Projects matching your search criteria
Life Sciences go to the movies
This project aims to develop problem-based learning exercises based around popular movies to support level 1-3 tutorials in Life Sciences degree programmes. Students will work in tutorial groups to view carefully selected films, discuss their content (with tutor as facilitator). They will then conduct research and meet without their tutor to devise and produce group oral or poster presentations suitable for peer and/or non-scientist audiences, concerning the scientific and ethical content of the film. Examples of suitable films include Awakenings (Parkinson's disease and the ethics of human experimentation) and GATTACA (human genome project and eugenics). It is anticipated that the use of movies as a teaching medium will engage students due to its novelty and entertainment value, will stimulate discussion of a broader range of topics than might be elicited by a conventional text-based PBL scenario, and will act as a stepping stone to criticism of 'more serious' scientific writing.
Project Team: Dr Richard Prince Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2008
Keywords: film, critical writing, ethics, presentation, pbl, scientific
Linking Teaching and Research: Using Faculty research seminars to enhance EBL activities in final level tutorials
A selection of seminars presented by external experts, relevant to degree programmes across the Faculty, will be recorded using video and/or audio technology. These recordings will be used to develop frameworks for tutorial EBL activities by the project team and other interested staff, including programme directors and final level tutors. Involvement of seminar presenters would be encouraged, and materials developed would be shared with them. Students might conduct literature research and work in groups to explore links with the curriculum, ethical issues, relevance to society, methodologies, or the applications of technology. Outcomes would be to provide frameworks for the development of activities that link research with the curriculum, to give students access to renowned bio-scientists and their work, to enhance the EBL experience and transferable skills of students, and promote the sharing of resources between institutions.
Project Team: Carol Wakeford, Tristan Pocock, Ian Miller Faculty: Life Sciences
Funding year: 2007a
Keywords: research, video, tutorial, ethics
What is Science for?
What is Science For? will be introduced in 2009-2010 as a new compulsory course unit (5-credit equivalent) for second-year undergraduates in the Faculty of Life Sciences. The aim of the course unit is to increase students understanding of the broader social and ethical context of science. The course will involve both face-to-face and electronic learning components, utilising enquiry-based learning techniques such as student-led discussions, peer review and assessment in virtual and campus-based learning environments. In future years, the project team aim to extend the applicability of the course unit across the other Faculties.
Project Team: Sarah Chan, Rebecca Bennett and John Harris Faculty: Humanities
Funding year: 2009
Keywords: ethics science
