Course Information Document - Physiology 3A & 3B
Physiology 3A & 3B - BIOL4238 & BIOL4239
Welcome to Year 3 of your programme. Courses at this level
should be rewarding and enjoyable, but they require a clear commitment from you
and your active
participation and attendance.
We recommend that you read this Course Information Document at the start of Year 3.
In addition, there is important information about regulations, assessment and progression (including DD to Honours 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.
Dr Shona McQuilken, Sir James Black Building, Ext: 2681
email: Shona.McQuilken@glasgow.ac.uk
Deputy: Dr Greig Logan
email: Greig.Logan@glasgow.ac.uk
Dr Shona McQuilken, Sir James Black Building, Ext: 2681
email: Shona.McQuilken@glasgow.ac.uk
Deputy: Professor Craig Daly, Sir James
Black Building, Ext: 3920
email: Craig.Daly@glasgow.ac.uk
|
Name |
Building & Room Number |
Ext |
|
|
Professor R Baxendale |
Sir James Black Building |
5344 |
|
|
Dr F Burton |
Sir James Black Building |
6598 |
|
|
Dr J Clancy |
Thomson Building |
4189 |
|
|
Professor C Daly |
Sir James Black Building |
3920 |
|
|
Professor C Edwards |
New Lister Building |
8685 |
|
|
Professor S Kennedy |
Sir James Black Building |
4763 |
|
|
Professor N MacFarlane |
Sir James Black Building |
5965 |
|
|
Dr L Mckay |
Sir James Black Building |
4490/7727 |
|
|
Dr S McQuilken |
Sir James Black Building |
2681 |
|
|
Dr Peter Moult |
Sir James Black Building |
4545 |
|
|
Dr E Reid |
Sir James Black Building |
5829 |
|
|
Dr K Price |
Sir James Black Building |
2805 |
|
|
Dr JS Riddell |
Sir James Black Building |
4495 |
|
|
Dr P Scott |
Sir James Black Building |
3703 |
|
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Professor G Smith |
Sir James Black Building |
5963 |
|
|
Professor AJ Todd |
Sir James Black Building |
5868 |
|
|
Dr N Veitch |
Sir James Black Building |
5143 |
|
|
Dr K Watterson |
Boyd Orr Building |
1900 |
|
|
Dr M Welsh |
Sir James Black Building |
5926 |
Dr Teresa Thomas, University of Birmingham
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.
The third year physiology course comprises Physiology 3A,
which runs in Semester 1, and Physiology 3B, which runs in Semester 2. The
courses are split into two-week blocks of teaching on particular topics, with
some additional sessions that run throughout the year.
The course structure is outlined below:
|
Physiology 3A |
Physiology 3B |
All Year |
||
|
Week 0 |
Introductory week |
Week 0 |
N/A |
Tutorials Scientific Skills Frontiers in Physiology |
|
Week 1 |
Block 1 |
Week 1 |
Block 6 |
|
|
Week 2 |
Week 2 |
|||
|
Week 3 |
Block 2 |
Week 3 |
Block 7 |
|
|
Week 4 |
Week 4 |
|||
|
Week 5 |
Block 3 |
Week 5 |
Block 8 |
|
|
Week 6 |
Week 6 |
|||
|
Week 7 |
Block 4 |
Week 7 |
Block 9 |
|
|
Week 8 |
Week 8 |
|||
|
Week 9 |
Block 5 |
Week 9 |
Block 10 |
|
|
Week 10 |
Week 10 |
|||
|
Week 11 |
Revision |
Week 11 |
Revision |
|
Course Code: BIOL4238
Course Title: Physiology 3A
Academic Session: 2023-24
Credits: 60
In this course, you will explore the scientific principles that underlie
investigations into the function of the human body from a molecular and
cellular level to a whole body level. Physiology 3A & 3B build on the
Level-2 Life Sciences courses, developing an in-depth understanding of the
function of the human body, underpinned by a programme
of laboratory practicals and discussion of current
research and clinical implications.
Normally, this course is only
open to students admitted to Level-3 of a programme for which this is a
compulsory course.
The aims of the course are:
·
To provide a
broad-based knowledge and understanding of physiology;
·
To develop practical
skills relevant to physiology-focused laboratory techniques;
·
To develop skills
relating to the systematic acquisition and analysis of factual information and
data;
·
To develop the
ability to solve problems and to critically analyse, interpret and discuss
factual information and data;
·
To provide
opportunities to practise and improve written and oral communication skills.
By the end of this course,
students will be able to:
·
discuss the central
facts and the experimental basis of modern physiology, including cellular and
systems-based physiology;
·
appraise the use of
modern technologies for the study of physiology;
·
critically describe
how fundamental laboratory techniques, including physiological measurements,
are used to study human biology;
·
communicate
experimental, interpretative and ethical aspects of science, using oral
presentations, written work and information technology;
·
plan and carry out
an experiment and apply appropriate methods, including statistics, to analyse
experimental data;
·
identify and
critically evaluate relevant scientific literature.
Students must submit at least
75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course’s
summative assessment.
The course will be assessed by
means of a 1-hour examination (10%) in the winter diet, a 3-hour examination
(50%) in the spring diet and in-course assessments (40%) including laboratory
reports (30%) and a group work assignment (10%).
Not applicable for Honours
courses
December and April/May
More than 180 mins
Course Code: BIOL4239
Course Title: Physiology 3B
Academic Session: 2023-24
Credits: 60
In this course, you will explore the scientific principles that underlie
investigations into the function of the human body from a molecular and
cellular level to a whole body level. Physiology 3A & 3B build on the
Level-2 Life Sciences courses, developing an in-depth understanding of the
function of the human body, underpinned by a programme
of laboratory practicals and discussion of current
research and clinical implications.
The aims of the course are:
·
To provide a
broad-based knowledge and understanding of physiology;
·
To develop practical
skills relevant to physiology-focused laboratory techniques;
·
To develop skills
relating to the systematic acquisition and analysis of factual information and
data;
·
To develop the
ability to solve problems and to critically analyse, interpret and discuss
factual information and data;
·
To provide
opportunities to practise and improve written and oral communication skills.
By the end of this course,
students will be able to:
·
discuss the central
facts and the experimental basis of modern physiology, including molecular and
systems-based biology;
·
appraise the use of
modern technologies for the study of physiology;
·
critically describe
how fundamental laboratory techniques, including physiological measurements,
are used to study human biology;
·
communicate
experimental, interpretative and ethical aspects of science, using oral
presentations, written work and information technology;
·
plan and carry out
an experiment and apply appropriate methods, including statistics, to analyse
experimental data;
identify and critically evaluate
relevant scientific literature.
Students must submit at least
75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course’s
summative assessment.
The course will be assessed by
means of a 3-hour examination (50%) in the spring diet and in-course assessment
(50%) including a molecular methods assignment (10%), a literature review
(15%), a science communication task (10%) and a mini-project assessment
comprising individual and group components (15%).
Not applicable for Honours
courses
April/May
180 minutes
We expect you to engage with
all lectures. Only by attending the lecture course can you learn a particular
lecturer’s viewpoint and the emphasis given to a specific topic. Lectures are
also intended to act as a guide through the enormous quantity of published
scientific literature in that area. They should provide you with the central
facts of the subject.
All these factors mean that
your lecture notes are a particularly important source of information for
answering examination questions. Remember it can be difficult enough to
interpret your own lecture notes, so it is generally very unwise to rely on
notes copied from a classmate. Keep them safe! The availability of lecture
notes on Moodle is at the lecturers’ discretion.
You are required to be present
for the whole of each laboratory. The labs are designed to reinforce and add to
the knowledge gained from lectures and to develop the practical skills required
in physiology and the material can be assessed. These skills will be vital
during your final year research project and can be assessed in third year.
Unless you are told otherwise, laboratory notes will be provided via Lt Kuracloud. Please bring a lab coat and safety goggles with
you unless instructed otherwise. Please see Moodle for any further
instructions.
You are expected to attend and
participate in all workshop and seminar sessions, including the Frontiers in
Physiology and Scientific Skills sessions: these can all be assessed. These
sessions will have different formats, but will be interactive and will often
include preparatory work. Please check Moodle for instructions specific to each
session.
In addition to the above
components, you will be allocated to an academic tutor, with whom you should
meet by mutual agreement, normally every two weeks. Your tutor may set problems
or essays etc. as appropriate to help your understanding, writing or problem-solving
abilities.
A Class Test is held during
the exam diet in December and relates to all material covered in Physiology A.
The questions will be similar to those you will tackle in the end of course
exam.
There is also a Class Test in
Semester 2. Information on the assessable content for this will be given in
advance.
Instructions for each of your
other assessments will be announced in class and on Moodle. It is important
that you attend all sessions and check Moodle regularly for information on
assessments.
All coursework should be
submitted online via Moodle. Your submitted coursework must comply with the
instructions you will be given in advance.
There are two 3-hour
examination papers in April/May, one for Physiology A and one for Physiology B.
You will be expected to write short answer and essay-style answers. More
information and practice papers will be available via Moodle.
An online reading list has
been created, which provides details of recommended and further reading for the
course, along with a wealth of other resources including ebooks,
tutorials, videos and websites. As this reading list is updated throughout the
year, it is important that you check it regularly. The links are provided
below.
All coursework hand-ins should
be submitted electronically via Moodle. Please see Moodle for information on
this and for instructions on individual assessments. Coursework deadlines are
shown below but are subject to change. Please see
Moodle for the most up to date information.
|
Hand in Title |
Hand in Type |
Deadline Date |
Date coursework will be returned to students |
|
Muscle Lab Report |
Moodle |
tbc |
Within 3 weeks |
|
Groupwork Exercise |
Moodle |
Semester 1 |
Within 3 weeks |
|
Neurophysiology lab report |
Moodle |
Semester 1 |
Within 3 weeks |
|
Literature Review |
Moodle |
Semester 2 |
Within 3 weeks |
|
Science Communication Assignment |
Moodle |
Semester 2 |
Within 3 weeks |
|
Mini Project Presentation |
Moodle |
Semester 2 |
Within 3 weeks |
|
Mini Project Report |
Moodle |
Semester 2 |
Within 3 weeks |
|
Deadline |
Weighting |
Title |
|
Semester 1 |
10% |
Muscle Lab Report |
|
Semester 1 |
10% |
Groupwork Exercise |
|
Semester 1 |
20% |
Neurophysiology Lab Report |
|
December Exam Diet |
10% |
December Class Test |
|
May Exam Diet |
50% |
Exam |
|
Deadline |
Weighting |
Title |
|
Semester 2 |
15% |
Literature Review |
|
Semester 2 |
10% |
Science Communication Assignment |
|
Semester 2 |
10% |
Molecular Methods Class Test (online) |
|
Semester 2 |
5% |
Mini Project Presentation |
|
Semester 2 |
10% |
Mini Project Report |
|
May exam Diet |
50% |
Exam |
The John Hunter Medals in
Medicine and Science were instituted by the University Court to commemorate the
contribution of John Hunter (1728-93) to the study of and teaching of
Comparative Biology, Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology. These medals are awarded
for distinction in various classes of the curricula in Medicine and the
Biological Sciences.
The Arnott Prizes were founded
in 1869 by Dr Neil Arnott of London. Two of these prizes shall be awarded to
the two students receiving the highest aggregate marks in the Year 3 Physiology
programme. A poor performance in any one component of the assessment may
preclude the award of either.
You will be automatically
enrolled onto the Moodle sites for Physiology A and B. Here you can find
information on the course, lecture, lab and workshop notes, links to the
reading list and other resources, information on the Physiological Society,
instructions for assessments and lots of other information. It is
important that you check Moodle regularly, including the
forums, as this will be the primary means of contact from staff on the course.
The University has an
excellent Careers Service situated at 3, University Gardens. You are encouraged
to go along and meet the Careers Adviser and gain familiarity with the
programme of events, publications and the possible types of individual advice
available from the Service. Careers information may also be posted on Moodle
from time to time.
The Physiological Society exists to promote the
advancement of physiology and encourages the exchange of scientific information
between physiologists. The Society plays a central role in the discipline of
Physiology in the UK and internationally. As a physiology student, you are
entitled to apply for a Student Associate Membership. Student Associates
receive copies of the Society’s quarterly Magazine and Programmes of the
Meetings. The Physiological Society Magazine includes news of developments in
the wider world of physiology, readable articles on physiological topics
written for non‑specialists and features as varied as Physiology &
the Media and Physiology & Music. The Society holds on average seven
meetings a year in different universities. Some meetings are held jointly with
Physiological Societies from other countries. Students enrolled for the Year
3/3H and Year 4H courses in Physiology at Glasgow University will become
Student Associate Members of the Physiological Society.
The university also has a
Physiology Society that all third and fourth year physiology students are
eligible to join. They organise guest lectures, information sessions and social
events. More information will be given on this at the beginning of Semester 1
and on Moodle.
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.
You do not have a free choice
when choosing options. The following factors determine which options you can
take.
1.
Each programme
specifies which options are compulsory and recommended for that programme. You
must choose options which satisfy the stated Requirements for your programme.
2.
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”).
3.
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
4.
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.
5.
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.
The structure of the
final-year curriculum is more complex than Year 3. Therefore, it is very
important that you use the guidance in MyCampus My Requirements to enrol on
appropriate courses. Read the information carefully and ensure than none of the
sections on My Requirements are labelled “Not Satisfied”.