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The course was substantially developed in autumn 2022. The first assessment of whether the latest developments met the intended learning outcomes could be made in spring 2023, when the relevant exams were offered. The new format for self study and evaluation has been successful, for both student and course leader/examiners.

The course has become more relevant for the student. In addition to offering the opportunity for in-depth study of a topic of interest, the student also benefits from focused advice and hands-on training in outlining an idea for project, presenting a pitch, and discussing with the examiners. The student feedback was extremely positive as they felt that they have obtained new skills through this course. The student assessment was also easier for the examiners, as the scientific discussion could be framed based on both a written and an oral component.

NTNU:TIA:REST

Institutt for nevromedisin og bevegelsesvitenskap

Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science

Alle trykte og håndskrevne hjelpemidler tillatt. Alle kalkulatorer tillatt.

Engelsk

Mer om vurdering

Oral and written (home assignment). The student will be assessed based on a 2-page research proposal, and a 20-minute of the proposal with a committee consisting of the course leader and an external examiner. The grade is pass/fail.

Anbefalte forkunnskaper

Knowledge equivalent to NEVR3001 and NEVR3002. In addition, knowledge equivalent to NEVR3003 and NEVR3004 would be an advantage

Forkunnskapskrav

The student must be enrolled in a PhD program in Medicine or be a medical student enrolled in the Student Research Programme. Candidates not yet enrolled, or external doctoral students working in neuroscience, can be assessed individually.

Faglig innhold

The course in interdisciplinary and builds upon and and considerably expands on key topics taught in the MSc Neuroscience courses NEVR3001-3004. Major topics are brain neuroplasticity, including neural network organization, synaptic and axonal plasticity, Hebbian and homeostatic mechanisms, neural coding, biological and synthetic neural networks, as well as mechanisms behind functional units such as receptive fields, and explanatory models of sensory perception.Elementary neuroscientific topics and topics relevant to protein biochemistry and genetics will not be accepted for NEVR8009.

Kursmateriell

There are no formal lectures. The student selects a proposed topic (research question) and presents this to the course leader. It is recommended that the area of choice must be broader than the student's current research project. Pending preliminary approval of the topic by the course leader, the student then selects appropriate material equivalent to ten credits (500 pages) and compiles a reading list (including author, title of article/chapter, year of publication, and number of pages). This list must be approved by the student´s supervisor before being submitted to the course leader for final approval. The course leader may request changes to the list/sub-topics to ensure conformity with the scope of the course before approval. Once the topic has been approved, the course leader will provide guidance as to how the student should apply the knowledge obtained from the self-study of the chosen material to formulate a short research proposal.

Læringsutbytte

After completing and passing the course, students will be able to 1) demonstrate substantial insight into a core topic within cellular and networks neuroscience; 2) formulate well-defined research questions and hypotheses relevant to the chosen topic, which may constitute the basis for planning and implementing relevant studies; 3) communicate the above in a succinct manner in the form of a brief (max 2 pages) research proposal outline; 4) engage in a scientific discussion and demonstrate critical thinking and ability to formulate scientific arguments; 5) obtain insight into the fundamentals of research proposal writing, and start developing relevant skills required to communicate research ideas to future collaborators and/or funding bodies.

Læringsformer og aktiviteter

Individual study that must be approved by the the course leader and main supervisor.

Prosjektbeskrivelse

Cellular and Networks Neuroscience

Nevrovitenskap

Biologi

Filosofi

Fysikk

Medisin

Psykologi

Forskerlinjen i medisin

Medisin og helsevitenskap - doktorgrad (ph.d.)

Medisin - doktorgrad (ph.d.)

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New exam format to enable the students to practice presenting a topic of interest in the form of a simplified research idea/proposal. 

Tiltak

Update learning outcomes and evaluation method

NEVR8009 has been updated to offer improved learning outcomes to the students. This is done in two ways, different exam format and active guidance from the course leader at the beginning and throughout the self-study period. In previous years, the course exam was based on an oral presentation and summary of the literature which the student had studied for their defined topic. From autumn 2022, the exam format has been changed to the preparation of a mini written project proposal/pitch prepared by the student and an oral presentation of this proposal/pitch. At the beginning of the study period, the student received detailed guidelines by the course coordinator as to how to build such a proposal, based on their research topic of interest.

The implementation of the course incorporating the changes outlined above was very positive, with concrete learning outcomes for the student in terms of learning and practicing formulating research ideas and presenting them for peer review. Student feedback and also the experience of conducting the exam and engaging in a scientific discussion with the student was very positive, and significantly more rewarding/relevant from previous years/format.

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The course development was according to plan, i.e., the topic of choice and literature for self-study focused on current relevant neuroscience topics.

Overall, the students utilised the course well and were able to study, present, and discuss a chosen topic in depth. The student presentations as part of the oral exam generally demonstrated a good understanding of the topic, critical thinking and ability to engage in a scientific discussion.

The course can benefit from further development in terms of evaluation format. Given that most students tend to be familiar with scientific presentations on a given topic, presentation of the topic in the format of simplified research proposal would add value to the learning outcomes from the course.

The examination is oral. The student will be assessed on the basis of a 30 minutes scientific presentation, followed by 15 minutes of questioning and discussion with a committee consisting of the course leader and an internal or external examiner.

There are no formal lectures. The student selects a proposed topic together with their supervisor and presents this to the course leader. The area of choice must be broader than the student's research topic. Pending preliminary approval of the topic by the course leader, the student then selects appropriate material equivalent to ten credits (500 pages) and compiles a reading list (including author, title of article/chapter, year of publication, and number of pages). This list must be approved by the student´s supervisor before being submitted to the course leader for final approval. The course leader may request changes to the list/sub-topics to ensure conformity with the scope of the course before approval.

After completing and passing the course, students will be able to 1) demonstrate substantial insight into a core topic within cellular and networks neuroscience; 2) identify, critically evaluate and comprehensively present literature relevant for their topic of choice; 3) formulate well-defined research questions and hypotheses relevant to the chosen topic, which may constitute the basis for planning and implementing relevant studies; 4) communicate relevant knowledge in the form of a scientific oral presentation; 5) engage in a scientific discussion and demonstrate critical thinking and ability to formulate scientific arguments.

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The course in interdisciplinary and builds upon and and considerably expands on key topics taught in the MSc Neuroscience courses NEVR3001-3004. Major topics are brain neuroplasticity, including neural network organization, synaptic and axonal plasticity, Hebbian and homeostatic mechanisms, neural coding, biological and synthetic neural networks, as well as mechanisms behind functional units such as receptive fields, and explanatory models of sensory perception. Elementary neuroscientific topics and topics relevant to protein biochemistry and genetics will not be accepted for NEVR8009.

After completing and passing the course, students will be able to 1) demonstrate substantial insight into a core topic within cellular and networks neuroscience; 2) identify, critically evaluate and comprehensively present literature relevant for their topic of choice; 3) formulate well-defined research questions and hypotheses relevant to the chosen topic, which may constitute the basis for planningand implementing relevant studies; 4) communicate relevant knowledge in the form of a scientific oral presentation; 5) engage in a scientific discussion and demonstrate critical thinking and ability to formulate scientific arguments.

Individual study that must be approved by the the course leader and main supervisor.

The examination is oral. The student will be assessed on the basis of a 30 minutes scientific presentation, followed by 15 minutes of questioning and discussion witha committee consisting of the course leader and an external examiner.

Change in course title to Cellular and network neuroscience (done)Relevant changes in course description and learning outcomes (done)

Kunnskap tilsvarende NEVR3001 og NEVR3002 

Eksamen er muntlig. Studenten vurderes på grunnlag av en 30 minutters presentasjon, med 15 minutters utspørring fra en komite bestående av veileder og en ekstern sensor.

Studenten må være tatt opp på et ph.d.-program innen medisin, eller på forskerlinjen i medisinstudiet. Kandidater som ikke ennå er tatt opp, eller eksterne ph.d.-studenter innenfor nevrovitenskap, kan bli akseptert etter individuell vurdering. 	

Emnet er tverrfaglig og videreutvikler temaer fra kursene NEVR3001-4. Sentrale emner er signalisering i nerveceller, mekanismer bak patologiske nevrologiske tilstander, nevral koding, mekanismene bak dannelsen av funksjonelle enheter som reseptive felt, naturlige og syntetiske nevrale nettverk og nevrale forklaringsmodeller for sensorisk persepsjon. 
Emnet krever kunnskaper basert på NEVR3001 og NEVR3002, men NEVR8009 bygger videre på disse emnene og krever større forståelse.  
Elementære nevrovitenskapelige temaer blir ikke akseptert for NEVR8009.

Det gis ingen undervisning i dette emnet. Studenten velger et temaområde sammen med veileder, velger ut passende material tilsvarende ti studiepoeng (500 sider), og leverer litteraturliste til emneansvarlig for godkjenning. Temaområdet må være bredere enn studentens forskningsspørsmål.


Selvstudium godkjent av hovedveileder og emneansvarlig.

Etter fullført og bestått emne skal studenten 1) ha skaffet seg en utdypning i en eller flere av de sentrale emnene innen cellulær og/eller molekylær nevrovitenskap; 2) ha selvstendighet til selv å finne frem til relevant litteratur og danne seg en oversikt over felt blant de sentrale emner; 3) kunne videre formulere, planlegge og gjennomføre studier blant de sentrale emnene; 4) være i stand til å formidle kunnskaper både muntlig og skriftlig. 

Cellulær og molekylær nevrovitenskap

Kjemi

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This is e valuable course for PhD students as it enables in-depth study of a current topic in the field of neuroscience. The quality of the course largely depends on the quality of the topic being chosen and how this topic fits with current neuroscience. The majority of students taking this course are PhD students doing neuroscience research. The suggested topics therefore tend to be relevant and are usually well-defined vis-a-vis the course requirements. There have been occasions where students from different disciplines have expressed interest in taking the course but failed to present a relevant study topic and/or demonstrate that they have an adequate background in neuroscience. The updated subject description (to be published later in 2021) addresses this issue by further clarifying the topics that can be accepted and also what previous studies are necessary before attempting this course.

The learning outcomes have been updated to better reflect student needs and to achieve a better fit with other euroscience courses. The updated description of learning outcomes is as follows: "After completing and passing the course, students will be able to 1) demonstrate substantial insight into a core topic within cellular and networks neuroscience; 2) identify, critically evaluate and comprehensively present literature relevant for their topic of choice; 3) formulate well-defined research questions and hypotheses relevant to the chosen topic, which may constitute the basis for planning and implementing relevant studies; 4) communicate relevant knowledge in the form of a scientific oral presentation; 5) engage in a scientific discussion and demonstrate critical thinking and ability to formulate scientific arguments". The course leader discusses the learning outcomes with the individual students at the beginning of the course and also after the course has been completed. There is good alignment between the learning outcomes and parallel/previous relevant courses. Furthermore, this alignment becomes even better once we have emphasized critical thinking, formulation of scientific arguments, and also updated the description of core topics (please see previous section),

The first step in the learning activity requires the definition of a relevant topic/research question and selection of appropriate literature. The course leader may require changes aimed at improving the topic and literature list. Once the topic has been approved, the student proceeds to study and prepare for the exam. The course leader is available to clarify potential questions throughout the self-study period. Most students also seek the course leader´s advice regarding the preparation of a concise scientific presentation, considering the large amount of literature. Student motivation tends to be high, especially because the chosen study topic is of special interest within the context of their own research. Regarding the learning environment, it is difficult to pinpoint as this is a self-study subject. However, students taking this course have support from both the course leader and their own supervisor.

Assessment is in the form of an oral exam (20-30 min powerpoint scientific presentation) followed by discussion with an internal examiner (usually the course leader) and external examiner. Based on individual student feedback, this form of evaluation is well-aligned with the learning outcomes. The student has the opportunity to summarise and critically present and discuss the chosen topic and associated research question(s) in the context of relevant literature.

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Cellular and Networks Neuroscience - NEVR8009