AP0615 - Neuroscience in Practice

In the initial phase of the course students will receive lectures on key disciplines of Neuroscience practice. These will be followed by one hour of post lecture discussion between students and staff to cement ideas/knowledge raised in the staff presentation. On completion of the lecture/seminar series you will be assigned to a group of fellow students with the purpose of producing a group portfolio that applies the knowledge derived from the lectures/seminars to a real life scenario. As part of this group you will take responsibility for producing an individual, written, chapter of the portfolio that explores in more detail concepts raised by the lecture series. Staff will provide regular feedback on the content and structure of the portfolio through regular meetings with each student group. The creation of the portfolio will allow you to generate an appreciation of dynamics within team working. Since most modern science/research is the product of multiple collaborative teams then this will provide you with team working experience that is relevant to the work place.

All lecture materials and directed reading will be posted onto the elp site for this module. Immediate staff feedback will be provided in the discussion session post-lecture. These discussion sessions will provide you with the chance to ask for clarification of lecture content and will give you a relaxed forum in which to discuss new and current methodologies in Neuroscience practice. When undertaking the portfolio exercise you will be assigned an individual staff member who will provide advice and feedback on the creation/content of your portfolio both at an individual and group level. After submission and marking of the portfolio you will be provided with constructive feedback on your performance both as an individual and as a whole team.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1- You will develop an understanding of current techniques involved in Neuroscience practice in relation to diagnosing disease and the generation of new knowledge.
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2- You will learn to critically evaluate current research which will contribute to the development of critical thinking.
3- As well as the importance of your own individual contribution you will learn to appreciate team dynamics/teamwork in creating a jointly produced outcome.
4. You will enhance your professional writing skills.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. You will seek to understand the importance of ethical issues and the law both in the current practice of Neuroscience and in response to new developments.

Your assessment will be a group portfolio submission [(100% Marks); MLO tested 1,2,3,4,5]
The award of marks will be broken down as follows:
70% Marks will be allocated to your individual chapter production.
20% Marks will be allocated to you based on an assessment of the overall quality of the group portfolio.
10% marks will be based on peer review of team dynamics. Each student will be asked to provide a reflective account of their team dynamics and to judge the contribution of their colleagues by awarding each colleague a mark out of ten for contribution. This will be averaged, for each student, and the final mark added to the appropriate individual mark to give you your overall mark.
Formative feedback will be provided by post seminar discussion, by interaction with staff members allocated to your group portfolio and by pre-submission reading and feedback of your portfolio by that staff member.

Anatomy and Physiology; Neuroscience; Neuroscience Case Studies

N/A

Study on the Neuroscience in Practice module will provide you with a current understanding of the roles of different Neuroscience disciplines in investigating basic Neuroscience research and/or neurological disease. The lecture/seminar series is designed to provide you with a fundamental understanding of practical methods designed to elucidate diagnosis of a neurological disease or to create new knowledge. The post lecture seminars will help you to strengthen your knowledge of these methods and will encourage you to learn to critically evaluate current research papers. This will aid you in writing a chapter of a portfolio to be compiled through group interaction. By working as part of a team you will learn to develop co-working skills which are highly valued by employers.