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BI1009: FRONTIERS IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (2024-2025)

Last modified: 23 Jul 2024 11:09


Course Overview

Five themes, critical to understanding biology and life, will be explored – Developmental Biology, Microbiology and Disease, Evolution and Behaviour, Immune Systems and Environmental Physiology. Each theme is structured to provide you with core knowledge, insight into how science is practiced, an introduction to current research topics and skills that are useful for investigating, recording and analysing information.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 1
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study Yes
Co-ordinators
  • Dr John Baird

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme
  • Either Programme Level 1 or Programme Level 2

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Course Aims
• To engage and enthuse level one students with the study of biology.
• To support students in the transition into university study by developing their ownership and independence over learning.
• To promote the development of essential study skills and basic experimental and laboratory skills.
Main Learning Outcomes
• Be able to recognise, describe and evaluate the evidence for the mechanisms of life processes, and the interactions, structure and function of organisms.
• Recognise that our current understanding of biology is contested and provisional, set within a history of scientific exploration and experimentation, and a dynamic continuation of scientific advances.
• Demonstrate competence in investigating, understanding, recording and analysing information.
Course Content
Five themes, which are critical to our understanding of biology – Developmental Biology, Microbiology and Disease, Evolution and Behaviour, Immune Systems and Environmental Physiology – will be explored. Each theme is structured to provide you with core knowledge, insight into how science is practiced, an introduction to current research topics, and skills that are useful for investigating, recording and analysing information.

Themes will consist of asynchronous lessons that, once they’ve been released, can be accessed by students at any time. These may be short presentations or lectures, interviews, discussions, activities and podcasts. Reading material related to the themes will be made available to students – these will mainly be chapters from books, which may be from textbooks, or highly-regarded popular science publications.
Each theme will also have synchronous ‘live’ sessions, which will relate to material covered in the asynchronous lessons. These will include practical sessions, during which students will develop valuable laboratory or analytical skills. There will also be Q and A sessions during which live discussions will take place.
Formative quizzes that do not carry marks, will allow students to test their knowledge and understanding - these will run throughout the course.
At the end of each two week theme, students will be required to take an online assessment, which will contribute towards their final mark.

Associated Costs

DescriptionValue
Students should possess a Howie laboratory coat and safety glasses. Further details of requirements can be found on the course's MyAberdeen page. The cost listed here is approximate. GBP 23.00

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

5 Summative tests (worth 17% each)

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 85
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Group Project

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 15
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Re-submission of failed element

Assessment Type Summative Weighting
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Students will repeat whichever elements of the assessment were failed or not completed at first sitting; the marks for elements already passed will be carried forwards.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
FactualRememberILO’s for this course are available in the course guide.

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