Biological Sciences Durham University

Overview

Course Learning and Teaching

You will learn by lectures, supplemented by practical classes and workshops. Lectures represent the largest proportion of the contact hours and allow the effective delivery of large amounts of knowledge, which forms the factual basis of a science subject. The Biological Sciences BSc (Hons)  course is offered at the Durham University.

The course philosophy is based on a directed programme of teaching and learning at Years 1 and 2, within which you are expected to develop self-guided and motivated learning, leading to a much greater emphasis on independent learning at Year 3.

The practical classes are supplemented by workshops in which you will learn data handling techniques. At both Years 1 and 2, the load of practical classes overall is one-two three-hour sessions per week. There are no practical classes at Year 3 since you will carry out three research modules at this level. The first is a field course or laboratory-based extended workshop, both of which offer you approximately two working weeks' contact with staff. The second is a literature review, with a topic chosen from current areas of interest in biological sciences. This involves approximately six-eight hours of non-timetabled contact with a supervisor. The third research module is a project, either in the lab or in the field, or in interfacing with the commercial sector (biology enterprise), or in school-based education, or in research programme design, or in science communication of contemporary topics in biosciences. All will involve you in a large amount of contact time with staff that is not formally timetabled, but which averages approx. 16-40 hours.