Course analysis (course evaluation)
Course code
4BI097 Course title
Frontiers in Biomedicine: Individual Research Project Course Credits 16 ECTS Semester
(spring/autumn) autumn
Period
2019-08-31-2020-01-17 Course coordinator
Ute Römling Examiner
Ute Römling Teacher in charge of component
34 principle investigators working in different research areas at Karolinska Institutet and other universitites acting as the supervisor of the project
Other participating teachers
25 examining teachers who are experts in the research field of the project conducted by a student
Number of registered students during the three week check
34
Number approved on the last course date
33
Response frequency course valuation survey
52.94%
Other methods for student influence (in addition to concluding course valuation)
Providing comments during the course conduction. However as the course is an individual research project conducted in a research group, the course resembles already a small Master thesis project with no regular common course meetings.
Feedback reporting of the course valuation results to the students Yes
Note that...
The analysis should (together with a summarising quantitative summary of the students’ course valuation) be communicated to the education committee at the department responsible for the course and for programme courses also the programme coordinating committee.
The analysis was communicated to the education committee on the following date: February 8, 2021 The analysis was communicated to the programme coordinating committee on the following date:
February 8, 2021
1. Description of any conducted changes since the previous course occasion based on the views of former students
Frequent information about the course organisation before course start. Will be extended this year as well.
2. Brief summary of the students’ valuations of the course
Statistics
Number of students entering/completing the course (33/34); one student will take the examination later, has however already conducted the practical part
Grade distribution: Fail=0; Pass=10; Pass with distinction=23;
Real competence: None
Short course summary
• The individual research projects are chosen according to the participants own initiative and interest. A diversity of research projects had been conducted by the participants from subject areas such as neuroscience (10 projects), immunology (7), cancer research (5), biochemistry (4), microbiology (2), genetics (2), stem cell research (1), virology (1), physiology (1) and chemical biology (1). Two projects have been performed in companies associated with Karolinska Institutet.
• Examining teachers were recruited throughout the Karolinska Institutet and were matched in subject competence to the individual research project.
• The examination format in the form of a Zoom mini-conference was well appreciated by all participants (students and examining teachers).
• The course was positively evaluated as ’to a very large extent’ in 10 of 12 core questions such as ’I have developed valuable expertise/skills’ and ’I have achieved all the intended learning outcomes of the course (see course
assessment). Most participants felt that the course was ’good’ or ’very good’
and that they had a research project that matched their interest ’to a very large extent’ or ’to a large extent’. The participants were in the overall majority of aspects ’to a very larger extent’ or ’to a large extent’ satisfied with the digital format.
• Fragmentation of the course due to other parallel courses was again considered not ideal.
• Communication of course organisation can be improved.
Course performance
Grading of the performance of a particular individual was similar between supervisor and examining teacher with the supervisors to give a slightly better overall average grade than examining teachers (1.72 compared to 1.64). Overall the grades were lower than last year (1.77 compared to 1.75). Large differences in grading between supervisor and examining teacherexisted for five individuals (with one time the examining teacher giving far better grades).
Supervisors graded theoretical knowledge, experimental research skills, autonomy, data processing and interpretation, student motivation, academic social skills and laboratory report.
Examining teachers graded abstract, scientific content: efficacy and argumentation, poster design: structure, content/structure of poster presentation, discussion, oral presentation skills and laboratory report.
Highest average grades for the course participants:
Supervisors graded ’Academic social skills’ and ’Experimental research skills’
highest. These two skills come high up almost each year.
Examining teachers graded ’Oral presentatio skills’ highest as the year before.
Lowest average grades for the course participants:
Supervisors graded laboratory report (1.58), data processing and interpretation (1,64) and theoretical knowledge (1,67) lowest.
Examining teachers graded Poster design_ Structure (1,45) followed by laboratory report (1,55) lowest.
For the first time, the grade ’0’ was given two times, one time by a supervisor for
’Autonomy’ and one time by an examining teacher for ’Poster design_Structure’.
Immediate actions
The obligatory conduction of diverse individual research projects by students of the Biomedicine programme is a learning experience integrated into the Biomedicine Master Programme. Students must have the possibility to experience different projects, different examining teachers and diverse research environments as an obligatory part of their education.
3. The course coordinator’s reflections on the implementation and results of the course
Strengths of the course:
An individual research project of own choice and interest conducted by the students in a research group;
an oral examination in the form of a mini-conference with poster presentation in groups of examining teachers and opposing students. This format is appreciated by students and examining teachers
Weaknesses of the course:
The course is scattered due to the elective courses and two communication courses occurring at the same time.
Communication between the course organisation and administration and students can be improved. However, this is also an inherent pitfall as the course organisation meets the students only on a few occasions.
3. Other views
-
4. Course coordinator’s conclusions and any suggestions for changes
The SARS-CoV2 pandemic has fortunately not prevented to conduct the Frontiers in Biomedicine: Individual Research Project Course during term 3, Master studies in
Biomedicine with conduction of an invidivual research project in a laboratory. No COVID-19 infections were reported. The examination, which usually takes place in the form of a mini- conference at Karolinska Institutet was held as a Zoom conference.
Appendices:
course questionnaire
