channels function and malfunction.
6. Gap junctions: Structural elements and assembly of gap junctions. Distribution of gap junctions. Identification and functional aspects of electrical synapses. Comparisons between electrical and chemical neurotransmission.
Principles of Synaptic Transmission: Dr Guy Bewick
1. Development of the neuromuscular junction. After outlining the developmental timetable for nerve-muscle interactions, two topics will be explored in detail. Firstly, the molecular mechanisms controlling nerve-induced aggregation of acetylcholine receptors at the nmj and secondly the mechanisms underlying the developmental shift in subunit composition of the acetylcholine receptor/ion channel complex.
2. Structure/function relationships of pre- and postsynaptic elements of the neuromuscular junction. The involvement of synaptic vesicles in neurotransmission will be examined. The lecture will also deal with the proteins involved in the recycling of the synaptic vesicles and the experimental use of neurotoxins in the elucidation of these processes.
3. This lecture will examine the role of the postsynaptic folds in ensuring effective neuromuscular transmission. The segregation of different types of ion channels within the postsynaptic folds, the effect this ion channel distribution has on neurotransmission and how the segregation might be maintained will also be discussed.
Examination information: Dr Alison Jack and Dr Steve Tucker
Laboratory Work
The laboratory work in this course consists of a calculations tutorial followed by a computer simulation exercise which will mimic the "wet" practical students will engage in towards the middle of the course. This wet practical will examine the effect of pharmacological manipulation on living tissue. It is imperative that students attend the calculations tutorial and computer simulation exercise as these enable students to be suitably prepared to carry out practical drug dilutions in the following laboratory sessions. The results of the practical will be written up as a brief scientific report, which must be submitted no later than 2 weeks after the practical session, in word-processed format, using excel to produce graphs where appropriate. This will account for 10% of your final mark.
The practical work required in this course may present difficulties to students with special educational needs. For such students, alternative arrangements will be made. Any student with special needs should make these known to the course Co-ordinator when registering for the class, and should then also discuss their needs with the SMS Disabilities Co-ordinator, to ensure that they have the best possible outcome.
Health and Safety
Before you start your laboratory work you will have to attend a short course on Health and Safety. This is a legal requirement and you will have to complete and submit a short test to show that you have attended. You will not be allowed to continue with the rest of the course unless you have satisfactorily completed this test.
During the course all students will complete a data analysis problem-solving exercise which is intended to develop your numerical and critical analysis skills. This will account for 10% of the final mark. Deadlines for completion are shown on the exercise. The exercise will be issued at the start of term but completion will mostly be under exam conditions later in the course. See exercise and timetable for details.
Students will also be required to complete and submit a computer based exercise on action potential physiology (5% of final mark) and submit an essay under mock exam conditions (5% of final mark).
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT
The continuous assessment mark for this course is made up as follows:-
Laboratory report 10%
Problem solving exercise 10%
Action potential exercise 5%
Mock exam essay 5%
_____ 30%
Final exam mark 70%
______
100%
IT AND DATA HANDLING SKILLS
A basic level of computer literacy is required to complete this course and students will be required to use Microsoft Word and Excel programmes throughout the term. Most students are familiar with Word and therefore tuition on the use of this software package will not be provided in this course. Students experiencing difficulty with this programme can however seek assistance from the computing centre who are able to offer help in such circumstances.
Students will also be required to use Excel throughout the course to prepare graphs, and as you will be assessed on the accuracy of these graphs competence using Excel is vital. To ensure that all students have adequate skill in graph construction using Excel there is a short Excel based exercise in the first week of term where students are required to prepare two graphs using data provided. Many students are familiar with, and comfortable using, Excel and as such these students need only illustrate their ability by submitting the appropriate graphs by 1pm on the first Thursday of term to the boxes in the basement of Zoology. Any student struggling to produce the required graphs should attend the Excel tutorial session on Thursday afternoon of the first week of term where assistance will be given.
There is a regular programme of seminars given throughout the academic year by invited specialists from within the broad field of biomedical research.
These are usually held on Thursdays from 12noon -1pm in the IMS Building at Foresterhill (check the School or IMS websites for specific locations of seminars).
As you are studying within research-driven disciplines, we strongly feel that you should attend these whenever possible, with a view to broadening your appreciation of medical sciences. You will also be directed to attend any other relevant seminars when they arise.
General Reading List
There is no single recommended textbook that covers all the material in the course. The lecturers responsible for each section of the course will provide detailed guidance to enable students to follow up topics of particular interest. For general reading, much useful information can be found in the following texts that cover all levels: copies are available for study in the QM library.
Levitan, I.B and Kaczmarek, L.K. The Neuron: cell and molecular biology. 3rd Ed.Oxford University Press, 2002.
Nicholls, J.G., Martin, R.A. & Wallace, B.G. From neuron to brain. 4th Ed. Sinauer, 2001.
Kandel, E.R, Schwartz, J.H. & Jessel, T.M. Principles of neural science. McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Hille, B. Ionic channels of excitable membranes. 3rd Ed. Sinauer, 2001
Rang, H.P, Dale, M.M., Ritter, J.M., Flower R.J. Pharmacology. 6th Ed. Churchill Livingstone, 2007.
Boron, W.F., & Boulpaep, E.L.Medical physiology. Updated Edition. Elsevier Saunders.
Lodish, H., Berk A., Kaiser C.A., Krieger M., Scott M.P., Bretscher A. and Ploeg H. Molecular cell biology. Freeman, 2008.
Matthews G.G. Neurobiology. 2nd Edition. Blackwell Science 2001
Purves D., Augustine G.J., Fitzpatrick D., Hall W.C., Lamantia A.S., McNamara J.O. and White L.E., Neuroscience, 4th Ed. Sinauer Associates, 2007, ISBN: 0878936971
Many older editions of the above books are also held at the QML. These tend to be very similar to newer editions and are perfectly appropriate to consult if the newer edition is unavailable.
Literature Search Exercise in Queen Mother Library
Essential skills and techniques to enable you to find and use academic information in support of assignments and course-related work. Goes beyond the library catalogue to electronic journals, electronic books and databases. Compares Google results with academic databases e.g. Scopus and Web of Science, and highlights a web-based tool to help produce correctly formatted bigliographies (RefWorks). Addresses importance of correct referencing, refers to the School of Medical Sciences reference guide. Format: presentation and practical workshop.
The University has strict regulations on plagiarism. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism read the University guide on plagiarism at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/writing
Copying or plagiarising another persons work, either from other students or published material in books or papers and submitted as your own for assessment is considered a form of cheating. This is considered by the University to be a serious offence and will be penalised according to the extent involved and whether it is decided there was an attempt at deliberate deception, or whether bad practice was involved. If you do use information or ideas obtained from textbooks or other published material you must give a precise reference to the source both at the appropriate point in your narrative and in a list of references at the end of your work. Direct quotations from published material should be indicated by quotation marks and referenced in the text as above.
Students are expected to attend all lectures, laboratory classes and other elements of the course, and to complete all class exercises by the stated deadlines. Marks will be deducted where deadlines fail to be met without a legitimate reason e.g. sickness accompanied by a medical certificate. Completed assignments must be handed in to the boxes in the basement of Zoology - it is imperative that any reasonable excuses for the late handing in of work are made to the course organisers (Dr Alison Jack or Dr Steve Tucker), before the deadline date. Failure to submit work on time with no legitimate cause may result in deduction of marks or withdrawal from the course.
The course will be assessed by continual assessment of the practical report, the problem solving exercise, the action potential exercise, the mock exam essay and by a three hour written examination held in January, in which 4 essays of equal weighting must be answered from a choice of 7 questions. The continuous assessment contributes 30% to the final mark and the written exam will contribute 70%. It is normally expected that students will pass both the continuous assessment and exam elements to achieve an overall pass on the course. The overall performance of the student will be expressed as a grade awarded on the common assessment scale (CAS).
The resit examination is held in August. The continuous assessment mark will also be included at a student's second and any subsequent diets of examination. It is therefore imperative that students apply the same effort to their continuous assessment exercises as their exam preparation. Failure to submit this work without due cause can severely hamper the overall mark for the course.
Dr Guy Bewick
Dr Stephen Davies
Dr Gordon McEwan
Prof Graeme Nixon
Dr Roderick Scott
Dr Steven Tucker
Mr Peter S Fantom (PSF), Careers Dr Nigel Hoggard (NH), Rowett Research Institute Dr Alison M Jack (AMJ), School of Medical Sciences (Course Co-ordinator) Ms Susan McCourt (SMcC), Library
If students have difficulties with any part of the course that they cannot cope with alone they should notify someone immediately. If the problem relates to the subject matter you may be best advised to contact the member of staff who is teaching that part of the course. Students with registered disabilities should contact either the IMS based School Office (Miss Lyndsay McEwan l.mcewan@abdn.ac.uk) or the Old Aberdeen office associated with the teaching laboratories (Mrs Alison Davidson alison.davidson@abdn.ac.uk) to ensure that the appropriate facilities have been made available. Otherwise, you are strongly encouraged to contact any of the following as you see appropriate:
Course student representatives.
Course co-ordinator, Dr Alison Jack
Course Co-ordinator, Dr Steve Tucker
Convenor of the Biomedical Sciences Staff/Student Liaison Committee, Dr Gordon McEwan
Adviser of studies.
Disabilities Co-ordinator. Dr Derryck Shewan
Most staff are based at Foresterhill (IMS & Health Sciences Building) and we strongly encourage the use of email or telephone the School Office. You may be wasting your time to travel to Foresterhill only to find staff unavailable. Therefore, we particularly encourage initial contact by e-mail or phone. The course organisers may be contacted by e-mail at a.jack@abdn.ac.uk (telephone number: 437527 (7527 from Old Aberdeen) or s.j.tucker@abdn.ac.uk (telephone number: 437491 (7491 from Old Aberdeen). Contact numbers for other members of staff can be found on the SMS World Wide Web pages (http://www.bms.abdn.ac.uk).
Support Available to Students
The University is keen to help you successfully complete your studies. If at any time you feel you need assistance, there is a range of support services available to help you. These include support to assist with unexpected and/or exceptional financial difficulty, support for disabled students and academic learning support through the Student Learning Service. Further details about all these services area available at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/studenthelpguide/.
We value students’ opinions in regard to enhancing the quality of teaching and its delivery; therefore in conjunction with the Students’ Association we support the operation of a Class Representative system.
The students within each course, year, or programme elect representatives by the end of the fourth week of teaching within each half-session. In this school we operate a system of course representatives. Any student registered within a course that wishes to represent a given group of students can stand for election as a class representative. You will be informed when the elections for class representative will take place.
What will it involve?
It will involve speaking to your fellow students about the course you represent. This can include any comments that they may have. You will attend a Staff-Student Liaison Committee and you should represent the views and concerns of the students within this meeting. As a representative you will also be able to contribute to the agenda. You will then feedback to the students after this meeting with any actions that are being taken.
Training
Training for class representatives will be run by the Students Association. Training will take place in the fourth or fifth week of teaching each half-session. For more information about the Class representative system visit www.ausa.org.uk or email the VP Education & Employability vped@abdn.ac.uk. Class representatives are also eligible to undertake the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award, further information about the co-curricular award is available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/careers.
The University operates a system for monitoring students' progress to identify students who may be experiencing difficulties in a particular course and who may be at risk of losing their class certificate. If the Course Co-ordinators have concerns about your attendance and/or performance, the Registry will be informed. The Registry will then write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to ask you to contact their office in the first instance. Depending on your reason for absence the Registry will either deal directly with your case or will refer you to your Adviser of Studies or a relevant support service. This system is operated to provide support for students who may be experiencing difficulties with their studies. Students are required to attend such meetings with their Adviser of Studies in accordance with General Regulation 8.
Set criteria are used to determine when a student should be reported in the monitoring system. You will be asked to meet your Adviser if any of the following criteria apply for this course:-
either (i) if you are absent for a continuous period of two weeks or 25% of the course (whichever is less) without good cause being reported;
or (ii) if you are absent from two small group teaching sessions e.g. (laboratory/tutorial classes) without good cause;
or (iii) if you fail to submit a piece of summative or a substantial piece of formative in-course assessment by the stated deadline
If you fail to respond within the prescribed timescale (as set out in the e-mail or letter) you will be deemed to have withdrawn from the course concerned and will accordingly be ineligible to take the end of course assessment or to enter for the resit. The Registry will write to you (by e-mail in term-time) to inform you of this decision. If you wish consideration to be given to reinstating you in the course you will be required to meet the Convener of the Students' Progress Committee.
ABSENCE FROM CLASSES ON MEDICAL GROUNDS
Candidates who wish to establish that their academic performance has been adversely affected by their health are required to secure medical certificates relating to the relevant periods of ill health (see General Regulation 17.3).
The University’s policy on requiring certification for absence on medical grounds or other good cause can be accessed at: www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x5.pdf
You are strongly advised to make yourself fully aware of your responsibilities if you are absent due to illness or other good cause. In particular, you are asked to note that self-certification of absence for periods of absence up to and including eleven weekdays is permissible. However, where absence has prevented attendance at an examination or where it may have affected your performance in an element of assessment or where you have been unable to attend a specified teaching session, you are strongly advised to provide medical certification (see section 3 of the Policy on Certification of Absence for Medical Reasons or Other Good Cause).
Students who attend and complete the work required for a course are considered to have been awarded a ‘Class Certificate’. Being in possession of a valid Class Certificate for a course entitles a student to sit degree examinations for that course. From 2010/11 class certificates will be valid for two years and permit a total of three attempts at the required assessment within that two year period i.e. the first attempt plus up to two resits.
You will receive a University e-mail account when you register with the University Computing Centre. The University will normally use e-mail to communicate with you during term-time. These e-mails will be sent to your University e-mail account.
It is your responsibility to check your e-mail on a regular (at least weekly) basis and to tidy the contents of your e-mail inbox to ensure that it does not go over quota (see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/diss/email/mailquota.hti for guidance on managing your e-mail quota). It is recommended that you use your University e-mail account to read and respond to University communications. If you already have a non-University e-mail account that you use for personal correspondence, it is possible to set up automatic forwarding of messages from your University e-mail account to your personal e-mail address (see http://www.abdn.ac.uk/local/mail.forward/) but, should you do so, it is your responsibility to ensure that this is done correctly. The University takes no responsibility for delivery of e-mails to non-University accounts.
You should note that failure to check your e-mail or failure to receive e-mail due to being over quota or due to non-delivery of an e-mail forwarded to a non-University e-mail account would not be accepted as a ground for appeal (for further information on appeals procedures, please refer to http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix5x17.hti).
CAREERS
Included with the course are a thread of lectures and practical sessions aimed at improving your skills with regard to future employment or further study following graduation from your current degree scheme. The aim of these sessions is to increase awareness of the graduate job market and improve your chances of being a successful applicant. You are therefore advised to invest as much effort in these sessions as in the standard course lectures and practicals.
Please note: Students enrolled on BT3006 do not need to attend the lectures, although are welcome to do so, as the material overlaps. All students should attend the careers practicals in their allotted group.
Session 1: Job Search Strategies
This includes self-assessment, the Belbin Inventory, information on where to look and find vacancies and information on how to use the Careers Service. There will also be information on current labour market trends.
Session 2: CV Writing
This session will help students prepare an effective CV and Covering Letter. Also within this workshop will be a practical CV sifting exercise.
Session 3: Application Form Completion/Employer Assessment Centres
This talk will include advice on how to complete the increasingly complex and demanding employer applications including e-recruitment strategy and takes a look at employer assessment centres.
Practical Session: Interview Technique
Small group sessions (approx 25). This focuses on practical job interview technique. An opportunity in a safe environment to practice the role of the interviewee, the interviewer and observer.
TURNITINUK
TurnitinUK is an online service which compares student assignments with online sources including web pages, databases of reference material, and content previously submitted by other users across the UK. The software makes no decision as to whether plagiarism has occurred; it is simply a tool which highlights sections of text that have been found in other sources thereby helping academic staff decide whether plagiarism has occurred.
As of Academic Year 2011/12, TurnitinUK will be accessed directly through MyAberdeen. Advice about avoiding plagiarism, the University’s Definition of Plagiarism, a Checklist for Students, Referencing and Citing guidance, and instructions for TurnitinUK, can be found in the following area of the Student Learning Service website www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism/.
Feedback Framework
Feedback on assessment:
The University recognises that the provision of timely and appropriate feedback on assessment plays a key part in students learning and teaching. The guiding principles for the provision of feedback within the University are detailed in the Institutional Framework for the Provision of Feedback on Assessment available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix7x8.pdf
Enhancing Feedback:
The University recognises both the importance of providing timely and appropriate feedback on assessments to students, and of enabling students to voice views on their learning experience through channels such as Student Course Evaluation Forms and Class Representatives. FAQs, guidance and resources about feedback can be found on the University’s ‘Enhancing Feedback’ website at:
Appeals and Complaints
The University’s appeals and complaints procedures provide students with a framework through which to formalise their concerns about aspects of their academic experience or to complain when they feel that standards of non-academic service have fallen short of that which they expected.
The process has been designed to make the appeals and complaints process as accessible and simple as possible and to provide a robust, fair mechanism through which to ensure that all appeals and complaints are considered in the appropriate way at the appropriate level.
A major feature of the process is the emphasis it places on early or informal resolution. All students should note that there is an expectation that they will take responsibility for seeking resolution of their academic or non-academic concerns by raising and discussing them at the earliest possible stage with the relevant individuals in an academic School or administrative Service.
Further details of the processes for making an appeal or complaint, including where to find further help and support in the process, is given at:
www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/appeals
Transcripts at Graduation
It is anticipated that students who commenced their studies in, or after, 2009/10, will receive a more detailed transcript of their studies on graduation. The increased details will include a record of all examination results attained. For students graduating in 2012/13 transcripts will show details of all CAS marks awarded, including marks which are fails. Where a resit has been required as a result of medical circumstances or other good cause (MC/GC) this will not be shown, but all other circumstances (i.e. No Paper ‘NP’) will be included.
MyAberdeen (the University of Aberdeen’s Virtual Learning Environment)
MyAberdeen replaces WebCT as students’ virtual learning environment. This is where you will find learning materials and resources associated with the courses you are studying.
MyAberdeen also provides direct access to TurnitinUK, the online originality checking service, through which you may be asked to submit completed assignments.
You can log in to MyAberdeen by going to www.abdn.ac.uk/myaberdeen and entering your University username and password (which you use to access the University network).
Further information on MyAberdeen including Quick Guides and video tutorials, along with information about TurnitinUK, can be found at: www.abdn.ac.uk/students/myaberdeen.php.
Information about academic writing and how to avoid plagiarism can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/sls/plagiarism.
Aberdeen Graduate Attributes
Graduate Attributes are a wide-ranging set of qualities which students will develop during their time at Aberdeen in preparation for employment, further study and citizenship.
There are four main areas of the Graduate Attributes:
• Academic excellence
• Critical thinking and communication
• Learning and personal development
• Active citizenship
Students have many opportunities to develop and achieve these attributes. These include learning experiences on credit-bearing courses and co-curricular activities such as work placements, study abroad and volunteering. In accordance with the University’s commitment to Equality and Diversity, students can request support with any aspect of the Graduate Attributes framework.
The ACHIEVE website offers resources that enable students to assess and reflect upon their present skills and development needs. The website also contains resources to help students to improve their skills and links to a range of university services such as the Careers Service and the Student Learning Service. Students can access ACHIEVE from their MyAberdeen site in the ‘My Organisations’ section. More information about Aberdeen Graduate Attributes and ACHIEVE can be found at www.abdn.ac.uk/graduateattributes.
The Co-curriculum
The co-curriculum enhances a student’s employability and provides opportunities to develop and achieve Aberdeen Graduate Attributes. Co-curricular activities complement a student’s degree programme and include: work placements, study abroad, enterprise and entrepreneurship activities, the BP Student Tutoring Scheme, career mentoring and the STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Award initiative. Below are examples of credit-bearing co-curricular activities. It is anticipated that these types of activity will be included on an enhanced transcript for students graduating in, or after, 2012/13
ERASMUS is an exchange programme funded by the European Commission which enables students to study or work in another European country as part of their degree programme. Eligible students will receive a grant to help with extra costs while abroad and a number of our partner institutions teach through English. For more information, visit www.abdn.ac.uk/erasmus/. The University also has opportunities for students to study in a non-European country as part of their degree through the International Exchange Programme. International partners include universities and colleges in North America, Hong Kong and Japan (www.abdn.ac.uk/undergraduate/international-exchange.php). The University aims to ensure full academic recognition for study periods abroad, therefore the credits gained from study abroad will count towards the Aberdeen degree programme for students participating in both ERASMUS and the International Exchange Programme.
Work placements can also form an integral part of a degree programme and attract academic credit. Placements are available locally, nationally and internationally, lasting from a few weeks to a full year and are generally paid. Visit the Careers Service website for further placement information and to find available work placements.
Further information about the co-curriculum is available at: www.abdn.ac.uk/careers
School of Medical Sciences - Guide to Citing and Referencing
This guide should be used to assist you when completing any work for disciplines in the School of Medical Sciences. All work should include citations at appropriate places in the text, with a complete reference list at the end of the assignment. If diagrams/ graphs/ tables are copied or adapted from other publications/ websites, the sources must also be cited in the legend for that item, and included in your reference list.
Good citing and referencing not only improves the quality of your work, but it gives credit to the authors of original work, and makes it less likely that you can be accused of plagiarism. Further guidance on writing and plagiarism may be found at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/writing/ . When you submit work for marking, you are declaring that YOU are the author, that you have not copied it or plagiarised any material from other sources, AND that all sources of information have been acknowledged in your text. Students may be penalised by the University if found guilty of plagiarism.
Students are warned to be careful if using websites as sources of information. These may be inaccurate and are often not peer-reviewed. You are strongly encouraged to use advanced textbooks, peer-reviewed papers or reviews as the sources of your information in your work. Students are also advised to avoid quoting chunks of text in their work. Just because you put quotation marks around some text does not mean that you have not plagiarised it. Try and explain ideas and concepts in your own words.
The referencing style used here is Harvard, similar to that recommended by the University Library (see their factsheet for further information on referencing). Students must use this style of citing and referencing for all work. Other styles are not acceptable. Marks may be deducted if students do not cite or reference properly (see specific marking schemes for details).
Citing references within the text
You must provide citations in the text at the appropriate places by putting the author’s surname and year of publication in round brackets immediately after the relevant text (author, date method).
Author, date method
Jones et al. (1999) has argued that….
Studies have produced conflicting results…..(Bloggs, 2000; MacDuff et al., 1993)
Smith stated (1990)…..and then later work confirmed this (2003)…..
Bloggs (2001) investigated…..
One author (Bloggs, 2000)
Two authors (Smith & Jones, 1982)
Three or more authors (Chesterfield et al., 1995)
If the same author(s) wrote two or more papers in the same year Thwaites et al. stated (1990a)…..and then provided further evidence (1990b)…..
N.B. “et al.” should be in italics, as should all other Latin words/phrases in your text (e.g. in vitro). There is also a full stop after “et al.”, since it is an abbreviation of “et alia” (“and others”).
Listing your references at the end of your work
Your list of references must place the surnames of the first authors in alphabetical order. List all authors of a piece of work unless there are a large number.
Format of references at the end of your work
Book - whole Rang, H.P., Dale, M.M., Ritter, J.M. & Flower, R.J. (2007) Pharmacology. 6th Ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Book – article or chapter within Johnson, D. & Smart, J.S. (1983) Advanced techniques in measuring athletic performance. In: S. Roberts, ed., Sports Science in the Laboratory. London: Macmillan, pp. 3-28.
Journal – article within Furchgott, R.F., Zawadzki, J.V. (1980) The obligatory role of endothelial cells in the relaxation of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine. Nature. 288(5789), 373-6.
Website Department for Education and Employment (2000). Student loans: guidance on terms and conditions from April 2000. [online]. Available from: http://www.dfee.gov.uk/loan2000/index.html [Accessed 23rd March 2006]
