0x010088F6312065A70A44B630A6848498EAD80093CFEAFE161DC94D83C7C5C9A5A748B8

Course description and organizationI was appointed course coordinator for NEVR3002 in January 2022. After consultation with Prof. Kentros (previous course coordinator), Prof. Ziaei (program coordinator) and Prof. Sandvig (course coordinator for NEVR3001), I decided to keep the structure of the course as it was run in 2022. The same topics and lectures were given in 2023, and almost all lecturers were confirmed based on feedback from previous years. NEVR3002 concerns the study of the sensory and motor systems and builds up from concepts in cellular neuroscience explored in NEVR3001.The program started on August 21st with an introduction to all courses. During this introduction, I introduced myself as the new course coordinator and I described the scope of NEVR3002 and its relationship to other courses in the Master program. As part of the introduction, I explained where students could find lecture slides, reading material and exam information on Blackboard. Implementation of prior feedbackBased on the feedback from previous years two measures were implemented this year:1.     The home assignments were removed to lighten a curriculum deemed too demanding by students of previous years.2.     Exam information was provided at the Introduction session in August 21st when I communicated that the material for the exam was going to be the lecture slides and book chapters associated with it, but not the articles and reviews that lecturers might upload as supplementary material.Despite these two measures, the feedback from the reference group suggests that students considered the course challenging and the lectures demanding. The reference group reported that the multiple lecturers approach represented a challenge to create a relationship with a lecturer leading to a lack of confidence in participation in class. As lecturer, I felt the same and would prefer to have a closer relationship with the class in the future. This would allow me to gain the trust necessary to improve the learning activities in class beyond giving a lecture.Although the exam information was very explicit from the beginning, the reference group brought up some concerns when it came to preparing for the exam. This was in part linked again to the multiple lecturer’s approach having different lecturing styles which has impacted negatively on the learning strategies of the students.

The teaching and learning activities in the subjectsThe course consisted of 15 lectures given by 10 lecturers between August and November. Learning outcomes of individual lectures was always included in the slides of lectures. The topics included three methodological lectures exploring ways to visualize and measure neural activity with imaging or electrophysiological methods. Two lectures introduced concepts of development and anatomy of the nervous system. Six lectures were dedicated to sensory systems and four to movement control by different neural systems. All the lectures and most of the lecturers were confirmed from previous years following praise from previous reports from reference groups.Most lectures were held at the Kavli Building while a few were at Bevegelsessenteret. The room at Bevegelsessenteret has often the NTNU PC completely disconnected from keyboard, mouse, screen, and internet, and I find it a waste of time to try to find my way through the cables in the computer cabinet. I would prefer if all lectures were given at the Kavli Building.After discussion with the reference group, some points of improvement in the sequence of the lectures and the teaching methods were identified. Feedback from the reference groupBefore the start of NEVR3002 a reference group of three students was formed. I had three meetings with the reference group: one shortly after the start of the course, the second after the end of the course and the third after the results of the exam were published. At the first meeting the reference group shared with me a survey (see attached) where some concerns were raised, specifically:·       Students did not feel confident to ask questions during lectures (60% of 14 responders).·       Students would like an online forum to ask questions.·       Students expressed the need for optional team based learning activities.After discussion with the reference group we identified the reason for the lack of confidence to be at least partially rooted in the multiple lecturers approach that lead to an excessive diversity of teaching methods and the missed opportunity to create a relationship of trust with a teaching figure. The reference group also excluded any inappropriate behavior by lecturers that might have lead to the lack of confidence in asking questions in class.The reference group wrote their report after our second meeting. In doing so they had the challenging task of collecting the opinion of other students and summarizing the main points in a way that could help improve the course. After receiving their report, I called a third meeting to clarify some points, receive some feedback on specific concerns and help me finalize my report.The reference group report raised concerns on the following areas:·       Information about the scope of the exam: although exam information was provided at the start of the course, the reference group suggested to have a review session at the end together with the course coordinator.·       Fast pace and extent of the lectures: the students lamented the lack of explicit definitions of some key concepts in lecture slides and suggested that some lectures could be divided in two to facilitate the teaching of the subject. This was also not facilitated by the multiple lecturers format.·       Lack of confidence to ask questions in class: this emerged from the survey and personal interactions (see attached).During the third meeting with the reference group I obtained clarifications on all of these points and many suggestions to address them. Moreover, the reference group excluded any inappropriate behavior from the lecturers as cause for the lack of confidence to ask question in class. Suggestions for the futureThe third meeting with the reference group allowed me to clarify some points raised in their report and collect suggestions for an action plan for next year:·       Reduce the number of lecturers involved in the course.·       Increase the presence of the course coordinator during the course.·       Introduce a review session in preparation of the exam at the end of the course.·       Introduce optional team base learning activities (e.g., flipclass, problem solving activities based on reading material). These activities can be organized at the end of a series of related lectures (e.g., sensory or motor lectures).

NTNU:TIA:REST

Kavliinstitutt for nevrovitenskap

Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience

Ingen hjelpemidler tillatt.

Engelsk

Mer om vurdering

Regular final examination is given in the autumn semester only. Students with legitimate leave of absence at the final examination and students who receive the grade F may take a re-sit examination in the spring semester. In case of only a few candidates, the re-sit examination may be conducted as an oral examination.

Anbefalte forkunnskaper

We recommend that NEVR3001 (Cellular and Systems Neuroscience) is taken in parallel with NEVR3002. Students will also benefit from taking NEVR3000 (Literacy in Science), as it will provide an opportunity to develop literacy skills that are relevant for the compulsory assignment of this course. We highly recommend that the students take the Neuroscience master's courses in sequence (NEVR3000, NEVR3001/NEVR3002, NEVR3003, NEVR3004), as they build upon each other.NEVR2010 (Introduction to Neuroscience) or equivalent background.

Faglig innhold

The course is divided into a sensory part and a motor part. The sensory part describes the signaling events of animal sensory systems, including detection and transduction of signal, as well as propagation, processing and coding of these signals in the peripheral and the central nervous system. The motor part describes the signaling events of animal motor systems, including planning and execution of movement.Throughout the course, we will discuss pathological conditions whereby dysfunction in specific neuronal circuits leads to perceptual deficits and/or movement disorders. Basic principles of neuroanatomy and neurodevelopment will also be discussed. Finally, we will discuss current techniques used to study sensory and motor neuroscience.

Kursmateriell

Reading materials (textbook chapters and scientific papers) that supplement each lecture will be listed on the course syllabus and will be made available to students electronically at the start of the term.

Læringsutbytte

After completing and passing the NEVR3002 course, students should be able to:<ol><li>Exhibit a comprehensive understanding of sensory and motor systems.</li><li>Demonstrate specialized knowledge of concepts on systems-level organization.</li><li>Communicate a thorough understanding of the neural signaling mechanisms underlying sensorimotor processing of all modalities.</li><li>Apply critical thinking to understanding dysfunction and diseases involving sensory and motor systems.</li></ol>

Læringsformer og aktiviteter

Lectures, participation in group-based work/discussions, and supervised written assignment.The course is taught in the autumn semester with a final examination in December.The language of teaching and examination is English.This course has restricted admission. Students admitted to the MSc in Neuroscience are guaranteed a seat. Other students must apply for a seat by the given deadlines.

Sensorisk og motorisk nevrovitenskap

Nevrovitenskap

Biologi

Filosofi

Fysikk

Kjemi

Medisin

Psykologi

Neuroscience (Master's Programme)

Web/Lists(guid'8b698a2d-6ad0-4f7d-b3be-219cc1979f02')/Items(25740)/FieldValuesAsText

The course coordinators/contributors, reference group members, and students report that the quality of the lectures for NEVR3002 was very high. The lecturers were knowledegeable, engaging, orderly, well-prepared, and created a positive learning environment for th students. Their lectures provided a clear and comprehensive overview of sensory and motor neuroscience that should serve as a strong foundation for the students throughout their careers in neuroscience.

The learning outcomes are up-to-date and relevant for this course. They are copied below: Provide a comprehensive understanding of sensory and motor systems including prevailing concepts on systems-level organization and neural signal mechanisms. After taking and passing NEVR3002 the candidate should be able to:* exhibit a comprehensive understanding of sensory and motor systems.* demonstrate specialized knowledge of concepts on systems-level organization.* communicate a thorough understanding of the neural signal mechanisms underlying sensorimotor processing of all modalities.* apply critical thinking to understanding dysfunction and diseases involving sensory and motor systems The learning outcomes are communicated to the students through the course website (https://www.ntnu.no/studier/emner/NEVR3002#tab=omEmnet). The learning outcomes are also discussed in the first introductory lecture of the course, and reviewed in the final summary lecture of the course. There is extremely good connection between the learning outcomes for NEVR3002, and the NEVR3001 course that was run in parallel. These courses were run as an integrated course for the first time this year, and the students reported that the integration of the courses was seamless. The syllabus and compulsory writing assignments were designed to complement one another through the entire term.

The primary forms of learning activities for this course are lectures and the compulsory writing assginment. The lectures contribute to the achievement of learning outcomes by the students by provide a clear and comprehensive overview of each topic in the syllabus. The lecturers encouraged the students to be as interactive as possible during the lectures by asking questions or completing in-class learning exercises. The students were also encouraged to communicate via email, Blackboard, or Padlet following the lectures if the lecture material was unclear. The students were also given reading material that directly corresponded to each lecture to supplement their understanding of the course material. The majority of students are highly motivated and energetic. They indicated that they worked hard to learn the course material, study the supplementary reading material, and work cooperatively to complete their compulsory writing assignments. The compulsory writing assignment gives students the opportunity to explore one of the central themes of the course in depth, by finding and reading relevant primary articles, and then synthesizing what they have learned regarding that topic in a written essay. This year, the students were given the opportunity to work in groups, and each group met with one of the course coordinators periodically to receive feedback and guidance on the progress of their essay. This assignment allows the students not only to enhance their writing skills, but also to learn how to find answers to outstanding questions in the field of sensory and motor neuroscience. The learning environment is very positive. The students reported feeling comfortable asking questions and felt supported by the course coordinators.

The correspondence between the learning outcomes, the lectures, and the assessment is very good. The questions on the examination are directly related to the material covered in the lectures, and the lecture content is guided by the overall learning outcomes of the course. Each lecturer is required to provide clear learning outcomes for their material that are discussed explicitly during the lecture.

Ingen trykte eller håndskrevne hjelpemidler tillatt. Bestemt, enkel kalkulator tillatt.

We recommend that NEVR3001 (Cellular and Systems Neuroscience) be taken in parallel with NEVR3002. We highly recommend that the students take the Neuroscience Masters courses in sequence (NEVR3001/NEVR3002, NEVR3003, NEVR3004), as they build upon each other.

NEVR2010 (Introduction to Neuroscience) or equivalent background.


Obligatory assignment:

The student must pass the project assignment before (s)he can take the exam. Passed assignment is valid only for two academic years.

The course is divided into a sensory part and a motor part. The sensory part describes the signalling events of animal sensory systems, including detection and transduction of signal, as well as propagation, processing and coding of these signals in the peripheral- and the central nervous system. The motor part describes the signaling events of animal motor systems, including planning and execution of movement. Throughout the course, we will discuss pathological conditions whereby dysfunction in specific neuronal circuits leads to perceptual deficits and/or movement disorders. Basic principles of neuroanatomy and neurodevelopment will be discussed. Finally, we will describe current electrophysiological and imaging techniques and illustrate how these techniques can be used to study sensory and motor neuroscience.

The course involves writing an essay, usually under supervision. Topics for the essays are related to the content of the course. The project is evaluated as passed/failed.

 

We recommend the Bear, Connors, & Paradiso textbook Neurosciece: Exploring the Brain (available at NTNU library). Additional reading materials may be announced by individual lecturers.

Lectures and supervised project (i.e., compulsory essay). The course is taught in the autumn semester. The language of teaching and examination is English. This course has restricted admission. Students admitted to the MSc in Neuroscience are guaranteed a seat. Other students must apply for a seat by the given deadlines. Regular final examination is given in the autumn semester only. Students with legitimate leave of absence at the final examination and students who receive the grade F may take a re-sit examination in the spring semester. In case of only a few candidates, the re-sit examination may be conducted as an oral examination 

Provide a comprehensive understanding of sensory and motor systems including prevailing concepts on systems-level organization and neural signal mechanisms.

After taking and passing NEVR3002 the candidate should be able to:
* exhibit a comprehensive understanding of sensory and motor systems.
* demonstrate specialized knowledge of concepts on systems-level organization.
* communicate a thorough understanding of the neural signal mechanisms underlying sensorimotor processing of all modalities.
* apply critical thinking to understanding dysfunction and diseases involving sensory and motor systems



Prosjektoppgave (essay basert på litteraturstudie)

Web/Lists(guid'8b698a2d-6ad0-4f7d-b3be-219cc1979f02')/Items(8892)/FieldValuesAsText

Sensorisk og motorisk nevrovitenskap - NEVR3002