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Continuing Professional Development - MSc Programme Modules

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (3333)

ORGANISER:  Dr Martin Llewellyn

TIMETABLE SLOT: Term 1, Friday p.m.

DATES: 03 October 2011 to 16 December 2011


AIM
To provide students with a grounding in molecular biology in preparation for relevant modules later in the year.


OBJECTIVES
By the end of the module the students should be able to:

  1. describe the basic structure and biochemistry of nucleic acids and proteins and discriminate between them;
  2. identify the principles of DNA replication, transcription and translation and explain how they relate to each other;
  3. describe the main principles of methods for preparation of DNA, such as DNA extraction, cloning, transformation and PCR, and analyse their applications;
  4. describe the main principles of methods for analysis of DNA, such as hybridization, restriction analysis and DNA sequencing and analyse their applications;
  5. be able to build and interpret phylogenetic trees representing evolutionary relationships among organisms;
  6. describe and discuss applications of molecular biology, including the use of bioinformatics and genomics.


CONSTITUENCY
The module is designed particularly for students who wish to reinforce or update their core knowledge of molecular biology.  The module is open to MSc courses in Infectious and Tropical Diseases and it is a pre-requisite for modules 3131, 3158 and 3160. Attendance is not compulsory, but students are required to take the final formative assessment for 3333 if they wish to attend any of these 3 modules.


CONCEPTUAL OUTLINE
The module will provide a description and integration of the biochemistry of nucleic acids, genetic diversity, gene expression and the basic methods used in molecular biology. The module will also address how molecular biology relates to other fields of science.


TEACHING STRATEGY
The module will consist of ten 2 hour sessions with lectures followed by demonstrations and workshops.  Students who already have a good understanding of the basic molecular biology covered in the lecture sessions may be exempt from attendance but will, alternatively, be given a selected article for the preparation of a critical review.  This will then be peer assessed (i.e. by a fellow student) with reference to a marking guide provided.  The decision to undertake the lectures or the review will be based on performance in a self-assessment questionnaire completed prior to the module.  However, the critical review task will be compulsory for all MBID students.


LEARNING TIME
The module is made up of 100 Notional Learning Hours – 20 hours contact time, 40 hours directed self-study, 10 hours self-directed learning, and 30 hours assessment, review and revision.


ASSESSMENT
There will be two graded computer based formative assessments, one before reading week, to allow assessment of progress , and the other in the final week.  Both formative assessments will have automated feedback, and the second assessment will also have face-to-face feedback in the final session.  Completion of the final formative assessment is automatically recorded and is required for attendance of modules 3131, 3158 and 3160.

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