Teaching and learning strategies in the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience MSc consist of theoretical lectures, seminars/discussions, tutorials and computer labs/practical sessions. Synchronous teaching sessions will be delivered using both interactive on-line ‘live’ sessions and in-person teaching delivered on campus. Synchronous sessions will be supported with high-quality educational materials, which will be made available online (asynchronous).
As the cohort is relatively small, a focus will be placed on on-campus, in-person teaching, but several sessions, spread-out over different modules, are planned as online sessions. On-campus sessions will either be broadcasted ‘live’, or all materials and recordings will be made available afterwards. Online synchronous sessions will either be live or use pre-recorded videos that will be made available prior to the online sessions.
In particular, the Term 1 modules PY5618 - Cognitive Psychopharmacology and Addiction, PY5619 - Cognitive Rehabilitation and Plasticity and PY5612: Historical and Contemporary issues in Psychology, as well as the Term 2 modules PY5616 - Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience: Core Topics and PY5611 - Preparation for Research are planned to be taught pre-dominantly on-campus, in-person, with a smaller number of online sessions.
The Term 1 module PY5630 (Research Methods and Statistics for Psychology) involves the collection of original data and analysis using appropriate software (e.g., SPSS/JAMOVI, Excel). Thus, the focus will be on delivering these lab-based practical classes in person on campus.
The Term 2 module PY5706 (Neuroscience Methods: Theory and Practice) consists of 10 x 1.5-hour theoretical lectures and 10 x 3-hour practical sessions/lab demos. The theoretical sessions will be a mix of online and on-campus sessions. All online sessions will be supplemented by asynchronous learning materials such as quizzes, additional reading, and various educational activities. All practical sessions will take place on-campus in various research labs and computer rooms.
NB. In the case that on-campus hours are limited (due to imposed restrictions), priority will be given to practical sessions that run in Term 1 and Term 2 (PY5630 - Research Methods and Statistics for Psychology and PY5706 - Neuroscience Methods: Theory and Practice) as these modules are more effectively taught on-campus compared to online. If the neuroscience practical sessions cannot take place on campus, the focus of PY5706 will shift from lab-based demonstrations to hands-on design and data analysis, which will take place online.
All modules are supported with a virtual teaching platform (Blackboard Learn) which provides access to various teaching materials including:
- Weekly reading materials (i.e., journal articles, textbooks, newspaper articles etc).
- A range of other activities to support learning including tutorials, quizzes, seminars, Q&As, discussion forums (or a combination of these).
- Additional digital resources (e.g., TED talks, YouTube videos, web links etc.).
For sessions that are taught online, the following holds:
- Lecture materials will be made available to students in the form of short, recorded videos, which are either pre-recorded or recorded during a live or online lecture. In the latter case, lectures will be set-up in such a way to support such videos. The videos will be accompanied by lecture slides (where applicable) and will be released on a weekly basis. Videos will either be made available in advance, or recorded during a live lecture and made available shortly afterwards
- For most modules, there will be set reading each week, as provided in the Talis Aspire reading list (e.g., journal articles, e-books etc.) and/or BBL.
- For each Study Block/Modular Block there will be a variety of online activities designed to complement the didactic material and to put the learning into practice. The number and type of activities can differ per block, per week. These activities can take many forms: tutorials, quizzes, seminars, Q&As, discussion forums (or a combination of these). Breakout groups will be used where appropriate.
Assessments:
Coursework remains the same. Examinations will take place on-campus using Wiseflow software.
Tutoring and Pastoral Care:
All students will be assigned a Personal Tutor that will provide information to help students navigate university life. Personal Tutors will hold regular on-campus or virtual tutoring hours via Microsoft Teams. During these tutoring sessions, the Personal Tutor will be available for tutees who have questions or would like to discuss issues/concerns or seek pastoral care.
Feedback and Consultation Hours:
Academic staff teaching on the Programme will hold weekly on-campus or virtual (via MS Teams) Feedback and Consultation hours. During these weekly Feedback and Consultation hours, the member of staff will be available for students who have questions or would like feedback related to academic matters. Students who want to meet a member of staff outside of planned Feedback and Consultation hours can contact the member of staff to make an appointment. This appointment can take place online via Microsoft Teams or in-person.