In many other University programmes, the teaching material is set in stone before the student starts the individual modules. This results in students following the fixed path and not being able to direct the learning material to their own interests, this can lead to students not being fully engaged in their studies. In the Life Sciences modules BMS2010 Fundamentals of Pharmacology and Toxicology and BGY3010 One Health we have reserved teaching sessions where students are able to choose their lecture content. For BMS2010 the Fundamentals of Pharmacology and Toxicology the module initially covers pharmacological principles before moving onto some specific case studies on cardiovascular and respiratory disease medications, this is followed by a lecture where students can vote for a pharmaceutical drug that they wish to learn about this would include mechanisms of action, clinical use, and side effects. In previous academic years students have voted for several different pharmaceuticals which have been included in a bespoke lecture. Similarly, with BGY3010 One Health students learn about several pathogens that can impact both veterinary and medical health. This module also includes a lecture in the virology case study section where students can suggest a virus they wish to learn about with the proviso that it is a virus that impacts both the veterinary and medical world. This has been successfully run for the last 2 years and has resulted in increased student engagement. And included lectures on the rabies virus, the ebola virus and more recently SARSCoV2, lectures have been provided both in teaching sessions as well as in recorded mini lectures.
Student feedback has been positive about this scheme including
“I liked that people could send in anything they wished to be covered.”
and
“The times where the lecturer has gone out of his way to collate material that would pertain to us- asking for suggestions for him to teach us”