Requirements in the seminar system of teaching physiology
The seminar system of physiology is based on active participation of the students. In this system, the main role of the lecturer is not to teach the students, but to guide them to self-gain the necessary physiology knowledge. By this activity, the students are prone to the so-called life-long-learning (LLL).
In the semester, we are going to use various learning and teaching methods such as plenary lectures, presentation made by students, self- and peer-evaluation, self-directed learning, etc.
- Plenary lectures: Although the seminar system is based on the principles of active, student-centered learning, we strongly believe that students need a minimal amount of frontal lectures for guidance and orientation.
- Flipped classroom, Open discussions: Instead of going through the material led by the lecturer, students should prepare in advance, and they can ask specific questions to discuss lacking information, or to dig deeper into the topics of the students’ interest.
- Student presentations: Students should present a topic of physiology in front of the class (2 presentation/semester, 1 in the first and 1 in the second half of semester). For this, a group of 2 students should have a deeper understanding of the lecture material in order to explain it to the rest of the class. Presentation is 10-15 minutes followed by 10 minutes long discussion. (Title of presentations are announced in advance. Students can sign up for the topic online using google sheets). The presentation must contain: relevant infos of the lecture slides (lecture slides cannot be copied), and some clinical relevance, research relevance or real life examples. After the discussion, students will evaluate each other’s presentations according to pre-determined questions. The result is confident, it can only be seen by the presenter and the department. Students are strongly encouraged to ask the teacher about the ways of improvement. We consider the following aspects: content, topic covered, preparation, presentation technique, lucidity, answers to the questions, keeping the time limit. The weighted average of the result is used in the point system (Weighted, because the lecturer has higher impact in evaluation)
- Essay prepared at home: Students should also prepare 2 essay/year (1 in the first and 1 in the second half, on topic is for presentation and the other topic is for the essay). Essays are 2 pages long case studies describing the physiological bases of the disease or other relevant problems. Fellow students and the lecturer will evaluate the essay from many aspects on a 5 points scale. For example: background in physiology!!, clear and understandable, structured, etc. The average of the result is used in the point system.
- Entrance test: A short but relevant entrance test of the lecture topics of the week (parts to study is going to be announced at least one week in advance). You must include one relevant question regarding the lecture material (for 1 point). Students having the presentation on the same day are exempted from the entrance test! The entrance test is from the same topic list as the presentations of the same day.
- Midterm tests: In the seminar system the midterm tests have only a small impact on the final grade of the students (in contrast to the regular system). Still, we strongly believe that students should write midterms in order to practice the exam-structure of physiology and also to practice learning of the larger materials before the final exam.
- Other methods that might be used in the semester: Problem solving in small groups, Demonstration of interesting experiments, etc.
Point system of physio-seminars
As always in physiology, the passing level is 50% of all points.
In the seminar system, students can collect points by the following activites:
- Entrance tests: 5 points each
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Result
|
Points
|
|
Excellent
|
4
|
|
Passed (on the limit)
|
2
|
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Not satisfactory, failed
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0
|
|
+ point for relevant question(s)
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+ 1
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- Midterm tests: 10 points each
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Result
|
Points
|
|
Excellent (above 12 points)
|
10
|
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Passed (7-11 points)
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4-6 (accrodingly)
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1-6 points
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0
|
- Presentation: 10 points each
A weighted average of the points given by the students and lecturer
- Essay (explaining physiological background of diseases): 5 points each
A weighted average of the points given by the students and lecturer
- Exam-essay prepared at home (for plenary lecture): 2 points each
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Result
|
Points
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|
All information is necessary included, clear wording, good structure
|
2
|
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One or more missing from the above
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1
|
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Not satisfactory
|
0
|
- Active participation and problem solving on the interactive lectures: 1 points each
Decided by the lecturer
- Physio labs: 1 points each
See practical requirements of physiology
- Feedback at the end of the semester: 1 point
Students can collect 110 points (105 if exempted from labs) in the semester.
Grading system
Physiology 1
At the end of semester, based on the points collected, the grades are the following:
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Percent
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Grade
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0 % - 50 %
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not accepted
|
|
above 50 %
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accepted
|
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top 10 %
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excellent
|
Physiology 2
In physiology 2, there are several activities (e.g: student essay), which are linked to the results of physiology 1. Therefore, we suggest that you collect as many points as you can throughout the semester.
In case of insufficient results or non-compliant behavior, student will be excluded from the seminar system, and he/she must join the regular lectures!
Sign up
Students can sign up for the seminar system at the beginning of the semester via google form. In the academic year 2019/20, you can sign up here till 12th of September, 2019.
Due to the special study method, only 25 students can join the system. Please note that we expect you to write a motivation letter (maximum 1800 characters with spaces), which helps us to better decide if the seminar system (as a study method) is good for you. If more students are interested, the department is going to select based on the motivation letter and we might take into consideration your previous academic results and other available information.
Detailed schedule with points
You can see the schedule and weekly duties of the seminar system here.
Please note that the schedule may change in the semester due to unexpeted events. Please always follow the announcements and the lecturer.
Important notes
- Students are expected to participate actively on all lectures.
- Lecture attendance is not obligatory, but students can collect points only if they attend and actively participate the lecture.
- In physiology 2, there are several activities (e.g. student essay), which are linked to the results of physiology 1. Therefore, we suggest that you collect as many points as you can throughout the semester.
- Students can leave the seminar system and join to the regular lectures (not recommended)
- In case of insufficient results (lower than 30% of the points) or non-compliant behavior, student will be excluded from the seminar system, and he/she must join the regular lectures!
- Students must sign an agreement stating that they have read and understood the regulations.
