Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), Tbilisi, Georgia

Transcription

1 University of Westminster MSc Medical Molecular Biology by Flexible Learning (collaborative degree) Programme Specification Course Record Information Name and level of final & intermediate Awards Awarding Body Location of Delivery Mode of Study MSc Medical Molecular Biology by Flexible Learning (collaborative degree) University of Westminster Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), Tbilisi, Georgia Full-time and Part-time UW Course Code JACS Code QAA Subject Benchmarking Group Professional Body Accreditation None available Not appropriate Date of initial course approval/last review 2010 Date of Programme Specification 2010

2 Admissions Requirements The University will at all times seek to ensure equality of opportunity for all applicants as described in its Admissions policy. Applicants should normally possess at least one of the following: BSc Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant subject eg Biomedical Science/Biology/Chemistry or Bioinformatics discipline; a Medical or Veterinary degree; Postgraduate Certificate in Biomedical Science or Graduate Diploma in Biomedical Science; IBMS Fellowship or Primary Examination of the IBMS; Experience or qualifications deemed suitable by the joint course team; Work experience. In addition, applicants who have not had their secondary or tertiary education through the medium of English should have attained the equivalent of an IELTS score of at least 6.5 in all components; The test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (paper) score of at least 600 plus TOEFL written test at Grade 4.5 or above; TOEFL (computer based test) of at least 250; or Cambridge Proficiency, Grade B. Applicants will normally be interviewed and assessed for their suitability to join the course by the TSU team. The on-line provisions will be adapted for the applicants with disabilities (see below). Applicants for the part-time mode of study will normally be working in a relevant area and should have written support from their employer both for day release and to indicate that facilities will be available in their workplace for the research project. Application forms for successful applications will be sent to the Admissions Office at Cavendish Campus for processing in the usual way. Admissions are the responsibility of the course leader, who seeks advice from the liaison tutor if in doubt about special qualifications. Liaison tutors should actively monitor admissions processes throughout the year. Aims of the course This course aims to furnish students with up-to-date information in molecular biology as it relates to human disease. The molecular biology technologies are covered in the core modules of the course and allow students to focus to the following main areas of application: immunology, molecular diagnostic and molecular therapeutics. A mixture of flexible teaching and learning methods, with a particular emphasis on multimedia and e- learning methods, will encourage students to critically evaluate published material, understand the underpinning science, analyse contradictory arguments, design their own project, carry out a piece of research and present the results. The students will also learn a variety of presentation skills, with a particular emphasis on e-based skills, to ensure they are effective communicators of science. The course also aims to produce graduates who work in an ethical, legal, safe and sustainable manner and at all times endeavour to minimize the risk of harm to humans, society, animals and the environment.

3 Employment and Further Study Opportunities Today s organisations need graduates with both good degrees and skills relevant to the workplace, i.e, employability skills. The University of Westminster is committed to developing employable graduates by ensuring that: Career development skills are embedded in all courses Opportunities for part-time work, placements and work-related learning activities are widely available to students Staff continue to widen and strengthen the University s links with employers in all sectors, involving them in curriculum design and encouraging their participation in other aspects of the University s career education and guidance provision Staff are provided with up-to-date data on labour market trends and employers requirements which will inform the service delivered to students. The part-time students are already in employment and many take the course as part of their career progression. Some will use the qualification to move out of routine laboratories into more research orientated jobs as well as university teaching positions. About 20% of the full time students will be able to apply directly for PhD positions in Georgia, other Southern Caucasian countries, their home countries of origin, in the UK or in other EU countries, bound by Bologna agreement. The remainder will seek to gain employment either in Georgia (about 20%), in their home countries (about 40%) or in EU member countries (15%) and in US (5%). Many of the overseas students would see the value of one or two years research experience before either seeking a PhD abroad or at home. They will be employed as research technicians, medical laboratory assistants, scientific or medical technical officers or research assistants. They may also seek jobs in industry, research or healthcare or apply for further training (biomedical or clinical scientist routes). Medical doctors would be able to use the degree to enter clinical fellows positions and to advance their careers in healthcare, research and teaching. Learning Outcomes Learning outcomes are statements on what successful students have achieved as the result of learning. They threshold statements of achievement and are linked to the knowledge, understanding and skills that a student will have gained on successfully completing a course.

4 Knowledge and Understanding By the end of their course of study, the successful student will be able to: critically analyse and discuss the fundamental principles and concepts of the subject areas of Molecular Biology, Recombinant DNA technology, Immunology and Genetics; critically analyse, assess and discuss the use and potential of Molecular methods and approaches to the diagnosis and therapy of disease; critically analyse, assess and discuss the principles, practice, importance and applications of molecular technologies; critically discuss the importance of immunology in the analysis of disease pathogenesis, diagnosis and assessment of the optimal therapy; present an analysis of the ethical problems associated with the use of molecular, transplantation and stem cell technologies; critically evaluate the relevant technology and apply software tools for the identification of genes; be able to access, retrieve, analyse and interpret data from a variety of databases; critically discuss and assess the potential of nucleic acid and protein analysis in improving medical diagnostics and treatment; critically evaluate the principles, advantages and disadvantages of screening technologies; analyse and utilize the principles underlying the therapeutic uses of gene manipulation; critically review the legislation that controls the use of molecular diagnostic and therapeutic tools; critically discuss current ethical, legal, safety and environmental issues relevant to medical molecular biology. Specific Skills By the end of their course of study, the successful student will be able to: critically analyse the relationship between theory and practice; assess and apply a range of technologies in molecular biology; critically review the processes of legislation and clinical trials of materials destined for therapeutic use and apply them to your studies; select, evaluate and be able to apply diagnostic and therapeutic tool(s), appropriate for a particular given purpose; confidently select methodology and apply relevant software packages and internet tools to evaluate experimental data; master major modern methods of multimedia and e-learning and assessment to achieve the learning outcomes; utilize hands-on experience to use and critically evaluate a range of resources and applications related to molecular biology; devise, organise and conduct an independent research project within a chosen area of molecular biology.

5 Key Transferable skills By the end of their course of study, the successful student will be able to: show autonomy by acting as an independent and self-critical learner, managing requirements and undertaking independent research tasks with minimum guidance; demonstrate skills in using modern VLE, multimedia and e-learning and assessment methods for individual and group work; use a full range of learning resources via the library, Infolinks, BIDS, PubMed, CD-ROMs, World Wide Web, University intranet, and in using on-line teaching material, word processors, spreadsheets, and databases; demonstrate problem solving skills by interpreting data, designing and carrying out projects and experimental work, and making professional use of others where appropriate; manage information effectively by competently undertaking research tasks and compiling reviews and discussion essays; using efficiently student-centred methods of learning and e-learning; work effectively with a group as a leader or member producing a high quality joint end-point scientific product; show self evaluation skills, reflecting on own and others functioning via coursework feedback, project reports, critical reviews of scientific articles and peer evaluation, with a particular emphasis on e-based report and feedbacks; communicate effectively by means of oral, written and poster presentations, using print and electronic resources, reporting information, ideas and actions clearly, autonomously and competently.

6 Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods Learning The Course views the student as being at the centre of the learning process and students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning, to further develop skills acquired by their previous study and to further pursue knowledge through active engagement with learning resources provided. e-learning methods such as debates on line, videoconferencing (wimba), webinars, posters will be widely used to bring the students together and to encourage group learning and information sharing. Students registered for this course will have full access to the UoW Blackboard which allows staff and students to participate in discussions using e-technology and to use it for storage and management of e- learning teaching materials and information. Teaching and administrative material is available on a designated web site for student download. Finally, the joint UoW/TSU course team will also use Blackboard to post module information, lectures, tutorial notes and other teaching materials, improving the flexibility of student access and learning. In addition, they will have access to TSU Moodle web site for additional VLE if required. Teaching The Course itself utilises a variety of teaching methods and approaches, including a mixture of formal lectures, practical sessions, tutorials (student-centred learning activities), poster presentations and oral presentations. Throughout the course a range of multimedia and e-based learning methods will be employed including on line seminars, tutorials, chat rooms, wikis, virtual practicals etc to encourage and support independent learning. These combined teaching approaches aim to improve both students knowledge of Medical Molecular Biology, as well as helping to develop their critical faculties through an experiential approach. In addition, the key communication skills required by any professional scientist are developed throughout the course. Teaching methods are flexible and will make use of a variety of media. Traditional overhead projectors and whiteboards are available alongside digital projectors for use with computers. There are 14 computer classes at the Faculty of Exact and Life Sciences at TSU.

7 Assessment Each module in the programme has its own aims and teaching, learning and assessment methods that have been set up to facilitate its learning outcomes. Module assessment is frequently on the basis of 50% examination and 50% course work. Assessment methods are varied and include essays, practical work, group work, presentations and reports. The health and safety provisions are in place. TSU administration submitted an extensive plan of refurbishing the Biology Campus to meet the requirements of the disability policy of the University of Westminster. The course delivery will be facilitated by a parallel running of the course at UoW and TSU, using a synchronised time-table, with the Course Leader, Liaison Tutor and correspondent module leaders providing major logistic and managerial support (see below Administration of the course delivery). Laboratory provisions The experimental project can be carried out at TSU. There are all the facilities for carrying out research projects in Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. Immunology, Microbiology and Plant Biology teaching and research laboratories have been recently refurbished by TSU, and new equipment installed partially funded by TSU and the Tempus project. The new equipment includes microbiology laminar safety cabinets, modern microscopes and electrophoresis equipment in quantities sufficient with the targeted number of the students. The refurbishment and the equipment installation will be completed by the end of September, The topics for the project will be selected and offered by the TSU tea and confirmed by the UoW Course committee. Bioinformatics project will be also widely used. Course Structure This section shows the core and option modules available as part of the course and their credit value. Full-time Postgraduate students study 180 credits or X modules per year. Credit Level 7 Module Title Core/Option Credit value 3BIO7G1 Genetics and Developmental Genetics core 20 3BIO7G3 Molecular Diagnostics core 20 3BIO7G4 Molecular Therapeutics core 20 3BIO7M4 Recombinant DNA technology core 20 3BIO7G5 Immunotherapy core 20 3BIO7P5 Immunopathology core 20 3BIO7A1 Project A: Critical Review and Design Study core 20 3BIO7A2 Project B: Project and Report core 40 The course will be preceded by the Foundation semester, organised and run solely by TSU. This is required to bring the collaborative course in line with the requirements of the Ministry of Education in Georgia. The Foundation semester will be taught in English and is aimed at enhancing the knowledge of the students in Molecular Biology and Immunology, Biochemistry and Scientific data analysis to make it compatible with the UK graduate level. Particular emphasis will be made on IT skills required for e- learning. The Course team will insure that TSU Foundation modules are aligned with the UoW MSc programme.

8 The role of the Liaison Tutor The Liaison Tutor plays a key role in partnership and programme liaison, maintenance and monitoring. The liaison tutor has a specific responsibility to provide advice and support on the selection, admission and induction of students, sharing best practice from within the University and from other collaborative partnerships. Recently established at the University of Westminster Liaison Tutors' Forum is responsible for sharing of good practice. For the programme liaison the tutor includes collating all necessary documentation, on the basis of a standard list which includes student data, first destination statistics, external examiner reports and responses, module evaluation summaries and other feedback and reports. As a part of monitoring process liaison tutors report on matters which include the current market, the application-to-admission ratio and students' socio-economic and geographical origins. Support for Students This will be carried out by the partner Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Generally, on arrival, an induction programme will introduce students to the TSU staff responsible for the course, the Library and IT facilities and to the administration of the Faculty of Exact and Life Sciences. TSU staff in partnership with UoW staff will then lead the introduction of students to the UoW course team, administration and learning resources using electronic communication means and technology. UoW liaison tutor will play a pivotal role in this process. Learning support at TSU includes specialist Life Sciences Library, a General Library as well as Library established and supported by British Council in Georgia. The libraries have specific librarians who can provide in-depth training in the use of library resources, including RefWorks. In addition to the printed book collection, the libraries are providing an increasing number of electronic books. The library catalogue is also available enabling students to request and renew books. There are photocopiers, open access PCs (see above) and wireless networking for laptop users. Loan and reference copies will be available of some textbooks (e.g. Instant Notes in Immunology, Case Studies in Infectious Diseases, Molecular Therapeutics) and other titles will be available as e-books. TSU uses a free Virtual Learning Environment Moodle where students can access course materials and will communicate with TSU team of course administrators/lecturers. UoW uses a Virtual Learning Environment called Blackboard where students can access course materials and communicate with staff and other students via message boards. Students will have a full access to the UoW Intranet student portal and library facilities where the majority of journal titles are available online. Electronic resources, including databases, are accessed through an e-library known as infolinx and available off-campus. TSU Services for Students provide advice and guidance on accommodation, financial and legal matters, personal counselling, health and disability issues and careers. The International Education Office provides particular support for international students. The TSU course team will carry out an Induction for the course. In addition, students will receive the following student support: Every new student receives an amended for a collaborative project copy of Essential Information, published by UoW, to cover various aspects of academic life including Course Frameworks, Regulations and Policies; Course and module handbooks;

9 Students will take part in the Postgraduate Academic Tutorial Scheme (PATS) that aims to furnish students with the key skills required to successfully produce work at Level 7. This will be carried out by the TSU team using topics, materials and documents used at UoW, and this includes quantitative and qualitative research methods and research technology; In common with all courses within the UoW School of Life Sciences, the TSU Course team and UoW course leader and Liaison Tutor will meet each year with Student Representatives; UoW Web-based teaching timetable which can be searched by day, slot, lecturer, course or module as well as Web-based examination timetable; TSU Library Resources will provide training opportunities for software packages, electronic database information retrieval, throughout the programme of study; TSU Student Services can offer advice on accommodation, financial and legal matters, personal counselling, health and disability and international issues; careers guidance and chaplaincy support. Reference Points for the course Internally UoW Mission Statement (see above, page 4); Teaching and learning policies; Quality assurance handbook and Modular Frameworks; Handbook of academic regulations; School of Life Sciences teaching, learning and assessment strategies; The research and practice of the School s staff have influenced not only the breadth of the curriculum on offer, but also teaching and learning. TSU Mission Statement (available at Teaching and learning policies; Quality assurance policies; Academic regulations. Externally The South East England Consortium (SEEC) descriptors; QAA descriptors; Professional Body guidance: Institute of Biomedical Science. The Health Professions Council. Department of Biomedical Sciences Advisory Group.

10 Quality Management and Enhancement Course Management The management structure supporting the courses is as follows: Dr Nino Porakishvili, UoW Course leader, responsible for and overall management of the course and development of the curriculum; Dr Nina Kulikova, TSU Course leader responsible for day to day running of the course; Dr Martin Parry, Head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences holds responsibility for the course within the School of Life Sciences, UoW; Mr Keith Redway, Liaison Tutor, will implement UoW teaching and learning practices for the delivery at a partner university, UoW; Professor Ramaz Bochorishvili, Head of the Faculty of Exact and Life Sciences at TSU holds responsibility for the course delivery at TSU; Professor Jane Lewis, Dean of School of Life Sciences, UoW holds overall responsibility for the course. The management structure is further supported by the Course Teams from two partner universities, UoW and TSU, with the former possessing the powers of course development and general administration, and the latter implementing teaching activities and local administration at TSU. Its membership is as follows: Course Leader (UoW); Course Leader (TSU); UoW Module leaders who provide teaching material, set up assessments and ensure overall general management of the course; TSU full-time staff teaching the course, including shadow Module Leaders; Visiting lecturers and outside advisors, where appropriate. Course Teams consider those aspects of the course not covered by the Course Committee such as timetabling, rooming and preparation and monitoring of examinations and assessments. Liaison Tutor (UoW); UoW Module leaders who provide teaching material, set up assessments and ensure overall general management of the course; TSU full-time staff teaching the course, including shadow Module Leaders; Visiting lecturers and outside advisors, where appropriate. Course Teams consider those aspects of the course not The course management will follow UoW guidelines as outlined in Academic Regulations, and will be included in the annual monitoring process of the School of Life Sciences. Administration of the course delivery Students will be fully registered as UoW students with the induction provided by the TSU team, but containing information on studying/learning in both partner universities. Students will have full access to the on site learning facilities of TSU and on line learning facilities of UoW (Blackboard, e-library etc). The teaching material in blended format (power point presentations with text/voice over recorded on CD/DVD, modules presented in independent/dl format etc) will be provided to the TSU teaching team (TSU course leader and TSU module leaders) by the correspondent UoW module leaders and Course leader. University of Westminster UoW and TSU teaching teams will maintain day-to-day communication via , Blackboard and Published additionally 23 use February TSU Moodle 2011 if required. TSU course leader will have an access to UoW Intranet. The course delivery and all the assessments at TSU will be fully synchronised with those at UoW. The assessments set up for the on site course will be communicated to the TSU team by safe (safety guaranteed by the regional Internet provider Caucasus.net).

11 The assessments will be carried out by the TSU team and samples (20%) sent to the TSU module leaders for double marking (scanned original hard copies sent by ). Examinations will be synchronised with those at UoW. Exam papers and original UoW examination books will be sent to TSU course leader via courier mail. Exam board will be held at TSU with an external examiner from the UK nominated by UoW and UoW course leader attending the board. The same external examiner will be attending the boards considering the MMB courses delivered at UoW and TSU. MSc degree will be awarded by the UoW nominee at TSU. Course approval, monitoring and review The course was initially approved by a University Validation Panel in The Panel included internal peers from the University and external subject specialists from academia and industry to ensure the comparability of the course to those offered in other Universities and the relevance to employers. Periodic Course Review helps to ensure that the curriculum is up-to-date and that the skills gained on the course continue to be relevant to employers. The collaborative version of the course built upon a successful validation at UoW, will be validated for delivery at TSU. The core modules were selected for the collaborative degree in accordance with the local market research (see below). The course will be advertised in Georgia, in the Southern Caucasus, neighbouring and other countries (see below) by TSU staff and administration. The course will be monitored each year by the School of Life Sciences, UoW to ensure that it is running effectively and that issues that might affect the student experience have been appropriately addressed. The course is monitored each year by the School to ensure it is running effectively and that issues which might affect the student experience have been appropriately addressed. Staff will consider evidence about the course, including the outcomes from each Course Committee, evidence of student progression and achievement and the reports from External Examiners, to evaluate the effectiveness of the course. The Annual Monitoring Sub-Committee considers the School action plans resulting from this process and the outcomes are reported to the Academic Council, which has overall responsibility for the maintenance of quality and standards in the University. Student involvement in Quality Assurance and Enhancement Student feedback is important to the University and student comment is taken seriously. Student feedback is gathered in a variety of ways. The most formal mechanism for feedback on the course is the Course Committee. Student representatives will be elected to sit on the Committee to represent the views of their peer group in various discussions. The University and the Students Union work together to provide a full induction to the role of the Course Committee. All students are asked to complete a Module Feedback questionnaire at the end of each module. The feedback from this will inform the Module Leader on the effectiveness of the module and highlight areas that could be enhanced. The University also has an annual Student Experience Survey which provides valuable feedback about a range of University services. Students meet with Review Panels when the periodic review of the course is conducted to provide oral feedback on their experience on the course. Student feedback from Course Committees are part of the Schools quality assurance evidence base.

12 Student representatives will be elected to interact with the TSU course team and to represent the views of their peer group in the discussions. These will be communicated to the UoW Course committee. The University gathers student feedback mainly through course committees, module evaluation forms. Students are also involved in programme validation and revalidation, meeting panels and giving feedback, which then informs the subsequent priorities of the process. Students will be asked to complete an end-of module questionnaire at the end module. The feedback from this will inform the Module Leader(s) on the effectiveness of the module and highlight areas that could be enhanced. TSU staff involved in the teaching of this course will undergo an intensive training in DL and e-based teaching at UoW in November, 2010, funded by the Tempus project. The training of the TSU staff will cover: Blackboard; Wimba (video conferencing); Designing activities for flexible learning courses; Training of different tools (presentation tools, synchronisation, collaborative tools, multimedia recording devices and tools, interactive whiteboards (IWBs); Design of activities and educational brainstorming about the contents of the courses to Scriptwriting, multiple-choice questions, use of podcast; Pedagogy and e-learning; Implementation of a flexible learning application. Subsequently the staff will enrol on our new online CPD short courses such as: Preparing for Blended Learning (12 weeks long); Managing participants online (6 weeks long); Activity design for online learning (6 weeks long). TSU Head of IT Ms Maka Eradze has been trained by Ms Federica Oradini (UoW Blackboard) in Blackboard-related applications, and in guidelines on Blackboard usage. For more information about this course: Please note This programme specification provides a concise summary of the main features of the course and the learning outcomes that a student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if s/he takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. This specification should be read in conjunction with the Course Handbook provided to students and Module Handbooks which provide more detailed information on the specific learning outcomes, content, teaching, learning and assessment methods for each module.