Course Information Document
Welcome to the final year of your programme. One of the
aims of the final year is to prepare you for the years ahead. The teaching will
be structured differently, and you will be encouraged to work independently. We
expect you to develop a breadth to your thinking and writing. This is the time
to bring together knowledge gained during the past three years, looking for
general principles which can be used productively. This mature approach should
be expressed in your coursework, project report and examination answers. The
key to success in final year is good time-management.
We recommend that you read this Course Information Document at the start of your final year.
In addition, there is important information about regulations, assessment and progression in the Life Sciences Handbook: Regulations & Advice; again, you should read this document at the start of the year and you must refer to it as necessary.
Please keep this Course Information Document for future reference after you graduate; you may need to provide course details for further study or other training.
While the information contained in the document is correct at the time of printing, it may be necessary to make changes. Check your online timetable, Moodle and your email messages regularly.
The five component courses which make up the final year of
your programme are:
1 x project or dissertation course (40 credits)
1 x the core course for your programme (20 credits)
3 x Honours options (3 x 20-credits)
|
Semester |
Day |
Course block |
Suffix on Course Name |
|
1 |
Monday |
Core block |
"…4X core" |
|
1 |
Tuesday |
|
|
|
1 |
Wednesday |
|
|
|
1 |
Thursday |
|
|
|
1 |
Friday |
S1 option block |
"…4Y option" |
|
2 |
Monday |
S2-A option block |
"…4A option" |
|
2 |
Tuesday |
S2-B option block |
"…4B option" |
|
2 |
Wednesday |
S2-E option block |
"…4E option" |
|
2 |
Thursday |
S2-C option block |
"…4C option" |
|
2 |
Friday |
S2-D option block |
"…4D option" |
You should devote THREE days per week to the research
phase of the project, normally all day Tuesday, Wednesday AM and all day
Thursday during 10 weeks of Semester 1. The remaining half day can be
undertaken Monday and/or Friday and/or Wednesday PM, depending on your own
taught course timetable and the nature of your project.
You take three Honours options in total: one in Semester 1
and two in Semester 2.
The Semester 1 options are usually taught on Fridays, and you choose one option from the 4Y list.
Semester 2 options are arranged in five blocks, one for each day of the week (4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E options). You choose two options from these five blocks, but no more than one for any block.
Once enrolment opens in August, you choose the options that you wish to study in final year. Please note that the list of offered Honours options changes slightly each year as options are introduced, withdrawn or moved to a different block; therefore, options you see in your MyCampus My Requirements report may not be available for you to choose when you reach final year.
Available option choices:
You do not have a free choice when choosing options. The following factors determine which options you can take.
Each programme specifies which options are compulsory and recommended for that programme. You must choose options which satisfy the stated Requirements for your programme.
In addition, each option specifies restrictions on admission (“Requirements of Entry” or “Enrolment Requirements”) to ensure that only students with the necessary academic background can enrol on that option. A few options allow any Life Sciences final-year student to enrol while other options only accept enrolment from students registered for a particular programme or set of programmes (for example Behavioural Ecology 4B option specifies the following: “Normally, only available to final-year Life Sciences students in the Animal Biology group programmes”).
A few options require you to apply in advance during Year 3. You cannot take one of these options if you have not been approved in advance. Currently, these are:
Tropical Marine Biology (with Field Course) 4Y option
Marine Mammal Biology (with Field Course) 4Y option
Ecology & Conservation of African Ecosystems (with Field Course) 4Y option
Investigating Biological Function 4B option
Most options limit the number of students that may enrol. For many options, the limit is around 30 students but some options have a lower or higher limit on class size. Enrolment is on a first-come, first-served basis.
An option may be cancelled if too few students wish to do it or if there are other circumstances which mean an option cannot run.
You undertake a piece of independent work in final year,
either a project or a dissertation. University regulations stipulate that you
MUST obtain at least D3 in the “independent work” course for an Honours degree
to be awarded.
During Year 3, you choose which type of final-year project you would like to do. There are four types of project within the Life Sciences portfolio:
Investigative (both laboratory-based “wet” projects and traditional “dry” projects)
Dissertation
Outreach (both School and Public Engagement)
Internship *
* Although the Internship type of project is available in theory to students on any programme, this will depend on internships being offered which are suitable to the programme. Until now, internships have only been available to students in Physiology & Sports Science.
The type of project you are allocated determines which project course you enrol on in MyCampus.
It may not be possible to allocate projects in line with your aspirations but staff seek to maximise each student’s preference. Your grades from Year 3 may be taken into account when project allocations are being made.
If you are a student in the Animal Biology Group (Marine & Freshwater Biology or Zoology), you are encouraged to think up possible projects yourself. However, you must find a member of staff willing to act as your supervisor.
Please refer to the current session’s Project Course Information Document for more information.
Course Coordinator: Professor Niall Macfarlane
Email : Niall.MacFarlane@glasgow.ac.uk
Deputy Course Coordinator: Ms Victoria Penpraze
Email : Victoria.Penpraze@glasgow.ac.uk
Dr Ole Kemi
Email : Ole.Kemi@glasgow.ac.uk
|
Name |
Location |
Ext |
Email address |
|
Professor Niall Macfarlane |
Room 240A, Sir James Black Building. |
5965 |
|
|
Ms Victoria Penpraze |
Room 239, West Medical Building |
2456 |
All 0141 330-xxxx telephone numbers can be dialled
directly from outside the University. If dialling from a University extension,
dial the last 4 digits only.
Dr Derek Ball
University of Aberdeen
Email: derek.ball@abdn.ac.uk
The Life Sciences Office is located in Room 354 of the Sir
James Black Building. Opening hours for enquiries are: Monday to Friday: 9:30am
to 4:30pm.
Course Code
BIOL4215
Course Title
Physiological Determinants of Performance 4X core
Academic Session
2023-24
Short Description of the Course
This course is intended to support students in gaining an advanced understanding of the physiological processes that influence exercise and sporting performance (both to enhance and limit performance) with an emphasis on integrating knowledge from whole body and cellular research.
Requirements of Entry
Normally, only available to final-year School of Life Sciences students in a Physiology & Sports Science programme. Visiting students may be allowed to enrol, at the discretion of the School of Life Sciences Chief Adviser and the Course Coordinator.
Associated Programmes
This course is offered by the Physiology & Sports Science programme. It is a compulsory course for Honours programmes in Physiology & Sports Science.
Available to visiting students
Yes
Available to Erasmus students
Yes
Typically offered
Semester 1
Timetable
There are normally 4.5 hours of teaching on Mondays, which may be split over more than one session.
Course Aims
The aim of this course is to support students in gaining an advanced understanding of the physiological (and to a lesser extent psychological) processes that influence human performance during exercise and sporting activities. It has an emphasis on an integrative approach to study the limits to human performance.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
· Explain how somatotype can influence performance and appraise common techniques used to determine body composition;
· Analyse the physiological demands of common exercise modalities and evaluate how acute and chronic adaptive responses provide homeostatic control;
· Explain the key concepts of the excitation-contraction coupling process and discuss how molecular adaptations may influence whole body responses to exercise and muscle fatigue;
· Discuss physical and psychological factors that influence training status and appraise common techniques used to assess such factors and how they can be manipulated.
Minimum Requirements for Award of Credits
Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course’s summative assessment.
Description of Summative Assessment
The course will be assessed by a 2-hour examination (70%) and in-course assessment consisting of a written assignment (30%) that will be completed ‘at home’.
Are reassessment opportunities normally available for all summative assessments in this course
Not applicable for Honours courses
Formative Assessment and Feedback
Staff will provide verbal feedback during student-led teaching sessions. Generic feedback on the general performance of the class will be provided for the written assignment, along with individual written feedback to support preparation for future assessments.
Examination Diet
April/May
Total Exam Duration
120 minutes
Session 1
Course Introduction and Assessment
Specificity – is all exercise the same?
Acute response in different modalities
Exercise intensity and duration
Exercise order
Session 2 (afternoon will be student feedback from session 1)
‘Fit’ for purpose – does size matter?
How do you determine body shape
Is there a characteristic relationship between body shape and performance
Can you change shape or function with exercise
Session 3(afternoon will be student feedback from session 2)
Adaptive response to chronic activity I
Muscle
Bone
Connective tissue
Session 4 (afternoon will be student feedback from session 3)
Adaptive responses to chronic activity II
Adipose tissue
CVS
Metabolism
Session 5 (afternoon will be student feedback from session 4)
ECC (excitation contraction coupling) in locomotor muscle
Voltage gated activation
Tetanic stimulation
Influence of ‘fibre type’
Session 6 (afternoon will be student feedback from session 5)
ECC (excitation contraction coupling) in the heart and respiratory muscle
Calcium induced calcium release
Ca2+ sparks
Adaptations to chronic activity (Pereon)
Session 7 (9-11) and (12-2)
Psychological determinants of physiological performance
Psychological affecters of performance
Session 8 (will be student feedback from session 6)
Session 9 (afternoon will be student feedback on session 9)
In vitro muscle fatigue
In vitro techniques for assessing muscle function
Ionic basis for fatigue
Redox modification of calcium regulatory and contractile proteins
Session 10 (afternoon will be student feedback on session 10)
In vivo muscle fatigue
Metabolic
Long lasting muscle fatigue vs DOMS
Oxidant stress and strategies to prevent fatigue