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FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES

FIRST LEVEL HANDBOOK 2011-2012

IMPORTANT DATES IN 2011-2012

First Semester:
Monday 19th September 2011 - Friday 27th January 2012
Degree Programme Registration: Monday 19th September 2011
Lectures begin: Monday 26th September 2011

Christmas Break:
Saturday 17 December 2011 - Sunday 15th January 2012
th

Second Semester:
Monday 30th January 2012 - Friday 8th June 2012
Easter Break:
Saturday 24th March 2012 - Sunday 15th April 2012

Examination Periods:
16th - 27th January 2012
16th May - 6th June 2012

Resit examination period:

20th - 31st August 2012

Submission dates:
First Year Tutorial essay (sem 1) - submit draft Friday 18th November 2011 via Blackboard
no later than 16.00
First Year Tutorial essay (sem 1) - submit essay Friday 25th November 2011 via Blackboard
no later than 16.00
First year Tutorial essay (sem 2) - submit essay Friday 23rd March 2012 via Blackboard
no later than 16.00
BIOL10402 lab write-up (online submission) - Tuesday 1st May 2012 via Blackboard
no later than 16.00

Talk:
“What to expect from your Second Year” (Senior advisor)
16th April 2012,12.00pm, University Place Theatre B

The information provided herein is of great importance to you, so please do READ IT.

This handbook also provides you with a record of the overall structure and content of your
degree programme and should therefore be kept for future information.

Please note that there is a live version of this handbook on the Faculty Intranet which you
should check regularly for updates (highlighted in green) e.g. changes to second semester
units (https://www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/handbooks/undergraduate.aspx).

THE INTRANET VERSION OF THE HANDBOOK IS THE DEFINITIVE SOURCE FOR

INFORMATION AS THE PRINTED HANDBOOK IS ONLY CORRECT AT THE TIME OF
GOING TO PRESS. UPDATES ARE MADE ONLINE.

AUGUST 2011
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AIMS & INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE FACULTY OF LIFE SCIENCES
WITH REGARD TO UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING & LEARNING

Aims

The Faculty’s general aims are to offer undergraduate students a broad and thorough
education in biological sciences within an institutional culture of high quality research and
scholarship. The Faculty aims to:

• deliver a range of broad and specialist degrees, informed by current research,

which will equip students for careers within and outside science;
• meet student requirements for diversity of provision and opportunity of transfer
between disciplines within biological sciences by providing a structure of flexibility
and choice within the undergraduate programmes;
• provide students with subject-specific knowledge and practical skills linked to
generic transferable skills which are integrated within the curriculum;
• ensure students develop skills in independent learning;
• employ a variety of teaching methods and assessment strategies to meet
programme aims and needs of students with high entry qualifications;
• provide students with effective induction information, and ongoing academic and
pastoral support and advice in order to enhance their progress and academic
development;
• provide appropriate academic and support staff, laboratory, library and other
facilities to ensure a high quality learning environment and experience;
• operate a management structure which monitors the delivery and quality of teaching
provision in order to ensure high standards across our wide range of programmes;
• attract high quality students to undergraduate programmes;
• endeavour to ensure that students progress through programmes and acquire
qualifications, knowledge and skills appropriate to their academic abilities.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of their programmes undergraduate students should have:

• a detailed theoretical knowledge, based on a firm foundation, of the appropriate

areas of biological sciences developed within an environment of excellent research
and scholarship;
• attained appropriate subject-specific and transferable skills in preparation for further
study or employment either within or outside science;
• acquired practical laboratory skills in well-equipped teaching laboratories under the
instruction of appropriate staff;
• the ability to evaluate biological scientific material and to answer questions through
theoretical analysis, hypothesis, experimentation and data analysis;
• developed skills, where appropriate, of fieldwork at sites away from the University in
the UK and/or Continental Europe; learned to appreciate the influence of
environmental factors on biological systems;
• acquired additional training in mathematics at a level appropriate to the analysis of
biological data;
• where appropriate, acquired a suitable training in chemistry sufficient to enable
them to study modern biological sciences;
• either become actively involved in laboratory or field-based research in an active
research group within the Faculty or associated institutions under the supervision of
an expert in the relevant area OR have applied their theoretical and practical
knowledge to one of a variety of situations ranging from: development of computer-
based teaching programmes for Universities, to biology programmes for schools; to
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further the public understanding and communication of science; to prepare and
present a business plan for an enterprising biotechnology project;
• the ability to search the relevant literature both in written and electronic form and to
assimilate and evaluate critically the information obtained;
• developed the ability to write a substantial scientific report based on either a
literature survey or results obtained from a research project;
• developed skills in computer literacy, IT, oral and written communication, team work
and problem solving;
• developed skills in independent learning;
• benefited generally from an education which has been broadened by the Faculty’s
links with other institutions and the experience of working alongside international
students.

In addition

On completing the four-year placement degrees with industrial/professional experience

students will have:

• gained experience of transferring their theoretical and practical skills developed

within the university to the workplace;
• developed high quality practical skills and specific knowledge relating to the practice
of science in an applied setting;
• developed interpersonal skills within the workplace.

On completing the four-year joint degrees with a language, students will have:

• acquired a sound working knowledge of the target language including aspects

specific to biological sciences;
• acquired an appreciation of the culture and institutions of an appropriate country;
• gained experience of research work in an overseas institution.
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CONTENTS
1. What you should do now...........................................................................................6
2. Registration for your degree programme .................................................................. 7
A. MANAGEMENT OF THE FACULTY ........................................................................ 8
3. Administration of the Faculty ..................................................................................... 8
4. Your official contacts in the Faculty........................................................................... 8
5. Personal Advisors ..................................................................................................... 8
6. Academic Advisors ................................................................................................... 9
7. Programme Directors and where to find them .......................................................... 9
8. Your independent study and Personal Development Portfolio (PDP) ....................... 10
9. Safeguarding your work ............................................................................................ 10
10. Where to find people and places............................................................................... 10
11. Communication - email/noticeboards/mail ................................................................ 11
12. Guidelines on feedback to students .......................................................................... 12
13. Student feedback ...................................................................................................... 13
13.1 Representation on committees ................................................................................. 13
13.2 Unit evaluation .......................................................................................................... 14
13.3 Programme evaluation .............................................................................................. 14
13.4 Day-to-day problem solving and other ways of making your views known ............... 14
13.5 Complaints procedure ............................................................................................... 14
B. REGULATIONS OF THE FACULTY AND THE UNIVERSITY ................................. 15
14. Work and attendance regulations ............................................................................. 15
14.1 Permitted absences .................................................................................................. 15
14.2 Religious observance................................................................................................ 16
15. Guidelines on ill health .............................................................................................. 16
15.1 Absence due to illness affecting attendance at compulsory classes/tutorials ........... 16
15.2 Absence affecting submission of assessed work ...................................................... 17
15.3 Absence affecting eLearning assessments............................................................... 17
15.4 Absence due to illness affecting examinations ......................................................... 17
15.5 Illness not resulting in absence from examinations ................................................... 18
15.6 Mitigating circumstances committee ......................................................................... 18
16. Assessments and examinations................................................................................ 19
17. Deadlines and document limits ................................................................................. 19
18. Practical assessments .............................................................................................. 20
19. Tutorial assessments ................................................................................................ 20
20. eLearning (Blackboard)............................................................................................. 21
21. Extensions for coursework ........................................................................................ 21
22. Mid-semester one examination ................................................................................. 21
23. University examinations ............................................................................................ 21
24. Multiple-choice examinations .................................................................................... 22
25. Pass marks and compensation rules ........................................................................ 23
26. August / September resits ......................................................................................... 25
27. Disclosure of marks and record of academic performance ....................................... 26
28. Examination feedback............................................................................................... 26
29. Examination timetables ............................................................................................. 26
30. Plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic malpractice ................................ 27
31. Conduct and discipline of students ........................................................................... 30
32. Health and safety ...................................................................................................... 30
C. SERVICES ................................................................................................................32
33. Computing facilities in the Stopford Building ............................................................. 32
34. Intranet...................................................................................................................... 32
35. The John Rylands University Library ........................................................................ 32
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36. The Manchester Museum ......................................................................................... 33
37. Student societies....................................................................................................... 34
38. Student support within the Faculty/University ........................................................... 34
39. The Student Services Centre .................................................................................... 35
40. Academic advice and information ............................................................................. 35
41. Counselling ............................................................................................................... 35
42. Accommodation ........................................................................................................ 36
43. Students with additional support needs .................................................................... 36
44. Financial help ............................................................................................................ 37
45. Discrimination and Harassment ................................................................................ 37
46. Health ....................................................................................................................... 37
47. International students................................................................................................ 38
48. Night-time telephone advice/listening service ........................................................... 38
49. Security on campus .................................................................................................. 38
50. Students’ Union Advice Centre ................................................................................. 38
51. The Careers Service ................................................................................................. 38
51.1 Information and help available .................................................................................. 39
51.2 Advice and job hunting help ...................................................................................... 41
51.3 Jobs and careers fairs............................................................................................... 42
D. THE FIRST YEAR OF YOUR DEGREE PROGRAMME .......................................... 43
52. Overview of the programmes .................................................................................... 43
Changing optional course units ............................................................................... 43
Changing degree programme ................................................................................. 43
53. Degrees with industrial/professional experience ....................................................... 44
54. Language degrees .................................................................................................... 45
55. Field courses ............................................................................................................ 46
56. Worldwide (including Europe) Voluntary Exchange Programme .............................. 47
57. LEAP - Language Enhancement Access Programme .............................................. 48
58. Human subjects and animal tissues.......................................................................... 48
59. First year timetable ................................................................................................... 48
59.1 Academic calendar ................................................................................................... 49
59.2 Reading week ........................................................................................................... 49
60. Examinations and religious observance.................................................................... 49
61. Units that clash ......................................................................................................... 49
62. Degree programme requirements ............................................................................. 50
E. THE UNITS ............................................................................................................... 53
63. Prerequisite units ...................................................................................................... 53
63.1 Second Level Units with First Level Prerequisites .................................................... 53
63.2 Final Level Units with First Level Prerequisites ......................................................... 54
64. Textbooks and other requirements ........................................................................... 54
65. Withdrawal of units.................................................................................................... 54
66. First level course unit profiles ................................................................................... 55

Information contained in the back of this book:

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED BY THE STUDENT RECORD SYSTEM

(CAMPUS SOLUTIONS)

LIST OF UNITS - BY UNIT NUMBER / BY UNIT NAME

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Welcome to the University of Manchester and the Faculty of Life Sciences.

We hope that you will have an interesting and exciting first year.

The aims of this handbook are to:

• explain what you should do now

• tell you who does what, and where you can find people and places
• tell you about registration and Welcome Week
• give you details of the first year of your programme and help you in your selection of
optional units
• give you general information about the Faculty of Life Sciences

1. What you should do now:

UK students (England): tell Student Finance England that you have a place here.
Student loans (for tuition fees and living costs) must be applied for through Student
Finance England and full information can be found on the DirectGov website at
www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinan
ce/index.htm.

UK students (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales): if you normally live in Northern

Ireland, Scotland or Wales, and are studying anywhere in the UK, your application for
student finance will be dealt with by the authorities in your own region. Please see
www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinan
ce/DG_10035314 for further information.

If have applied for accommodation in the University, you can telephone, email or write to
the Accommodation Office to tell them that your place in the University has been
confirmed. They will then send you information about your residence and an agreement
for signature.

If you would like help finding accommodation but have not applied, contact:

The Accommodation Office

First Floor
University Place
University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL

Tel. +44 (0)161 275 2888

Fax +44 (0)161 275 3213
email: [email protected]

or see the website at www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk where you can access an

online application form. A form and accommodation booklet can also be obtained from the
Accommodation Office or the Faculty Admissions Office. To guarantee a place in Halls,
applications for accommodation must be submitted by 31st August.

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2. Registration for your degree programme

You will be admitted to a course of study for your degree known as a Degree Programme.

Prior to your arrival at the University, you will be sent a welcome pack from the Faculty
which includes important information about the start of year and completing registration.
The contents of this pack, together with additional information and documents, will also be
available on the Faculty intranet. The first time you log in to the intranet (you will need to
have completed IT signup to obtain your username and password) you will be directed to
the relevant section containing this information. If you need to access this page again, you
can find it in your ‘My favourites’ section at the bottom of the intranet homepage once you
have signed in. Go to https://www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/public/login.aspx to log in
to the Faculty of Life Sciences intranet.

The University of Manchester has a student record system which allows you to complete most
of the registration process online from home. We strongly recommend that you complete the
10-step registration process online before you arrive by referring to the information in the
Crucial Guide, which you will have received in your welcome pack (the Crucial Guide is also
available online at www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide or on the Faculty
intranet as described in the box above).

Course Unit selection is the next stage of registration and for more information on this
process you should refer to the Course Unit Selection Guide that was included in your
welcome pack. The Course Unit Selection Guide is also available on the Faculty intranet
as described in the box above. Student handbooks and timetable information can also be
found in this location.

At the meeting with your Programme Director during Welcome Week you will receive
additional advice on your choice of optional units, and your final selection will be recorded.
Units provided by the Faculty of Life Sciences have a “BIOL” or “HSTM” code.

If your programme includes units from outside the Faculty you must check for timetable
clashes. Your Programme Director or the Student Support Office can advise you on how to
obtain timetables for units taught by other Faculties, or you can contact the relevant
Faculty directly.

Contact details for other Faculties can be found either at the back of this handbook or on
the University website at www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/structure/academic.

The final stage of registration is conducted by members of staff from the Student Records
Office and the Student Fees Team. You will be issued with a Student Card, which you
need to access the Library and the Stopford Building, and must also be taken to all
examinations. It is very important that you look after this card and have it with you every
day - without it you will not be able to enter the Stopford building for practicals or lectures!

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A. MANAGEMENT OF THE FACULTY

3. Administration of the Faculty

The Faculty of Life Sciences is constituted as a single University School (“department”).

Although your main contacts in the Faculty will be your Personal Advisor (see Section 5)
and Programme Director, some aspects of your course will be dealt with by the Student
Support Office or the Education Boards (see Section 4) within the Faculty.

4. Your official contacts in the Faculty

Student Support Office Room & Building Phone

(0161 27-)
General Enquiries G.683 Stopford Building 51487
Email: [email protected]
Fax no. (0161 27 -) 51488

Mr Stuart Renshaw - Office Manager as above 51486

Senior Advisor Room & Building Phone

(0161 27-)
Dr Liz Sheffield G.554 Stopford Building 53905
Email: [email protected]

There are two Education Boards, which deal with academic matters concerned with
students in the degree programmes listed*:

Biosciences (BEB): Biochemistry, Biology, Biology with Science and Society,

Chairman: Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Life Sciences,
Professor Jeremy Genetics, Medical Biochemistry, Microbiology, Molecular Biology,
Derrick Plant Sciences, Zoology.
Also includes related joint degrees with industrial/professional
experience and/or a language.

Medical Biosciences Anatomical Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Cognitive

(MBEB): Neuroscience and Psychology, Neuroscience including MNeuro,
Chairman: Optometry including MOptom, Pharmacology, Pharmacology and
Professor Richard Physiology, Physiology
Baines Also includes related joint degrees with industrial/professional
experience and/or a language.

*please note that the structure of the Education Boards is under review for the 2011/12 academic
year and is therefore subject to change.

5. Personal Advisors

Your Personal Advisor (normally the same person throughout your course) offers you advice
on academic matters, personal problems (if needed), and is your main link to the Faculty
and the University. You must meet your Personal Advisor at regular intervals (at least once
per semester) during your programme and should prepare for each meeting by starting to fill
in the appropriate meeting form on your intranet. When you are making applications for
summer work, placements, jobs, or further degrees, your Personal Advisor should know you
well enough to write an informed reference. It will help if you give your Personal Advisor a
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CV, which you update each year, especially towards the end of your degree programme.
This normally forms part of the “My Independent Study”/Personal Development Programme
(PDP), which it is in your best interests to keep up-to-date (see Section 8).
You should speak to your Personal Advisor about any problems that you are having that
are affecting your work (see also Section 14 on Work and Attendance Regulations and
Section 15 Guidelines on Ill Health).
There is also a Senior Advisor for the Faculty who is available (via the Student Support
Office) to discuss any particularly serious problems, or anything you would rather not
discuss with your Personal Advisor (including the situation where you may feel it
necessary to request a change in Personal Advisor).

6. Academic Advisors

You will have regular small-group tuition in groups of about eight students with an
Academic Advisor. You will see several Academic Advisors with different areas of
expertise during your undergraduate career. Normally your Personal Advisor will also be
your Academic Advisor for the first year, which gives you a chance to get to know each
other. Attendance at ALL of the academic tutorials and the production of satisfactory work
are requirements of all Degree Programmes (see Section 52).

7. Programme Directors and where to find them

The Programme Director oversees the content of your degree programme, agrees your
choice of course units during Welcome Week and assists your Personal Advisor in giving
you advice on academic matters.
Email:
Degree Programme Programme Director Room @manchester.ac.uk
Anatomical Sciences Dr Niggy Gouldsborough S.3.333 niggy.gouldsborough@
Biochemistry Dr Clair Baldock B.3019 Clair.baldock@
Biology Dr Caroline Bowsher D.4514 Caroline.bowsher@
Biology with Science & Society Dr Vladimir Jankovic Simon 2.22 Vladimir.jankovic@
Biomedical Sciences Dr Tracey Speake S.1.104 Tracey.speake@
Dr Donald Ward A.1025 Donald.t.ward@
Biotechnology Professor Dean Jackson MIB 1.017 Dean.jackson@
Cell Biology Professor Phil Woodman B.4012 Philip.woodman@
Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology Dr Ingo Schiessl S.3.806 i.schiessl@
Developmental Biology Dr Keith Brennan A.3035 Keith.brennan@
Genetics Dr Ray O’Keefe A.2035 rokeefe@
Life Sciences Dr Sam Griffiths-Jones B.1085 Sam.griffiths-Jones@
Medical Biochemistry Dr Andrew Gilmore A.3034 Andrew.gilmore@
Microbiology Dr Nicola High C.1249B Nicky.high@
Molecular Biology Dr David Boam S.2.535 David.boam@
Neuroscience (BSc) Dr Ingo Schiessl S.3.806 i.schiessl@
Neuroscience (MNeuroSci) Dr Ken Grieve S.3.801 Ken.grieve@
Pharmacology Dr Richard Prince S.1.100 Richard.prince@
Pharmacology & Physiology Dr Richard Prince S.1.100 Richard.prince@
Physiology Dr Peter Brown A.1019 Peter.d.brown@
Plant Science Dr Caroline Bowsher D.4514 Caroline.bowsher@
Zoology Dr Bill Sellers D.1239 William.sellers@

Rooms starting 'A', 'B', 'C', ‘D’ - Smith Building

Rooms starting 'S' - Stopford Building
Rooms starting ‘MIB’ - Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre
Rooms starting ‘CTF’ - Core Technology Facility
Rooms starting ‘AV’ - AV Hill Building

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8. Your Independent Study and Personal Development Portfolio (PDP)

You are strongly encouraged to take part in the Faculty’s online Independent Study
Programme which is available via Blackboard. The aims of the programme are to help you
to become a more effective student and to assist you in creating a personal record of your
activities and achievements. In Year 1 the focus is on developing the study skills and
transferable skills that will be important throughout your course and in your future career.

In Year 1 you will have many opportunities to practice key skills, especially in academic
tutorials and in practical classes, and the Independent Study Programme is linked closely
with these learning activities. Through the use of advice, support and self-evaluation, you
will be guided to reflect on your personal methods of learning, increasing your awareness
of the skills you are developing, helping to plan your future direction and recording
achievement for future use in CVs and by academic referees.

The Independent Study Programme is also integrated closely with your personal tutorial
programme. You will have opportunities to discuss your skills development with your
Personal Advisor, who will help you to plan how you can improve skills that need more
practice. You may also opt to share certain parts of your Independent Study with your
Personal Advisor electronically, helping inform your interaction with your Advisor.

You will be invited to complete the first part of your Independent Study Programme before
Welcome Week. Once you have completed IT signup a link to the programme will appear
within your Blackboard ‘eLearning Homepage’.

Once you get started using Blackboard, you will find a link to your “My Independent Study”
area in the “Learning Resources” menu item, located in all of your Blackboard courses,
enabling you to reflect upon your learning from any and every course.

9. Safeguarding your work

You should ensure that you back up your work on a regular basis to safeguard
against loss, machine failure or theft. In addition to saving your work to your ‘my
documents/P: drive’ (for further information on P:drives please see
www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/pdrives/), you should back up your work on an external
hard drive, USB memory stick, disk, etc. (which you are advised to keep secure and
separate from your computer). Do not save your work on the hard disc of Stopford PC
cluster or other networked computers. Loss of data (i.e. your work) will not be accepted
as a valid reason for extension requests or for late submission of work as this is deemed to
be a preventable occurrence.

10. Where to find people and places

There are maps showing room numbers posted in various corridors around the buildings
you are likely to use.

Finding rooms may be difficult at first and if time is short, it is usually quicker to ask the
staff at the reception desks found at the front and rear of most buildings. However, here
are some guidelines:

In the Stopford Building

• The first number or letter (G., 1., 2., 3.) indicates the floor. G = ground level.
• The second shows how far back in the Stopford building you need to go.
• The final two figures indicate approximately the position across the Stopford building.

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• Lecture theatres are listed as T or LT, followed by a number e.g., LT1 stands for
Lecture Theatre 1.
• Practical labs in Stopford are “multi user labs” – MUL 1 is on the first floor, MUL 2 is
on the second.
• There are 4 computer clusters for student use on the ground floor: Stopford PC
Clusters 1-3 and the Student Project Room.

Maps of the Stopford building can be obtained from the PASS helpdesk in Stopford
reception during Welcome Week or from the Student Support Office.

Staff may have offices in the Michael Smith Building, the Core Technology Facility, the
Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre, the Stopford Building or AV Hill Building.

To gain access to these buildings, you must first report to the Reception desk in that
building.

Sometimes you will find the room you want inside another one. You will discover which
ones by experience! During the free time in Welcome Week it would be wise to visit all of
the locations for lectures, tutorials and practicals you are expecting to attend for the rest of
the semester so that you feel confident about locating them in the short time between
timetabled periods (sometimes less than 10 minutes!).

11. Communication - email/noticeboards/mail

The Student Support Office is open 09.00 -16.00 Monday to Friday and should be your
first stop for queries relating to teaching and general student support. Occasionally the
opening times may vary, but we will inform you of this via the email announcement service
(see below).

Effective communication between you, the staff of the Faculty and the central
administration of the University is vital. There will be many important official notices
(including those on timetables, examinations and course assessment marks) for you to
read and act upon during the year. There are three important channels of communication:
electronic (email, announcements, the intranet and Blackboard); paper (e.g. notices on
boards, letters in mailboxes in Stopford or to your postal address); verbal (e.g.
announcements in lectures and practicals).

Electronic communication: as part of registration you will be provided with a University

email address and will be given a username and password. You must not pass on your
username or password to anyone else and must not divulge email addresses of fellow
students or staff to anyone else without their permission.

Verbal communication: staff may occasionally make verbal announcements in lectures

and practicals that do not appear in any other fashion, so if you are late, or unable to
attend something, be sure to check with a fellow student or the staff member concerned
that you did not miss an important announcement. This is especially important for
practical work, so please be on time!

Email and the Faculty Intranet Announcement Service are the standard methods used to
communicate with students so you must ensure that you check your University email
messages and the "Announcements" on a regular and frequent basis - at least once a
day. If you do not regularly check your email, your inbox may become full and important
messages will not then get through to you.

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Failure to respond to notices and mail means that you may miss lectures, tutorials or
meetings, or it may even cost you money!

Email will be the main medium for communication with academic staff, including your
Advisor. You will find their addresses, and those of your fellow students, in the email
address books on the University network and on the Faculty of Life Sciences Intranet.

PLEASE NOTE: email communication will only occur via your University email address
and staff will not use or respond to any other email address except in very exceptional
circumstances. Furthermore, you should not autoforward University email to a personal
email address. Once personal email folders are full, new messages are deleted.

Paper communication: you MUST also check the notice boards (especially those specific
for your Degree Programme, the First Year notice board and the timetable and
examination boards) and the mailboxes located in the corridor leading to the Student
Support Office on a regular basis - at least once a week.

Notice boards: including those specific to each Degree Programme and one for each
year of the course, are to be found along the ground floor corridors that lead to the Student
Support Office and PC clusters in the Stopford Building. Find out where they are in
Welcome Week!

If your personal details change (term-time or home postal addresses, phone

numbers, etc.) you must update your student record promptly or notify the
Student Support Office if you are unable to make the changes on the Student
Record System. It is also your responsibility to ensure that your programme
and unit information are correct and to notify the Student Support Office if
changes are required. Any difficulties obtaining emails should be reported to
the Faculty’s computer helpdesk - telephone: 0161 275 1688 or go online at
https://www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/facilities/is/default.aspx.

As a rule, it is advisable to have mail sent to your local accommodation rather than to the
Faculty. However, if you need to quote a University address for mail, the correct form is:
Undergraduate Mail Box
Faculty of Life Sciences
G.683 Stopford Building
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PT
All mail will be delivered to the mailboxes on the corridor leading to the Student Support
Office (G.683) in the Stopford Building.

12. Guidelines on feedback to students

Feedback is a broad term, which can be interpreted in different ways. The purpose of this
section is to define the activities associated with feedback mechanisms, as they relate to
lecture-based BIOL or HSTM units so that you are aware of the feedback available for any
unit which you decide to take.

MANDATORY
On request, lecturers are expected to provide general guidance to students on appropriate
reading material and other learning resources for the unit. This can be through personal
contact (eg. in person or by email), or via the Bulletin Board/Blackboard.
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We encourage you to ask questions both during lectures or later during the year when,
for example, you are revising for exams. However, if the lecture course has finished, then
we ask that you seek confirmation of the answer to your own question. What do we mean
by this? Lecturers are busy throughout the year and do not always have time to answer
questions phrased along the lines of ‘Can you tell me the answer to this? Thus, if you
want to ask a question, particularly by email, please make sure you include your own
interpretation of the answer, including the literature sources that you used, and ask only for
confirmation that you are correct. For example:

Wrong format: Can you tell me the primary role of voltage-gated sodium channels?
Correct format: It is my understanding that voltage-gated sodium channels are primarily
responsible for the depolarising phase of the action potential. I used Kandel’s Principles of
Neuroscience to obtain this information. Is this correct?

NB: The Faculty does not publish marking schemes or answers to examination
questions - you are expected to deduce these yourself using text books, peers, and
PASS sessions.

DISCRETIONARY
In addition to providing the mandatory level of feedback, unit co-ordinators may provide
more detailed, feedback on your work. Students should consult the feedback entry within
the unit description in this handbook for further details on the additional feedback provided.

13. Student feedback

13.1 Representation on Committees

The structure of the Faculty of Life Sciences is intended to give you opportunities to
express your views and to influence Faculty and University policy. Specific problems
should be dealt with by the unit coordinator or your Personal Advisor, but from time to time
matters of a general nature may arise which need to be discussed in a wider, more formal
setting. In addition, the Faculty values your views on academic and organisational matters
and welcomes the contributions you can make to the work of its committees. You also
have established rights to participate in the work of certain Faculty and University
committees. So if you feel you could serve as a student representative for your degree
programme please discuss this important and rewarding role with your Programme
Director as early as possible. Training is provided by the Students’ Union for Student
Representatives.

The Student/Staff Liaison Committee (SSLC) is the main student-focused forum for
discussion of matters related to teaching. The committee consists of the Programme
Director and one student representative from each year of every Degree Programme. This
committee usually meets three times during each academic year and considers questions
and concerns of a general nature (rather than those specific to a particular Degree
Programme). The name of the SSLC representative for your programme can be found
through Blackboard. You can access the list of representatives, dates of meetings and
minutes of previous meetings in your programme space within Blackboard: Blackboard >
(Your programme space e.g. Biology).

The Education Boards in the Faculty meet about five times a year and are open to all
members of the academic staff in the Faculty (about 250 people). The Education Boards
are the highest authority on teaching and related matters within the Faculty and report
directly to the Education Management Team, chaired by the Associate Dean for Teaching
and Learning, who reports to the Dean of the Faculty. There is an Education Board for

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each group of Degree Programmes (see Section 4), consisting of academic teaching staff
and a final year student representative from each Degree Programme.

In the University more widely, your representation is co-ordinated by the Students’ Union.
This is run by students who are elected annually, and guided by policy that is passed at
referendums twice a year. The structure of the Students’ Union provides a number of
different forums, groups and assemblies for students to raise any type of issue, whether
specific or general. These can then be acted upon by an elected officer, taken to a
referendum or you could be supported in taking an issue forward yourself, for instance with
the backing of an action group on a specific issue

The Executive runs the Union on a day-to-day basis. Executive members sit on various
committees within the University, from University wide committees such as Senate (the
highest academic body in the University), through to committees specific to Life Sciences.

If you wish to be a representative in the union at any level (i.e. Volunteer or paid) you can
stand in the elections which usually take place in the second semester. Please visit
www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk for more information in these areas.

There is provision, therefore, for you to be represented from your specific degree
programme all the way through to the university wide level. Students are elected to the
Faculty committees at the beginning of each academic year (September) and your
Programme Director should provide full details of the procedures for this.

13.2 Unit evaluation

Students on each unit run by the Faculty will be asked to complete an online questionnaire
about the content and delivery of the unit. These questionnaires are analysed and a brief
report prepared for consideration by the Education Boards and for display on the intranet
and in the file in the Student Support Office. Action taken as a result of the issues raised
in the questionnaires will be reported back to the students via the responses given by staff
in the aforementioned file, and via any other appropriate route (e.g. Student/Staff Liaison
Committee).

13.3 Programme evaluation

During the year your Programme Director will seek your views on the year as a whole.
You will have the opportunity to comment on all aspects of your year of study.

13.4 Day-to-day problem solving and other ways of making your views known

You are welcome to make comments about any aspect of your degree programme at any
time. If you have difficulties or suggestions please be aware that they should be raised
promptly, and that the resolution of problems is likely to be most effective via face-to-face
interaction. You should feel free to comment on unit content, delivery or assessment direct
to the lecturer or practical coordinator in the first instance. If you feel this is not appropriate,
you are encouraged to discuss matters with the unit-coordinator. If you are still not satisfied,
you should seek advice from your Personal Advisor or contact the Senior Advisor.

13.5 Complaints procedure

If you have a complaint against the Faculty or any of its staff which you do not want to air
via any of the above mechanisms, or if you have brought up an issue but are not
satisfied with the outcome, the University has a procedure which can be viewed at
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/formal-procedures/complaints/.
Copies of this procedure and the Complaints Form are available from the Student Support Office.
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B. REGULATIONS OF THE FACULTY AND THE UNIVERSITY

Important information including University Regulations, Appeals and Complaints

Procedures, Finance, Health and Welfare, and learning resources can be found via the
Crucial Guide Live at www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/. Other information
specific to the Faculty of Life Sciences can be found at www.ls.manchester.ac.uk.

14. Work and attendance regulations

Your Personal Advisor, on behalf of the appropriate Education Board, monitors your work
and attendance throughout the course. This monitoring is for your own benefit (to make
sure that you are coping with your programme and keeping up with any continuous
assessment elements) as well as to confirm that you are actually attending the University.
In practice, only a small number of students contravene these regulations and are called to
account for their actions.

You are expected to attend all the lectures for the units for which you are registered, and
to be familiar with their content. Attendance at all practical classes and tutorials is
compulsory and is always monitored.

You must submit all associated work (e.g. essays, practical reports) by the dates
stipulated. You will also be required to fulfil any special requirements set by your
Education Board, e.g. attendance at Field Courses and submission of appropriate reports.
Attendance at all appropriate examinations is compulsory.

If your work or attendance gives cause for concern you will, in the first instance, be asked
to explain your position to your Personal Advisor. If you continue failing to meet the work
and attendance requirements, you will be issued with a written warning from the Education
Board informing you that should your work and attendance not come up to the required
standard, you will not be allowed to sit University examinations.

On receipt of a warning letter you will be given the opportunity of meeting with the Senior
Advisor or appearing before the Education Board to explain your position. Additionally, the
receipt of this warning letter may impact on your ability to undertake a final year laboratory-
based project. The issuance of an Education Board warning letter may exclude you from
taking such a project, whilst the issuance of two such letters during your University
undergraduate career will automatically preclude you from a project of this type. You will,
instead, be required to undertake a non-laboratory-based project.

If you are refused permission to sit an examination or undertake a final year laboratory-
based project, you have the right to appeal. Information on Academic Appeals can be found
in the Crucial Guide Live at www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-
life/formal-procedures/academic-appeals.

14.1 Permitted Absences

If you need to be absent from a practical class or tutorial, for reasons other than ill health
you must supply documentary evidence to your unit co-ordinator strongly supporting your
reasons for absence. If you are granted leave of absence your attendance will be
recorded as a permitted absence. For practicals, the unit co-ordinator MAY be able to
make arrangements for you to attend a replacement session. DO NOT JUST TURN UP
AT A SESSION FOR WHICH YOU ARE NOT TIMETABLED.

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14.2 Religious Observance

If religious observance affects your attendance at normal teaching and learning activities in
ways that will cause problems, you should discuss the issue with the Senior Advisor. The
Faculty will give sympathetic consideration to your problems and will try to make reasonable
adjustments. However, adjustments can only be made provided they maintain the standard
of your degree (e.g. you will not simply be excused from parts of the programme affected by
your religious observance or from satisfying overall attendance requirements). If religious
observance means that you miss a lecture or other class, supporting material may be
provided via Blackboard. However, if you want further notes from the lecture you must
make your own arrangements to copy them from another student. Similar principles apply if
religious observance affects your attendance at assessments (e.g. presentations or practical
tests). You should discuss the issue with the Unit Co-ordinator well before the assessment
date, and the Faculty will use its best efforts to reschedule the assessment to accommodate
your needs (e.g. by changing your scheduled slot in a programme of assessed
presentations). Because lectures, practicals and assessments for the semester are
scheduled in advance, you must notify the Senior Advisor of your requests for
allowances for religious observance by the Thursday before the start of teaching
each semester.

Deadlines for handing in assessed work will not normally be extended to allow for religious
observance, and you must therefore schedule your work accordingly.

For guidance on the University’s examinations and religious observance policy please see
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/exams/timetable/religious-
observance where you can also download an Examinations & Religious Observance form.

15. Guidelines on ill health

It is a requirement of your registration with the University of Manchester that you

register with a local General Practitioner who is willing to provide evidence in the
form of letters, or comments and a signature on a self-certification document. A list
of GP practices can be obtained from the Student Health Centre, any University Hall of
Residence and some pharmacies. According to guidance issued by the General Medical
Council it would not be regarded as good practice for a family member to be the registered
GP or to offer treatment, except in the case of an emergency.

You should always consult your GP (or for emergencies the Accident and Emergency
Department of a hospital) if your illness is severe, if it persists, or if you have any concerns
about your health.

15.1 Absence due to illness affecting attendance at compulsory classes/tutorials

If you are unwell and feel unable to attend the University to take a compulsory class
or attend a tutorial then you must inform the Student Support Office immediately and
they will complete a Notification of Absence form for you. You can inform the office in
person, through a friend or family member*, by telephone (0161 275 1487) or by email
([email protected]). If you send an email you must ensure that
you keep a copy of both the email itself and the confirmation of reading the email, as there
may be serious implications of being absent and consequences for your academic
progress. You must do this as soon as possible, so that all options can be considered, and
certainly no later than the day and start time of your compulsory class.

If you do not do this then you will normally be considered to have been absent from
the class without good reason in which case you will be recorded as having an
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unauthorised absence. Until your return to University you must also inform us of any
further missed compulsory classes.

On your return you must report to the Student Support Office to complete a Self
Certification Form. This needs to be completed within 7 days of your initial absence.

If illness keeps you away from the University for more than 7 days including weekends,
you must consult your GP. If you do consult a GP and he/she considers that you are not
fit for attendance at the University, then you should obtain a note from the doctor to that
effect or ask him/her to complete Part III of the University form ‘Certification of Student Ill
health’ copies of which are available at local GP surgeries. You should hand this
certificate to the Student Support Office as soon as you return to University and no
later than 7 days after your return. The use of the “Certification of Student Ill Health”
form by GPs, as described above, has been agreed by the Manchester Local Medical
Committee. A GP may make a charge for completing the form.

* If you are so unwell that a friend or family member has to contact the Student Support
Office on your behalf it will only normally be possible for them to provide information for
you – they will not be able to learn of the implications of your absence on your academic
progress, which you must discover for yourself on your return to health. The Faculty staff
will not engage in any dialogue with third parties regarding your studies without your
explicit, written consent.

15.2 Absence affecting submission of assessed work

If, as a consequence of illness or other mitigating factor, you wish to seek an extension to
a deadline for submitting assessed coursework or a tutorial assignment, you must submit
an Extension request form with appropriate supporting evidence to the relevant member of
staff. The application for extension must be made BEFORE the deadline and not
retrospectively. See Section 21 Extensions for Coursework for further information.

15.3 Absence affecting eLearning assessments

Note that eLearning assessments are open for at least one week and close at 4.00pm on
the published end date. Students should anticipate a possible period of illness during this
time and complete the assessments as soon as they open. Students failing to submit by
the deadline will receive a mark of zero for that assignment. Only in exceptional
circumstances, such as prolonged illness, will a request for an extension to the deadline
be considered. Students must inform the Student Support Office of their illness as per the
instructions in paragraph 15.1. They should then contact the eLearning team via the
‘eLearning Enquiries’ form in Blackboard to request an extension to the submission date.
The eLearning team will check with the Student Support Office that the correct reporting
procedures have been followed before granting an extension. The decision of the Senior
Advisor will be final.

15.4 Absence from examinations due to illness

You should make every effort to attend all examinations; it is often surprising how well
candidates who are ill can perform in written examinations, and a mark of just 40% will
avoid the automatic resit in August/September. If necessary (e.g. contagious diseases),
special arrangements can be made to take the exam in isolation from other candidates; if
you cannot write (e.g. due to a broken arm), it may be possible for someone to write for
you. If you feel you might experience any examination difficulties, you must inform the
staff in the Student Support Office at the earliest opportunity.

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If you are so ill you are unable to take an exam you must contact the Student Support
Office as soon as possible, and certainly no later than the day and start time of your
examination. You should complete a Mitigating Circumstances Form which must be
accompanied by appropriate independent third-party supporting or collaborative
documentation such as a Doctor’s note or letter signed by your GP or a letter from your
health care professional. If the information is of a highly confidential nature, you may
submit your evidence in a sealed envelope, marked for the attention of the Senior Advisor.
Students who attend a hospital Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department must obtain
written confirmation of attendance either from the hospital or subsequently from their GP
confirming their attendance and stating the nature of the emergency. A hospital
attendance card alone will not be accepted as appropriate evidence of illness.
Submission must be made to the Student Support Office before the end of the
relevant examination period. Requests for mitigation submitted after the published date
for the end of an examination period cannot be considered without a credible and
compelling explanation as to why the circumstances were not known or could not have
been shown beforehand.

If you miss a unit examination through illness, you will be required to take the examination
again in the resit examination period. Provided that you have followed the procedures
described above, this re-examination will normally be counted as your first attempt and the
resit fee will be waived.

Mitigating Circumstances Forms are available to download from the Faculty intranet at
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/studentsupport/downloads.aspx.

15.5 Illness not resulting in absence from examinations

You may be unwell but able to proceed with an examination, but feel that your
performance will have been impaired. If you wish this to be taken into account you must
follow procedures outlined in paragraph 15.4 above.

You may be receiving occasional medical attention that affects your studies. If so, you
should obtain a letter from your doctor that should be given to the Student Support Office
marked “Potential Mitigating Circumstances” You should then complete a copy of the
Mitigating Circumstances form before the end of the relevant examination period, as
appropriate, if you wish your condition to be taken into account as an extenuating
circumstance. Note that long-term chronic conditions or suffering from stress, anxiety or
feelings of panic would not normally be considered a mitigating circumstance. If you
anticipate or experience any of the latter problems you are strongly encouraged to contact
the counselling service (see Section 41 and www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/counselling).

15.6 Mitigating Circumstances Committee

In reaching their decision on academic results, Examination Boards may take account of
certain circumstances brought to their attention. For the University’s Mitigating
Circumstances Policy please see the Faculty intranet:
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/studentsupport/downloads.aspx.

There is a small Faculty Mitigating Circumstances Committee, chaired by the Senior

Advisor, which considers all such mitigating circumstances. The Committee meets before
the Board of Examiners and will make recommendations on appropriate compensation.

All cases are presented anonymously by the Senior Advisor for consideration by the
committee. It is in your best interests to make the Mitigating Circumstances Committee
aware of any circumstances beyond your control that have interfered with your ability to
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perform at your usual level. The Mitigating Circumstances Committee members endeavour
to ensure that no student should be disadvantaged by circumstances that prevent them
from fulfilling their potential. Please read carefully the rules and guidelines for submission
of mitigating circumstances cases which are available on the examination noticeboard
outside the Student Support Office and on the Student Support pages of the Faculty
intranet. Three key points to bear in mind are:

• Submission of mitigating circumstances must be made before the end of the

relevant examination period (January, June and resit examination periods).

• the mitigating circumstances committee will not consider anything which is already
being dealt with by the disability support office

• submission of a mitigating circumstances claim in respect of one or more units will

normally result in the resitting of those units regardless of the mark obtained
in January/May-June. Only if the claim is accepted by the Mitigating Circumstances
Committee will the resit be counted as a first attempt, otherwise it will constitute a
second attempt, for which a resit fee will be payable, so it is very much in your best
interests to read the guidance on what constitutes mitigating circumstances
carefully!

Your Personal Advisor will give you guidance on the effect of any absence from your
studies and your options if you consider your illness has affected your studies. If you have
repeated episodes of ill health that are affecting your attendance and/or studies, the
Faculty may refer you to the Student Health Centre.

If you are found to have been deceitful or dishonest in completing the Faculty Self-Certification
form or the Mitigating Circumstances form you could be liable to disciplinary action under the
University’s General Regulation XVII: Conduct and Discipline of Students - see
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/formal-procedures/conduct-and-
discipline.

16. Assessments and examinations

A number of different types of assessment of performance are used in the first year. These
are described below and in the unit descriptions.

17. Deadlines and document limits

Items of coursework, such as essays and write-ups, will normally have strict deadlines. It is
YOUR responsibility to ensure that you know both when the deadline for each submission
is, and how the work has to be submitted (e.g. on paper to a particular office; electronically
to a particular person or site). As your programme is preparing you for the world of
graduate employment, where deadlines are often very strict indeed, you should treat
Faculty deadlines like train departure times (just a few seconds after the time has passed,
it is very likely you will have missed the train!). Unless specifically exempted or mitigated,
late submission of any piece of assessed coursework will result in a deduction of 10 marks
per day or part thereof beyond the deadline. Exceeding the specified page limit will result
in a deduction of 20 marks per page or part thereof.

Coursework will normally have a specified content limit. This will normally be a number of
pages, but in some cases may be a number of words - it is YOUR responsibility to ensure
that you understand exactly what the limits are and how they are to be achieved. Again, in
post-graduate work you will usually find that documents, such as applications for grants,
reports etc, have stringent word or page limit requirements - with line spacing, font,
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margins etc. specified. The standard Faculty of Life Sciences instructions for coursework
including essays, reports and write-ups follow, but it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that
you are aware of any alternative requirements for a particular piece of work:

The [submission] must not exceed [x] pages of text excluding the list of
references. Text must be in Arial, 10 point, one and a half line spacing, with
margins of at least 2.5 cm all around the text. ALL supporting material, such as
figures, tables, text boxes etc. must be included in the page limit, and you are
advised to ensure that any such items are sufficiently large enough to be read and
understood with ease.

If you prefer to prepare your work in a different font, font size or format you are advised to
check frequently that the material will convert to the above for submission, as penalties will
normally be imposed for exceeding the limits (e.g. a percentage of marks lost for each
page over the limit or part thereof).

18. Practical assessments

Practical work in the first year is assessed either as written work that you hand in during or
at the end of a unit, and/or as a practical examination at the end of the unit. Details of
assessment will be given to you at the start of each unit. If you fail to attend a practical
class you may not submit a report for that practical without the prior written agreement of
the Unit Coordinator (which should be recorded in the report). Absence due to ill health is
covered in Section 15. Most of the practicals will require you to do some background
reading before the session, so come prepared!

NB: In many practical classes you will work as one of a pair or larger group of students.
Obviously, therefore, the results you obtain will be shared in common. It is essential,
however, that any practical work that you submit for assessment is written in your own
words, unless you have been specifically instructed to submit a group report (see Section
30 on Plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic malpractice).

Deadlines are non-negotiable. If you fail to submit an assessment by the due date and time,
it will not normally be possible for it to be marked (see Section 21 concerning extensions).

19. Tutorial assessments

Most of the work submitted in tutorials in the first year is assessed. You must obtain a pass
mark on this work to be able to pass the First Year Examination. If you obtain a mean
mark of <40% for your tutorial work, OR if your attendance is unsatisfactory, you will fail
the tutorial assessment and will be required to write an extended essay during the summer
vacation. The compensation rules for examinations (see Section 25) will only be
applied if you pass the tutorial assessments AND fulfil the attendance requirement
for tutorials and practical units.

Assessments associated with data-handling skills units (BIOL10701, BIOL10722) are also
part of the tutorial assessment. Failure to complete these assessments satisfactorily will
result in failure of the tutorial, and you will be required to complete a data handling
exercise during the summer vacation.

The marks for tutorial assessments and the data-handling units are not included in the
calculation of your mean mark for the year.

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20. eLearning (Blackboard)

As a student at the University of Manchester, you will find that many of your units contain
sections of work that you have to complete online (known as electronic (e)Learning). The
University uses a website-like environment for this called Blackboard.

Online eLearning support for your course means that it is easy to fit your learning into your
everyday life, as you can complete the work from almost any computer in the world with an
internet connection.

Your eLearning work will usually have strict deadlines and marks will be awarded for
successful completion of assessments. Every Blackboard course is different, so read the
rules regarding the course before you start, to ensure that you don’t miss any work.

Technical support from the eLearning team is available between 9am and 5pm on all
working days. This is accessible by selecting ‘eLearning Support’ and then ‘eLearning
enquiries’ from the menu bar on the left of your online courses; the eLearning team will reply
to your University email address.

More information on eLearning in the Faculty of Life Sciences will be available in Welcome
Week and on the Blackboard area of individual courses.

21. Extensions for coursework

If you will be unable to complete a piece of coursework by the stipulated deadline due
to mitigating circumstances (see Section 15.6) you must seek an extension ON OR
BEFORE THE DAY of the deadline by filling in an extension request form and sending
it to the Unit Coordinator (or your Academic Advisor in the case of tutorial work). Forms
are available from the Student Support Office or can be downloaded from the intranet
at www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/ugteaching/exams/guidelines.aspx. The
academic staff member concerned may require supporting information (e.g. medical
certificate) and you should not assume that an extension has been approved until you
receive written (e.g. email) confirmation from the member of staff.

22. Mid-semester one examination

You are required to take a computer-based mid-semester one examination during November.
The examination will consist of questions for EACH of the BIOL lecture units you have
attended during the semester. It has been set so that both you and we can assess your
progress. It is important, therefore, that you prepare yourself as for any other examination.

You will not be monitored (invigilated) when you complete the questions. Nevertheless, it
is important that you take this examination seriously, as it will give important indications of
your progress and will be valuable practice for ‘the real thing’. These examinations are
formative - they provide feedback on your work and are designed to inform you of your
progress.

You will receive further details of this examination approximately two weeks before you are
due to take it.

23. University examinations

The First Year Examination consists of written papers, normally of one-hour duration, in
each of the first-level units (with the exception of field courses and practical units). These
will be sat during the examination period at the end of the semester in which the unit is
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taught (i.e. January or May/June). Units that run across both semesters will normally be
examined in the May/June exam period.

You will normally be expected to pass all the units you have taken before you can proceed
to the second year. However, compensation may be possible if you fail a unit by a small
amount, when the examiners may allow you an overall "compensated pass" (see Section
25). Otherwise, all units failed must be re-taken during the August/September resit period
(see Section 26) at which time a re-examination fee is payable.

You may not normally start the second-year programme until you have passed the First
Year Examination, so failure again in August/September may lead to you being excluded
from further courses and examinations in the Faculty of Life Sciences.

To prepare for examinations, you are encouraged to use any quizzes and practice
exercises posted on Blackboard and to look at copies of past examination papers. These
can be obtained from the Crucial Guide Live website at
http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/pastpapers.aspx, where you can search for papers by
Faculty, School, exam name or code, year or semester.

Additionally, there are many other important documents to read on the Faculty intranet at
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/ugteaching/exams/default.aspx - it is in
your interests to make yourself familiar with those which are relevant to you. You
must read those indicated to you by staff via email and/or intranet announcements.
Failure to do this when given adequate notice may result in considerable inconvenience
to you.

24. Multiple choice examinations

All units in the First Year Examinations will normally be examined wholly or partly by
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). You are advised:

• that you must take your Student Card to all examinations and write your
Registration ID number and name on the answer sheet.
• to follow carefully all written instructions for filling out the answer sheet.
• to make yourself familiar with the various rubrics that we use by looking at past
examination papers.
• to read the rubric to questions carefully. For example, one rubric may ask you to
choose the one MOST SUITABLE option and another may ask you to identify the
one INCORRECT option.
• to read the questions carefully. A good MCQ is intended to make you think.
• that answers must be indicated legibly on the answer sheet provided. If an answer
is illegible, you will be given a score of zero for that question - the examiner will not
try to decipher hieroglyphs! If you decide to change an answer, you must erase the
original answer completely and write your new answer in its place. A pencil,
preferably B or softer, should be used - make sure you take an eraser and pencil
sharpener to the examination.
• that all MCQs in the Faculty are marked by a technique that includes a negative
correction for wrong answers. The correction that is subtracted for each wrong
answer is 1/(n-1), where n is the number of options. This is intended to ensure that
you will gain no benefit from guessing at random. Questions that are not answered
will score zero. Despite this negative marking, unless the number of options is few
(three or fewer), it is to your advantage to make informed guesses, i.e. if you know
some of the options can be excluded, you should make a guess at the other

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options. On average you will gain more marks when you get these informed
guesses right than you will lose when you get them wrong.
• Examples of the computer-readable MCQ answer sheet and full instructions on how
to use them are available on the Faculty intranet at the following address:
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/ugteaching/exams/guidelines.aspx.

Short answer questions and essay-type questions are NOT negatively marked. You will
not lose marks for incorrect material (but will not gain any either) so it is worth writing
something, even if you are not sure it is correct.

25. Pass marks and compensation rules

The pass mark for each unit examination is 40%, and ideally you should pass all the units
for which you are registered. However, the examiners realise that not all students will
achieve this ideal, and some students may pass most of their units, getting good marks in
some but just failing others. The following compensation rules have therefore been devised,
whereby good marks can compensate for some fail marks; the degree of compensation
permitted will depend on the marks of all your units (excluding the tutorials).

To obtain a pass in the First Year Examination as a whole you must:

• pass all elements of the tutorial assessment (see Section 19) and have satisfactory
attendance at tutorials and practical classes (see Section 18)
• gain a mark of at least 40% in the practical units BIOL10401 and BIOL10402 and
gain a mark of at least 40% in all designated non-compensatable units for your
degree programme (see b below)
• achieve an overall mean mark of at least 40% and marks of at least 40% in 2/3 of
total credits and at least 30% in the remaining 1/3 of credits. For a single subject
programme this means you will have to achieve a mark of 40% or greater in 7 units
(plus the tutorial) and a mark of at least 30% in all of the remaining 4 units.

a) There is no partial compensation. As soon as any mark falls outside the compensation
rules, you fail overall and are required to take the August/September resit examination in
ALL those units where the mark is <40%. For example, even your overall mean mark is
40% or greater, if any unit mark is <30% or you fail more than 1/3 of credits to 30% or less,
you will be required to resit ALL units with marks <40%. Similarly, if your mean mark is
<40% you will have to resit ALL units with marks <40%.

b) For most degree programmes, at least one core non-compensatable unit has been
designated in which you must attain a mark of at least 40%. If a mark of less than 40%
is obtained, the unit examination must be resat even if it would otherwise be
compensated. However, failure of these units may not necessarily result in overall loss
of compensation. Please also note that resits of these units cannot be avoided by
changing to a programme where they are compensatable, unless the change is
authorised before the release of exam results. A list of these units follows:

Level 1 Non-compensatable units

BSc Anatomical Sciences

Level 1: BIOL10811 Body Systems
BSc Biochemistry
Level 1: BIOL10212 Biochemistry
Level 1: BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics

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BSc Biotechnology
Level 1: BIOL10212 Biochemistry
Level 1: BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
Level 1: MSEC10010 Entrepreneurial Skills (A)
Level 1: MSEC10012 Entrepreneurial Skills (B)
BSc Cell Biology
Level 1: BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BSc Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology
Level 1: BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BSc Developmental Biology
Level 1: BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution & Development
BSc Genetics
Level 1: BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution & Development
BSc Medical Biochemistry
Level 1: BIOL10212 Biochemistry
BSc Microbiology
Level 1: BIOL10532 Microbes, Man & the Environment
MNeuroscience
Level 1: BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BSc Molecular Biology
Level 1: BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BSc Neuroscience
Level 1: BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BSc Pharmacology
Level 1: BIOL10822 Drugs from Molecules to Man
BSc Pharmacology / Physiology
Students must pass both units at Level 1
Level 1: BIOL10822 Drugs from Molecules to Man
Level 1: BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BSc Physiology
Level 1: BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BSc Plant Sciences
Level 1: BIOL10511 Biodiversity
BSc Zoology
Level 1: BIOL10602 Field Course in Marine Biology

c) Tutorials are an important part of the compensation arrangements. Failure, either by

poor attendance or unsatisfactory work, will automatically lead to the need to complete an
assignment during the summer vacation and to re-take ALL other failed units (i.e. those
with marks <40%) in August/September.

d) For those students registered for the degrees with a language and Cognitive
Neuroscience & Psychology there is no compensation between the biological sciences
and non-biological components - both must be passed independently.

e) The University gives the Education Boards the right to refuse a resit to a student whose
Work and Attendance has been unsatisfactory and has received an official warning letter.

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ABSENCE FROM EXAMINATIONS/ASSESSMENTS: you must inform the Student
Support Office if you are absent for any examinations or assessments BEFORE THE
START OF THE EXAM (see Section 15.4). If you are absent for all exams within a
given examination period, without prior notice and documentation to mitigate this
absence, the Faculty will assume that you have withdrawn from your programme of
study and will not permit you to progress to the subsequent year.

If you are absent from any written examination, practical assessment or tutorial in your first
year, that fact will be recorded on the mark sheet as 'A' (=0%). If the absence is due to
illness that is supported by certification, that fact will be taken into account by the Board of
Examiners in the ways set out below. This will also be indicated on electronic and paper
transcripts as an ‘X’ in place of the mark for the affected unit.

Progression to year 2: the examination board will normally permit you to resit all failed
assessments and progression to year 2 of your studies will be dependent on passing these
assessments (see section 26 below). However, the board reserves the right to exclude you
from further study in the Faculty for a number of reasons. These may include those
outlined above (absence from all exams in a given examination period; poor work and
attendance (see section 25e)) but may also include generally poor academic performance
over the year resulting in failure of more than 60 credits worth of assessments.

Practical Assessments: Marks are awarded for completing the practical units and for
completing written coursework. For the Semester 1 practical unit (BIOL10401), marks for
attendance are also awarded. Satisfactory attendance is required for both practical units
(BIOL10401 and BIOL10402 (Semester 2)) and is defined as attending at least 80% of the
practical sessions. In the event of satisfactory attendance and completion of the practicals,
the full attendance mark will be added to the assessment marks awarded from the written
assignments. Penalties will be applied for unsatisfactory attendance and attendance of
less than 50%, for any reason, will result in automatic failure of these units, resulting in a
resit practical exam during the August resit period. Please also note that if your attendance
at practical classes is unsatisfactory, compensation rules will NOT be applied to your
examination results. If you miss part of this assessment through illness, the examiners
may base your overall mark for the unit on the marks for the remaining pieces of work that
you did complete.

Tutorial Assessments: your tutorial work is usually assessed by marking several pieces of
work that have to be handed in. If you miss part of this assessment through illness, the
examiners may base your overall mark for the unit on the marks for the remaining pieces of
work that you did complete. Unit Examinations: absence from any of your First Year
Examinations, for whatever reason, will score 0% for that examination, and you will
automatically be required to resit that examination in August/September. If, however, the
absence is mitigated (see section 15.6), your resit in August/September may be counted as
your first attempt at the examination (and the fee may be waived). See also Section 15.4.

26. August/September resits

If you do not achieve the minimum standards indicated in Section 25, you must pay a resit
fee and resit (in August/September) each individual unit examination that was not passed.
Please note that it will be the mark that you obtain in the resit examination that will
determine whether you obtain a pass in a unit (we do NOT take the better of marks
obtained on the first or second attempt). The mark will be derived solely from the resit
examination and will not include any coursework/eLearning component carried over from
the first sitting, unless the exam is being taken as a first attempt. Should you still not pass
the First Year Examination on this resit (when the compensation rules will again be
applied) you may be excluded from your Degree Programme. Any exams missed or failed
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to a level which is not compensatable due to mitigating circumstances will automatically
entail resitting of all other examinations with marks less than 40%.

Dates for the resit examination period are printed at the front of this handbook. Please
bear this in mind when making plans for the summer. Should you be ill and be unable
to take an examination in January or May/June you will need to be in Manchester for the
resit opportunity. It is NOT possible to take resit examinations at another location or to
reschedule them.

27. Disclosure of marks and record of academic performance

Marks for practical assessments and unit examinations will be made available to you via
the Faculty intranet. Examination results will be published near the end of February (for
semester 1 examinations) and beginning of July (for semester 2 examinations). Practical
assessment marks may be published on an ongoing basis. At the end of the academic
year, examination marks and decisions on progression to the next year will be
communicated to you via the intranet during the summer vacation - log in to the intranet at
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk then go to ‘My Intranet’ and then ‘My Messages’. In
some circumstances a letter will also be sent to you at your home address.

It is entirely your responsibility to ensure that you learn the contents of these
important messages in a timely manner.

Any queries about your marks should be made to your Personal Advisor or the Unit
Coordinator, NOT the Student Support Office.

28. Examination feedback

Students have a right to receive feedback on their examination performance from Unit
Coordinators. This may be done in a number of ways. A Unit Coordinator may publish a
general feedback document outlining how questions were answered, addressing general
strengths and weaknesses of students and giving a general indication of how well the
questions were answered. A Unit Coordinator may hold a feedback session, to which
students are invited. Additionally, a student may seek individual feedback, in which the
Unit Coordinator will obtain their exam scripts and report feedback on their answers
including, where appropriate, any written comments recorded on the manuscript. A student
does not, however, have the right to personally review their manuscript or challenge any
academic judgements on the quality of the answer. This means there is NO opportunity
for papers to be re-marked.

29. Examination timetables

It is essential that you inform the Student Support Office of any changes in optional units
(see Section 52) by completing a Course Unit Change form, so that your registration for
University examinations is kept up-to-date. If you do not do this there is a serious risk that
you will have a clash of examinations and therefore score zero on one.

A personalised copy of your examination timetable will be provided shortly before the
relevant examination period and you will receive a communication from the University in
December and April informing you of how to obtain your personalised exam timetable. It is
your responsibility to:
• check that there are no timetable clashes between any of your examinations (there
should not be any if you have kept your registration up-to-date).
• ensure that you know when and where a particular examination will take place.
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Misreading of the timetable or failure to locate an examination room is not a valid excuse
for absence from an examination. As examinations may be held in a huge variety of
locations, some of which are off campus, you are urged to check very carefully before the
day in question that you know exactly where and when each exam will be. Campus maps
and advice about locations can be sought from the Student Support Office.

Closely spaced examinations (e.g. 2 per day on consecutive days) may occur for many
students and are not a mitigating circumstance.

If you have any queries regarding your timetable, please seek advice from either the
Student Support Office, or the Student Services Centre.

If you are required to take August/September examinations, a personalised copy of your

examination timetable will be provided shortly before the examination period (see
provisional dates at front of handbook). It will not be possible to find out the exact date of
the exam before this and the Faculty does not control the scheduling of examinations.

30. Plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic malpractice

Plagiarism is a serious offence - it is treated as seriously as cheating in exams.

• As a student, you are expected to cooperate in the learning process throughout

your programme of study by completing assignments of various kinds that are the
product of your own study or research. Coursework, dissertations and essays
submitted for assessment must be your own work, unless in the case of group
projects a joint effort is expected and this has been indicated by the unit
coordinator. For most students this does not present a problem, but occasionally,
whether unwittingly or otherwise, a student may commit what is known as
plagiarism, or some other form of academic malpractice, when carrying out an
assignment. This may come about because students have been used to different
conventions in their prior educational experience or through general ignorance of
what is expected of them or of what constitutes plagiarism.

• This guidance is designed to help you understand what we regard as academic

malpractice and hence to help you to avoid committing it. You should read it
carefully, because academic malpractice is regarded as a serious offence and
students found to have committed it will be penalized. At the very least a mark of
only 30% would be awarded for the piece of work in question, but it could be worse;
you could be awarded zero (with or without loss of credits), fail the whole unit, be
demoted to a lower class of degree, or be excluded from the programme,
depending on the severity of the case.

Academic malpractice includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of

results and anything else intended by those committing it to achieve credit that they do
not properly deserve. You will be given exercises and guidance on
plagiarism/academic malpractice in tutorials and if you are unsure about any aspect of
this you should ask your Personal Advisor for advice. In addition, further guidance is
available on the intranet (see ‘Plagiarism - Resources for avoiding Plagiarism’ at
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/ugteaching/exams/plagiarism.aspx) which
includes helpful exercises and explanations relating to plagiarism and referencing on
the web. It is well worth visiting these sites in your spare time to ensure that you fully
understand.

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All students are required to confirm that they have read and agree to the
University’s declaration on Academic Malpractice as part of the online registration
process. In addition, all second and final year students are required to sign a written
declaration that they have read, understood and agree to abide by the University's
statement on plagiarism.

You should be aware that an electronic detection system is likely to be used to

screen any work you submit. This system checks students’ work for proper citation
or possible plagiarism by comparing it against web content, subscription-based
publications, and student papers previously submitted to the system.

You will be given an opportunity within the tutorials to submit a draft essay through
this system, and it is very much in your best interests to do this so that you
understand how it works.

Different types of academic malpractice are explained over the next few pages.

Plagiarism

• Plagiarism is presenting the ideas, work or words of other people without proper,
clear and unambiguous acknowledgement. The most obvious examples of
plagiarism would be to copy another student’s work, or to copy text from a book or
website without proper acknowledgement of the source, i.e. making it seem as
though you wrote that text yourself. It also includes ‘self-plagiarism’ (which occurs
where, for example, you submit work that you have presented for assessment on a
previous occasion), and the submission of material from ‘essay banks’ (even if the
authors of such material appear to be giving you permission to use it in this way). It
is as serious to use material from the internet or from a computer based
encyclopaedia or literature archive as it is to use material from a printed source, if it
is not properly acknowledged.

Paraphrasing, when the original statement is still identifiable and has no

acknowledgement, is plagiarism. Taking a piece of text, from whatever source, and
substituting words or phrases with other words or phrases is plagiarism. It is not
acceptable to put together unacknowledged passages from the same or from
different sources linking these together with a few words or sentences of your own
and changing a few words from the original text; this is regarded as over-
dependence on other sources, which is a form of plagiarism.

It is essential to make clear in your assignments the distinction between the ideas
and work of other people that you may have quite legitimately used and developed,
and the ideas or material that you have personally contributed.

• To assist you, here are a few important do’s and don’ts:

Do get lots of background information on subjects you are writing about to help you
form your own view of the subject. The information could be from electronic
journals, technical reports, unpublished dissertations, etc. Make a note of the
source of every piece of information at the time you record it, even if it is just one
sentence.

Don’t construct a piece of work by cutting and pasting or copying material written
by other people, or by you for any other purpose, into something you are submitting
as your own work. Sometimes you may need to quote someone else’s exact form of
words in order to analyse or criticize them, in which case the quotation must be
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enclosed in quotation marks to show that it is a direct quote, and it must have the
source properly acknowledged at that point. Any omissions from a quotation must
be indicated by an ellipsis (…) and any additions for clarity must be enclosed in
square brackets, e.g. “[These] results suggest… that the hypothesis is correct.” It
may also be appropriate to reproduce a diagram from someone else’s work, but
again the source must be explicitly and fully acknowledged there. However,
constructing large chunks of documents from a string of quotes, even if they are
acknowledged, is another form of plagiarism.

Do attribute all ideas to their original authors. Written ‘ideas’ are the product that
authors produce. You would not appreciate it if other people passed off your ideas
as their own, and that is what plagiarism rules are intended to prevent. A good rule
of thumb is that each idea or statement that you write should be attributed to a
source unless it is your personal idea or it is common knowledge. (If you are unsure
if something is common knowledge, ask other students: if they don’t know what you
are talking about, then it is not common knowledge!)

• As you can see, it is most important that you understand what is expected of you
when you prepare and produce assignments and that you always observe proper
academic conventions for referencing and acknowledgement, whether working by
yourself or as part of a team. In practice, there are a number of acceptable styles of
referencing depending, for example, on the particular discipline you are studying, so
if you are not certain what is appropriate, ask your Advisor or the course unit
coordinator for advice. This should ensure that you do not lay yourself open to a
charge of plagiarism inadvertently, or through ignorance of what is expected. It is
also important to remember that you do not absolve yourself from a charge of
plagiarism simply by including a reference to a source in a bibliography that you
have included with your assignment; you should always be scrupulous about
indicating precisely where and to what extent you have made use of such a source.

• So far, plagiarism has been described as using the words or work of someone else
(without proper attribution). However, it could also include a close paraphrase of
their words, or a minimally adapted version of a computer program, a diagram, a
graph, an illustration, etc., taken from a variety of sources without proper
acknowledgement. These could be lectures, printed material, the Internet or other
electronic/AV sources.

• Remember: no matter what pressure you may be under to complete an

assignment, you should never succumb to the temptation to take a ‘short cut’ and
use someone else’s material inappropriately. No amount of mitigating
circumstances will get you off the hook, and if you persuade other students to let
you copy their work, they will be disciplined as well.

Collusion

• Collusion is any agreement to hide someone else’s individual input to collaborative

work with the intention of securing a mark higher than either you or another student
might deserve. Where proved, it will be subject to penalties similar to those for
plagiarism. Similarly, it is also collusion to allow someone to copy your work when
you know that they intend to submit it as though it were their own and that will lay
both you and the other student open to a charge of academic malpractice.

• On the other hand, collaboration is a perfectly legitimate academic activity in which

students are required to work in groups as part of their programme of research or in
the preparation of projects and similar assignments. If you are asked to carry out
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such group work and to collaborate in specified activities, it will always be made
clear how your individual input to the joint work is to be assessed and graded.
Sometimes, for example, all members of a team may receive the same mark for a
joint piece of work, whereas on other occasions team members will receive
individual marks that reflect their individual input. If it is not clear on what basis your
work is to be assessed, to avoid any risk of unwitting collusion you should always
ask for clarification before submitting any assignment.

Fabrication or falsification of results

• For many students, a major part of their studies involves laboratory or other forms
of practical work, and they often find themselves undertaking such activity without
close academic supervision. If you are in this situation, you are expected to behave
in a responsible manner, as in other aspects of your academic life, and to show
proper integrity in the reporting of results or other data. Hence you should ensure
that you always document clearly and fully any research programme or survey that
you undertake, whether working by yourself or as part of a group. Results or data
that you or your group submit must be capable of verification, so that those
assessing the work can follow the processes by which you obtained them. Under no
circumstances should you seek to present results or data that were not properly
obtained and documented as part of your practical learning experience. Otherwise,
you lay yourself open to the charge of fabrication or falsification of results.

Finally

• If you commit any form of academic malpractice, teaching staff will not be able to
assess your individual abilities objectively or accurately. Any short-term gain you
might have hoped to achieve will be cancelled out by the loss of proper feedback
you might have received, and in the long run such behaviour is likely to damage
your overall intellectual development, to say nothing of your self-esteem. You are
the one who loses.

For further guidance, please see the document Guidance to students on plagiarism and
other forms of academic malpractice which can be found on the intranet in your ‘My
Independent Study’ area and at:
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/ugteaching/exams/plagiarism.aspx.

31. Conduct & discipline of students

Regulations concerning Conduct and Discipline, including rights of appeal, are set out in
University Regulation XVII, which can be found in the Crucial Guide Live at
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/formal-procedures/conduct-
and-discipline/.

32. Health and safety

The work that you do this year will require knowledge of and conformity with health and
safety rules. It is consequently important for you to gain a wide understanding of the legal
and practical requirements for working safely.

The University of Manchester is subject to British and European Community law on health
and safety. The University has therefore, a duty to formulate health and safety policies and
to promote these. From time to time the University issues its updated “Health and Safety
Policy Statement”, as well as Codes of Practice and Guidance Notes. Following the
requirements stipulated in the latter, the Faculty of Life Sciences is required to devise
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regulations that are suited to its work. These regulations apply to staff, students and
visitors to the Faculty. Similar obligations and procedures apply to all employers in the UK,
so that preparation and familiarity gained now could stand you in good stead for future
employment. Please see the Health and Safety pages on the Faculty intranet at
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/hs/default.aspx.

An important set of regulations that require close attention are those that relate to the
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health; the COSHH Regulations. Everyone is
required by these regulations to make an assessment of the risks that might arise
during the storage or use of the substances that they use in their work. You must
ensure that no one will be adversely affected as a consequence of the decisions that
you make. During your first year practicals you will find that this will usually have been
done for you by the practical coordinators (bear in mind that the term substance
covers a wide range in relation to risk - biological as well as chemical). See
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/hs/coshh/default.aspx.

It should be understood that these rules are not designed to prevent potentially hazardous
work from taking place, but that they are designed to make sure that the work is done
safely. This means that substances that might be hazardous to health can continue to be
used when due precautions are taken by those engaged in the work. You are thus
obliged to take these things into account, yourself. You are entitled to expect that due
care has been taken by those responsible for supervising your work, but it is important to
remember that your willing co-operation for the implementation of safety measures is
required. It is thus reasonable to expect that, so far as is reasonably practicable, you
prepare in advance for the work that you will undertake.

The first stage in the COSHH process is called risk assessment. You are required to refer
to published information and, where appropriate, to ask for advice when carrying out this
assessment. Manufacturers and suppliers are legally obliged to provide written information
about the storage and use of substances. The range of examples to be considered is
large, so that each individual substance must be considered, both alone and in conjunction
with other substances to be found adjacently e.g. the same cupboard or in a mixture. The
fact that a substance is within a container may not provide sufficient protection in all the
circumstances that might arise, i.e. you are required to anticipate what could happen in
the event of an accident. Flammability is one example of the information to be provided
but you would also need to know if a substance became hazardous or more hazardous
upon heating (physically and/or chemically): i.e. would it become explosive; how it might
react in combination with other things? Then, what safety precautions and remedies must
be provided?

The next stage is to decide how and in what circumstances a substance might be used
safely, even if there is a risk. If there is a risk or the consequences of an accident could be
serious, it would be necessary to consider the use of a satisfactory substitute. Someone
in authority must decide this.

The principles of Risk Assessment cover all forms of activity in the place of work, and
every activity should be assessed before you start work. A person in authority will
normally have carried out this assessment on your behalf, and it is important to
adhere to the protocol you have been given. You must be familiar with the contents
of the relevant Risk Assessment before you start any form of work, and you must
not make any changes to work procedures without the permission of your
supervisor. Risk Assessments for most common procedures can be found at
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/hs/riskdocuments.aspx.

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Finally, a decision has to be made by a person in authority, e.g. your supervisor, about
who should do the work and in what circumstances should the work be done. You can
expect to be informed about any particular hazards and methods that apply in a laboratory.

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C. SERVICES

33. Computing facilities in the Stopford building

Computing facilities are available to students within the Faculty of Life Sciences in four
computer clusters situated on the ground floor: Stopford PC Clusters 1-3 and the Student
Project Room. Although these clusters are used for scheduled classes, the Faculty tries to
ensure significant free time on these computers for student use (email, word processing
etc). Standard word processing, spreadsheet and database software is pre-installed
(Microsoft Office Suite), as well as any software related to your studies. Printing facilities
are available in each cluster and technical help can be obtained via the IT Service Desk
(see www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/facilities/is/default.aspx for contact and further
information).

Guidance notes for students wishing to access their University email accounts outside the
University can be found at www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/studentemail.

34. Intranet

The intranet (www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/public/Login.aspx) is a service provided for

staff and students in the Faculty. Like any other electronic medium there may be
occasional outages caused by power surges beyond the control of the Faculty and/or
malfunctions, so its operation cannot be guaranteed. Any material on the intranet, as well
as that on any other platform, should be accessed well in advance of any deadlines. Non-
availability of the service for 48 hours or less would not be considered a circumstance to
mitigate against non-completion of an assignment.

35. The John Rylands University Library

The Main Library, which is located at the end of Burlington Street, has multiple copies of
most of the books recommended for the units listed in this Handbook. Most will be on the
main shelves in the Blue 2 area, but some copies are held in the High Demand Collection
for either 3 hour, 1 night or 2 night loan. Extra copies of some books will be found in the
Stopford Library. The Library website, www.library.manchester.ac.uk, provides a wealth of
information about the Library and includes a Life Sciences subject page,
www.library.manchester.ac.uk/academicsupport/subjects/lifesciences, which lists all the
resources relevant to the Faculty of Life Sciences. In addition to the book stock, the Library
subscribes to a wide range of electronic and printed life science and medical journals. The
Library provides a reading list service called Link2Lists, which links either to the catalogue
entry for items on your course reading lists or, where possible, to electronic full text
versions of the list items – whether it is books, digitised readings, journal articles or web
sites - www.library.manchester.ac.uk/searchresources/link2lists. The Library has long
opening hours, with 24 hour opening during the exam periods. There are information
desks where you can ask for help, self-service facilities for issuing and return books as
well as photocopying, printing and scanning. There is also a Document Supply Unit
through which material not held in stock can be obtained from other libraries.

The online Library catalogue, listing the printed and electronic resources of the Library,
can be accessed using dedicated terminals in the Library and remotely through the Library
website. It can also be used to renew and reserve items. There are about 250 computers
in the Library in clusters in the Blue Area which can be used to access Library resources,
word processing and other software, e-mail and the Internet.

The Library provides access to an extensive range of electronic resources including

databases, journals, books and reference works. All the main life science databases are
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available including Biosis Previews, the Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Biological
Sciences Collection, Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Knowledge and Zoological
Record. These can be used to discover what has been published on a particular subject.
The electronic resources can be accessed both on-campus and remotely.

If you have any queries about the Library or require any assistance in the selection or use
of appropriate electronic resources please do not hesitate to contact:

Sarah Rayner - Faculty Team Librarian for the Faculty of Life Sciences
Tel: 0161 275 3722 (internal x 53722)
[email protected]

36. The Manchester Museum

The Manchester Museum is part of The University of Manchester. It has a distinctive

role in engaging the public with the work of the university. The museum has enormous
collections (around 4.25 million objects!) and it is the third largest natural sciences
museum in the UK, with three million specimens, from birds and plants collected by
Charles Darwin to specimens of new species collected and classified by present
curators. Many of the collections can be searched from the museum’s website
(www.museum.manchester.ac.uk). There are also numerous additional resources, such
as library materials and associated archives. The museum is a major tourist attraction
with around 350,000 visitors per year and over 40,000 visits by schoolchildren.
• Museum staff work to facilitate the use of the collection for teaching, research and
public engagement and are always keen to explore new opportunities to engage
students with the collection. Many museum staff teach on lecture courses and
participate in student field courses, practicals and research skills modules. They
also offer a number of studying opportunities, including final year projects, industrial
placements, use of the museum resources in PhD and Post-Doctoral work and co-
supervision of PhDs. These may involve the collections or the specialist interests of
staff. Students are encouraged to contact museum staff to self-arrange projects.
• The museum is heavily involved in local biodiversity and sustainability work and
helps to deliver the Biodiversity Action Plan for Manchester.
• The museum can help students develop employability through its many
volunteering opportunities, particularly useful to those who wish to enter careers in
public communication, education and, of course, museums.
• Anyone - staff or student - can visit collections that are not on display. This is done
by arranging a visit with the appropriate curator (details below) or by arranging to
visit the Resource Centre. The collections are a wonderful source of inspiration and
information for research on scientific subjects and the history of science.
• Entry to the museum is free. The museum has a busy programme of semi-
permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions, accompanied by public events that
often feature the work of Faculty members. The museum café is a popular meeting
place for both students and staff.

Zoology: internationally important collections of many groups of animals, particularly birds,

mammals, molluscs and many other invertebrates, around 250,000 specimens. Contact
Henry McGhie, Head of Collections and Curator of Zoology, who has a particular interest
in bird biology and ecology, email: [email protected].

Botany: an internationally important collection of over one million specimens of worldwide

plants, mostly herbarium sheets. Contact Lindsey Loughtman (email:
[email protected]), Curatorial Assistant of Botany.

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Entomology: internationally important collections of over one million insects from most
taxonomic groups. Contact Dr. Dmitri Logunov, Curator of Arthropods, who has a
particular interest in spiders, email: [email protected].

Earth Sciences: one of the five regional Earth Science Collection centres in the UK; one
of the largest mineral collections with over 30,000 specimens and important collections of
fossil plants and animals, with over 100,000 specimens. Contact Dr. David Gelsthorpe,
Curator of Palaeontology, email: [email protected].

Vivarium: a unique collection of live animals with over 270 specimens of 40 species.
Contact Andrew Gray, Curator of Herpetology, who has a particular interest in tropical
frogs, email: [email protected].

Also humanities collections, notably an important Egyptology collection and Archaeology

collection.

To book a visit to the museum Resource Centre, telephone 275 2643 or email
[email protected].

37. Student societies

A number of societies run by students and covering a range of interests are affiliated with
the Students’ Union and several of these concern the life sciences. These societies are
open to students and staff of the University. They usually provide a series of lectures,
social or sporting events. You are likely to be canvassed for a subscription, and invited to
participate in sporting activities, during Welcome Week.

38. Student support within the Faculty/University

PASS
Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) are part of a student-centred scheme in which
volunteers from second and final year assist first years. The aims are to
• enable a clear view of course expectations
• promote a non-threatening environment
• provide an effective method to:
- assist learning
- develop interpersonal/transferable skills (communication, team working, problem solving)
- develop self confidence
- increase responsibility and motivation
- increase peer interaction
- assist with the transition to Uni life
- obtain inside knowledge
- allow students to give real-time feedback
- generate real-time feedback for the teaching staff
• challenge the barrier between year groups

The scheme is operated by students, for students, and will be implemented by student
coordinators and the Faculty Sabbatical Student Intern. Groups of first year students will
be assigned a PASS leader at the start of their programme and will be scheduled to meet
with them at regular intervals during the year. Any queries about PASS should be addressed
to the Student Intern responsible for the scheme ([email protected]).

Additional information on the PASS scheme can be found in the Crucial Guide Live at
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/support/pass/.

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SUPPORT AND WELL-BEING

Although you have personal and academic advisors and access to all members of
academic staff in the Faculty, there may be occasions when you need or would like
to talk to someone else about issues that may be worrying you. The services listed
below are able to offer you confidential help and advice on a number of matters.
The Crucial Guide Live also provides additional information on support and
services available www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/personal-life/.

39. The Student Services Centre

The majority of the University's administrative services for students (except

Accommodation Services) are available from our centralised Student Services Centre, off
Burlington Street.
Student Services Centre
Burlington Street
The University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
Telephone enquiries: 0161 275 5000
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide

40. Academic advice and information

The Student Guidance Service is open to undergraduates and postgraduates from all
Schools across the whole University. They offer confidential advice on any matter relating
to your studies or any issue affecting you and your academic progress, for example:
course changes; interruptions; anxiety about academic ability or exams; guidance on
academic appeals. The Service is run by a small team of part-time advisors, some of
whom are members of academic staff. The Service is independent from Faculties and
Schools and is completely confidential.

You can find the Student Guidance Service near to the Accommodation Office on the First
Floor of University Place. Reception is the desk at the far end of the atrium.

For general enquiries and to make an appointment to see an advisor you can either
telephone 0161 275 3033 or call into reception (see above).

For general enquiries (not to make appointments) you can also email the Student
Guidance Service at [email protected].

Reception is open:
Monday - Thursday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Friday: 10:00am - 1:30pm.

For further information see www.manchester.ac.uk/sgs.

41. Counselling

The University Counselling Service offers you help in understanding, dealing with, or
overcoming the many sorts of difficulties that may prevent you getting the most out of your
life and studies at university. These may include problems at home, pressures from
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personal relationships, and difficulties in coping with stressful events, now or in the past,
such as examinations, separation, bereavement or forms of abuse. There are also some
group sessions/workshops on specific issues, e.g. confidence and self-esteem, managing
low mood, managing exam stress, coping better with academic pressure etc. Please see
the counselling service website at www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/counselling for more
details and up-to-date information.

The Counselling Service is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, except on public
holidays and during the University's Christmas closure period. During term time the
Service stays open until 7pm on Tuesdays.

For any enquiries or to make an appointment to see a counsellor, you can phone or call in to
the Counselling Service between 9am and 4pm, Monday to Friday. Appointments are
usually available within a few days of enquiry, but at busy times there may be a longer
wait. You can call Service reception desk on 0161 275 2864 for available appointment times.

42. Accommodation

If you live in University Accommodation, wardens, tutors and/or advisors are available to
discuss any difficulties, whether related to the accommodation or not. Each residence
advertises details of its own advisory/tutorial system. For problems concerning other
accommodation (e.g. contracts with landlords, safety of premises) you can talk to staff in the
Accommodation Office.

The Office is open 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday, apart from Thursdays when it is
closed between 3.00pm and 4.00pm.

The Accommodation Office is located on the first floor of University Place on Oxford Road.
Telephone: 0161 275 2888 or visit their website at www.accommodation.manchester.ac.uk.

For private sector accommodation see the Manchester Student Homes website at
www.manchesterstudenthomes.com. Manchester Student Homes (MSH) is owned,
managed and funded by the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan
University and their respective Students' Unions.

The Students’ Union Advice Centre (see Section 50) is also an excellent source of help and
advice on problems with private accommodation.

43. Students with additional support needs

The University of Manchester welcomes students with additional support needs arising
from a specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, an unseen medical condition, or a
disability or impairment. The University has a central Disability Support Office (DSO). In
order to access the full support that the University can offer, you should contact the DSO
to discuss your support requirements. They can be contacted by the following means:
Email - [email protected]
Telephone - 0161 275 7512 / 0161 275 8518
Text - 07899 663 512
Minicom - 0161 275 2794
Or you can just drop in to the DSO on the second floor of University Place, Block 2, where
you can speak in confidence to a Disability Adviser about your needs. The Disability
Support Office is open:

Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 4.00 pm

Friday 9.30am to 12.30pm
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Further information on disability support can be found in the Crucial Guide Live at
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-life/support/disabled-students.

If you are a student who has, or suspects they have, support needs and have not yet
informed the DSO, then please contact them in the first instance. In addition to this, the
Faculty of Life Sciences has a Disability Coordinator, Miss Joanne Jolley, who liaises with
the DSO to organise your support in the Faculty. She can be contacted by email or
telephone: (0161 275 1525/ [email protected]). The Stopford Building has
wheelchair access and an adapted lift at the car park end of the building. There are also
car parking spaces reserved for blue badge holders adjacent to this entrance.

44. Financial help

If you are a UK student for fees purposes, you can apply to Student Finance for a
Student Loan for Maintenance and a Loan for Fees (see Section 1 ‘What you should do
now’ for further details). Payments for the Maintenance Loan are made directly into your
bank account. If you choose to take one, the Loan for Fees is paid directly to the
University. Some students may also be eligible for a non-repayable grant and your
Student Finance will assess you for this. If you get into difficulties while you are a
student, the Student Services Centre on Burlington Street can help with money advice
and budgeting. Further information is available in the Crucial Guide Live at
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/financial-life/.

In addition, each year the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) allocates
the University of Manchester a sum of money to be used for the Access to Learning Fund
(ALF). ALF is designed to enable the University to help students who need extra financial
support because they have higher than expected costs (such as single parents) or they
encounter an unexpected financial emergency (for example a burglary). The Fund can be
used for course-related costs such as childcare, exceptionally high books/equipment costs,
travel or for general living costs such as rent. For further information refer to
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/financial-life/funding/financial-support-
funds/access-to-learning-fund.

45. Discrimination and Harassment

Information and University policies on discrimination and harassment can be found in the
Crucial Guide Live at www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/personal-
life/emotional-problems/discrimination-and-harassment. For further information about the
University’s Policy on Harassment, or if you have been a victim of some form of
harassment, contact the Equality and Diversity Office on 0161 306 5857 or the Students’
Union Advice Centre on 0161 275 2946.

46. Health

The Student Health Service, located at Waterloo Place, 182-184 Oxford Road can provide
you with confidential care, support and advice on health issues. It is not an alternative to a
General Practitioner (you must register with a doctor in Manchester; see Section 15), but
it aims to complement existing health services by dealing with issues which may be of
particular concern to you as a student, including stress, vaccinations and advice for
overseas travel, contraceptive service, health advice and medicals. An emergency care
service is available if you are taken ill on campus. You MUST consult the service if you are
ill during an examination.

The service is open Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 4.00 pm. Telephone: 0161 275
2858. See the Occupational Health Services website for further details
www.campus.manchester.ac.uk/healthandsafety/studentOH.htm.
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Additional information on health issues can be found in the Crucial Guide Live at
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/personal-life/health/.

47. International students

The International Society, William Kay House, 327 Oxford Road (opposite the Students’
Union), offers advice, information and a social base for students. Telephone: 0161 275
4959, email: [email protected]. Further information can be found on the
International Society website at www.internationalsociety.org.uk.

The International Team forms part of the Student Services Centre. The advisors see
students on an individual basis to discuss any problems (e.g. visas, finance) you may
have. Telephone: 0161 275 5000 to make an appointment or see
www.manchester.ac.uk/international/supportservices/advice.

48. Night-time telephone advice/listening service

The Students’ Union runs Nightline, a telephone advice and listening service operated
by students that offers a point of contact throughout the night. You can contact
Nightline by telephone on 0161 275 2983 / 0161 275 2984 from 8.00pm - 8.00am. If
you'd feel more comfortable emailing Nightline rather than phoning them, you can
send an email to [email protected]. Further information is available at
www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/nightline.

49. Security on campus

The University Security Service should be contacted if you have concerns about
personal security or theft (0161 275 2728) or wish to speak to a member of the security
staff. You can also contact the Police Liaison Officers on 0161 275 7042 or
[email protected]. Information on safety can also be found in the Crucial Guide
Live at www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/personal-life/safety/.

50. Students’ Union advice centre

This Centre offers a very wide range of services including up-to-date advice on matters
from finance to housing from full-time permanent members of staff (telephone 0161 275
2947). Several of the sabbatical officers of the Union are based there. The centre can also
provide you with free legal advice through an appointments system with a part-time legal
adviser. Please refer to www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/advice for further information.

51. The Careers Service

The Manchester Leadership Programme (MLP), Careers & Employability Division is

committed to improving your employability as a future graduate of The University of
Manchester. We work closely with graduate recruiters across the globe to develop and
manage a variety of projects, courses and events, all dedicated to equipping our students
with key career management skills and the knowledge vital for future success. We are
proud to have been voted the best in the UK by graduate employers for more than 7
consecutive years.

We advertise thousands of vacancies each year, for everything from graduate jobs and
industrial placements, through to summer vacation work and part-time jobs. If you are
thinking of further study, want to do some voluntary work or even take your career
overseas, we can help you - just ask!

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Whatever your year of study, the Careers Service has something to offer. It is never too
early to come and see us.

How to find us
The Careers Resource Centre is on the ground floor of Crawford House on Booth Street
East, opposite the entrance to the Aquatics Centre. It is around the corner from the
Precinct Centre on Oxford Road. The office is open Monday-Friday 9.00-5.00pm,
including vacation time. Tel: 0161 275 2829.

We have a comprehensive website containing information, advice and interactive

services - www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students. We also have an online system
called “CareersLink” (www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/careerslink), where you
manage your careers services: log in to view vacancies and events, and to sign up for
email alerts. It is also used to support our careers guidance service.

Many students use us from their first year onwards to ensure access to our wide range of
vacation work, internships, skills workshops and career support.

51.1. Information & help available

Find out about careers, jobs and employers

For up-to-date information about different jobs, careers, employers and courses, both
academic and vocational, our Careers Resource Centre (CRC) in Crawford House is the
place to go. All information is free to view and our professional information team are ready
to help you.

You can find out about companies recruiting life science graduates, see options you could
choose for further study and discover the broad range of career choices open to you. Find
out about how to access opportunities in scientific research, health professions, the
pharmaceutical industry and the public sector. However, studying a life science degree
does not necessarily mean you’ll have to work as a scientist. Our recent graduates have
also gone on to work in management, IT, finance, communications, education and more.

Our website includes information on a range of career sectors, including science.

These pages aim to introduce you to a number of different sectors that you may be
considering working within. This information often has a regional component for those
looking for experience in the North West (www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/sectors).
For lists of links for each sector use our Delicious bookmarking account
(http://delicious.com/manchestercareers), which enables you to save all your bookmarks in
one place online, meaning you can access them from any computer, and you can even
share your bookmarks with other people.

Interactive services
Career KickStart is an interactive tool designed to get you thinking about your career.
In three minutes it will produce a tailored report with suggestions for your next steps.
We have dedicated careers blogs for undergraduates, graduates and international
students. The online discussion forums allow you to chat to other students and
graduates about the different issues that affect your career planning. We also use
Twitter to re-tweet opportunities that we come across online, which have not come
through our vacancies system, but which we feel look relevant and interesting for
students and graduates. All these services are accessible from our front page and at
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/interactive.

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Information for international students
From information about work permits, to news about the latest events for international
students, we have a section of our website dedicated to international student matters,
including a popular Blog - see www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/international.

Working in the Northwest

Our regional job-hunting section includes specific information for the North West, including
a list of Biotechnology and Life Science employers. There is also information on other
sectors, including healthcare and environmental technology - see
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/northwest.

Special information and events for Life Science students

In Welcome Week each year, the Careers Service organises a half-day “Career Options
and Work Experience” session for all second year students. This is a great opportunity to
start exploring your options and to help you put together applications for
industrial/professional placements and work experience.

There are also specific sessions for students applying for industrial/professional
placements, including interactive interview skill workshops. Look out for the Graduate
Careers “Question Time”, when we invite a panel of life science graduates working in a
range of job areas, from R&D and clinical science, through to patents and med sales – this
session is open to all students.

Find the latest jobs and opportunities

Using “CareersLink” you can access job adverts for everything from part-time work and
voluntary opportunities through to summer internships and graduate jobs. Browse vacancies
online and sign up to receive automatic email alerts for new job vacancies and careers
events - www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/vacancies.

Find work experience and voluntary opportunities

Work experience is one of the best things you can do whilst at University. It is a great way
to experience a career area first-hand and all employers like to see work experience on a
CV. The Careers Service advertises placements and summer vacation jobs (sometimes
called internships) but can also offer practical advice if you want to do something a little
different or in a niche area.

For more ideas on how to get work experience and part-time jobs, from how to find an
internship through to employment rights and the minimum wage, see our website at
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/workexperience. You can also download our publication
‘Getting Work Experience in Life Sciences’, which includes information on summer research
studentships (see ‘Sector & Occupation Guides’ section ‘Work experience in Life Sciences’
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/publications/startingpointseriesofhandouts).

‘International Talent’ is a recent initiative for students, graduates and postgraduates at The
University of Manchester who have language skills or knowledge of non-UK cultures.
Students can gain work experience whilst helping an organisation do business with the
rest of the world.

Volunteering is an excellent way for you to meet diverse people and contribute to projects
outside of the University. As well as enhancing your social awareness and confidence, it
develops the practical skills that employers seek on a graduate CV. You can browse a list
of voluntary opportunities on the website (www.manchester.ac.uk/volunteers) and choose
to attend special information sessions on campus.

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Find out about the Manchester Leadership Programme
The Manchester Leadership Programme offers a unique combination of academic study
and volunteering. MLP students learn the importance of leadership that promotes social,
economic and environmental sustainability. You will explore current leadership issues with
experts from a wide variety of fields, and work with students from all faculties across the
University. It offers you the chance to make a real difference to the community by
completing accredited volunteering, all the while developing the skills employers really
want. See www.mlp.manchester.ac.uk.

Find out about careers events

Throughout the year, we run a variety of careers events, including skills workshops, work-
related case studies and information sessions. The aim is to provide you with the information
you need to clarify your ideas about what to do in the future. Also on offer is a growing
range of ‘Insight’ courses. These give you a chance to work with other students and
employers in simulations of real jobs. These include the 'Make it in the Media’ course during
the Easter vacation which allows you to work alongside TV, radio and newspaper
professionals. See www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/events.

Find a Mentor
Our mentoring programme ‘Manchester Gold’ is an excellent way of getting the inside track
on your chosen career area. The programme involves about 15 hours commitment over an
academic year and can link you to a wide range of employers in scientific and non-scientific
roles across the voluntary, private and public sectors. Manchester Gold is open to all
students at the University and also offers optional specialist strands for black and ethnic
minority, disabled, female and LGBT students. To find out more see our website at
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students. Applications for the scheme are accepted early in
the autumn semester.

Make graduate job applications

The Careers Service can guide you through the recruitment process, from putting together
a winning CV or application form, to shining at interview. Our ‘Essentials’ series handouts
cover a range of topics and can either be downloaded from our website or you can call in
and collect a paper copy. We also have extensive information to help you tackle the
psychometric tests some employers use, including the opportunity to sit an actual practice
test and receive feedback (for which a small fee is payable).

Access our other resources

We have a large stock of reference books and DVDs that cover a diverse range of
subjects, including postgraduate study and work in the UK and abroad. There is also a
cluster of 8 PCs for student careers use, with free access for Manchester University
students and graduates.

51.2. Advice & job hunting help

Careers appointments
You are most welcome to make an appointment to see one of our careers consultants,
including some that specialise in working with life scientists. They can advise you on the
range of occupations and employers that exist and the skills they require. You can talk to
a consultant about what you want to do and the best way to achieve it. Many students
have little idea about what they want to do and one of the purposes of the careers
interview is to provide you with an opportunity to explore your options, and to form clearer
ideas about a way forward.

As a student, you can opt for a 30 minute interview booked in advance or take advantage
of the Quick Query drop-in service for a 15 minute consultation. This service is helpful if
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you have a specific question about your CV or an application. Please note: it is not
intended as a general checking service for grammar and spelling. We also offer a
telephone guidance service for students unable to visit us in person e.g. if you are away on
placement or at home during vacation time.

If you have an interview coming up, why not book a practice or “mock” interview? The
session lasts 30 minutes and the consultant will ask you a selection of interview questions
and give you feedback on your responses. It is one of the best ways to ensure that you are
well prepared.

51.3. Careers fairs and employer presentations

Many employers target Manchester University students for recruitment. Some host
presentations or skill workshops, others attend one of our careers fairs. These provide an
excellent way for you to explore career opportunities and to talk to prospective employers
first-hand.

Careers Fairs
The Careers Service organises an annual programme of careers fairs, attended by
recruiters offering placements and work experience, not just graduate jobs:
- Ethnic Diversity Fair – Weds 5 October 2011
- Engineering, Science & Technology Fair - 19 October 2011
- Finance, Business & Management Fair - 20 October 2011
- Law Fair – Tues 22 November 2011 (open to non-law students too)
- Postgraduate Study Fair – Weds 23 November 2011
See www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/events for more details.

Presentations
Many large recruiters visit Manchester in the autumn semester and will host presentations,
often in the early evening. Some take place on campus and some in hotels and other
venues in the city centre. A list of presentations is available from the start of Semester 1 on
CareersLink. In most cases you must sign up to reserve a place. See
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/events.

Get your job search started sooner rather than later to have the widest choice of
possibilities, and ensure you don’t miss any opportunities or deadlines. You can visit the
Careers Service in vacation time as it is open all year round. Take advantage of the help
that is available to you and make the best start to your future career. We look forward to
meeting you!

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D. THE FIRST YEAR OF YOUR DEGREE PROGRAMME

52. Overview of the programmes

The programmes are built on a unit-based (modular) system. You must ensure that you
take a total of 120 credits. Most students take 9 lecture-based units plus 2 practical and
one tutorial unit in their first year. There may be slight variations for the “with Languages”
degrees (see below) and joint honours degrees with Schools outside of the Faculty of Life
Sciences (Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology). The variations are described in
subsequent sections.

According to your degree programme, you choose your units from those provided by the
Faculty of Life Sciences (Section 66) and some Schools outside the Faculty. For each
programme there are compulsory units that define your Degree Programme plus a range
of optional units (Section 62). You should carefully read these sections and decide upon
your likely optional units. At registration (Section 2) you should discuss your choice with
your Programme Director. It is recommended that you do 4/5 lecture units in each
semester so that your workload is spread evenly across the year.

Changing optional course units. You may change any optional units (except field
courses, and language units that run for two semesters), at the beginning of each
semester (during the first two weeks). You MUST get the permission of your Personal
Advisor before you make any changes to the units that you attend. A ‘Course Unit Change
Form’ MUST be completed if you wish to make any changes. Forms can either be
collected from the Student Support Office (G.683 Stopford) or downloaded from the
intranet at www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/studentsupport/downloads.aspx.
Your Personal Advisor must confirm to you by email or signature on the form that he/she
approves the change, and you must take the completed form, together with email
verification where relevant, to the Student Support Office. Failure to do so may mean you
will not be allowed to register for the examinations in the unit to which you have changed.
You will not normally be allowed to transfer off or onto a unit after the end of the second
week of teaching in each semester.

Changing degree programme. It is recognised that your interests will develop and may
change after entering the University. You may wish to change from one Degree
Programme to another at the end of the first year, and the system is quite flexible in this
respect. However, there are some restrictions depending on which units you have taken
(refer to the compulsory units for any programme you may be considering).

Programme Directors will give talks about each of their programmes after the “What to
expect from second year” talk in Semester 2. Watch the announcements for details.
Note: transfers to certain programmes may be dependent upon exam performance in
certain units and your attendance at the relevant talk.

If you are considering changing Degree Programmes you should speak to your Personal
Advisor at the earliest opportunity. Please note that there is a deadline of 1st May for
completing programme changes for the next academic year, however, you should
aim to complete your programme change as soon as possible prior to this deadline,
particularly if you are transferring to/from a degree with industrial experience.

It should be noted that it is not normally possible to transfer into the Joint Honours
Programme of Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology.

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Most lecture units provided by the Faculty of Life Sciences consist of 22 lectures (each 50
minutes). Practical units consist of ten sessions typically 3 hours each. If you do 6 units
each semester you will have about 10 lectures, one or 2 practicals, and one tutorial each
week but the arrangements will vary, so you will need to keep a good personal timetable.
You may be occupied from 9.00am-6.00pm on some days. Please bear this in mind when
planning part-time work or other responsibilities.

Tutorials are held in small groups of 5-10 students. These occur at times convenient to
your Advisor and the students in the group, which may be 8.00-9.00am or 5.00-6.00pm.

The University has a system of credit rating for all course units. It is intended to give an
indication of the proportion of your time which all the work of a unit is expected to occupy,
and is based on a full year’s work being 120 credits. This figure assumes 30 weeks’ work
at 40 hours per week. Therefore, you are expected to spend about 100 hours on a typical
10-credit unit. This time includes reading, eLearning materials, writing reports and revision
as well as all direct contact hours. (N.B some Language and HSTM units are 20 credits).

Most first semester units are examined in January and second semester units in
May/June. There are a few units taken outside the Faculty of Life Sciences, e.g. some
language units that are two semesters long and examined in May/June.

Time Management
Some deadlines may be shortly after the delivery of the material, some quite a way off,
and this may well differ for different cohorts of students. This mixture mirrors the graduate
world of work, and the requirements of your final year programme, so you are advised to
plan ahead! Anticipate a few days of ill-health that might impact on your ability to complete
assignments on time, and start work early on items with far-off deadlines. Mastering time
management is one of the most essential goals you should set yourself. To help you,
every course where there are assessments/assignments/deadlines will have all the
deadline dates available to you within the ‘Assessments’ area in the left hand menu. Any
non-course specific deadlines, such as dissertation, can be found in the Tutorials courses
on Blackboard. Please note that it is possible that some dates may be adjusted throughout
the semester at the unit coordinators discretion, therefore you should check your deadlines
for each course regularly and complete work as early as possible.

53. Degrees with industrial/professional experience

Students following degree programmes with a placement will take the same units in year 1
as the three-year degree students. There may be some optional units that your
Programme Director will strongly recommend if you are contemplating a placement.

You will normally spend the third year of the programme working in a professional
environment away from the University. Although this may seem some distant time in the
future you should start thinking now about what you would like to do during that year. Only
first year results will be available when placement organisations consider your application
so it is well worth putting plenty of effort in this year! During the second year, students
registered for the four-year degree will be helped by their Placement Officer to obtain
placements for the third year of the programme.

Although as much help as possible will be given we cannot guarantee all students a
placement. Placements are obtained competitively, competition being not only with
students from Manchester but also with those from other institutions. Companies usually
produce a short-list on the basis of an application form or curriculum vitae, along with
references from Advisors (which will be based primarily on the performance in tutorials and

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the First Year Examination. Most companies will then interview students before making
their decisions.

To continue on a programme with industrial/professional experience you must normally

obtain an overall pass in the First Year Examinations at the first attempt, with a mean
mark of at least 60% (excluding marks obtained for tutorial assignments), including
marks of at least 40% in each of the compulsory units specified for your Degree
Programme. Failure to do so will normally result in your transfer to the appropriate three-
year degree and you will be unable to undertake a placement. In addition, students who
fail the tutorial or practical units will normally be excluded from the placement programme.

Any student unable to obtain a placement will be transferred to the appropriate three-year
degree at the end of the second year.

If you feel that you no longer wish to continue on a programme with industrial/professional
experience and would like to transfer to a standard three-year degree, please discuss this
with your Programme Director and/or Personal Advisor. A completed Degree Programme
Change form should be submitted to the Student Support Office if you do decide to transfer
off the placement programme.

54. Language degrees

If you are registered for one of the degrees with a language, the proportion of language
units that you are required to take will depend upon your qualifications on entry: if you
have an A level in your chosen language at grade B or above, you will take 100 credits in
life sciences and 20 credits in your chosen language, excluding cultural units (route a); if
not, you will take 80 credits in life sciences and 40 credits in your chosen language,
including cultural units (route b). Details of the language units can be found on the School
of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures website www.llc.manchester.ac.uk and you should
discuss your choice of units with the relevant Language School. Timetabling may be
challenging so you must check carefully that all compulsory units do not clash (tell the staff
in the Student Support Office immediately if they do). You may only choose optional units
that do not clash with other units.

You will be expected to spend the third year of the programme working in a University in
the country of your chosen language. The placements are usually arranged via the
Lifelong Learning Programme (formerly SOCRATES-Erasmus), a network of European
Universities to which Manchester belongs, or arrangements are made with partner
Universities in Japan or China. The Language placement coordinator (Dr Geoff Robson)
will contact you during your second year to begin discussions about potential placements.

Satisfactory performance in both the life science and the language components of the first
year examinations is essential for you to continue on a life sciences ‘with language’
programme. You must normally obtain an overall pass in the first year examinations at the
first attempt with a mean mark of at least 60% (excluding marks obtained for tutorial
assignments), including marks of at least 40% in each of the compulsory units specified
for your Degree Programme. Failure to do so will normally result in your transfer to the
appropriate three-year degree and you will be unable to undertake a placement. In
addition, students who fail the tutorial or practical units due to poor attendance will
normally be excluded from the placement programme.

There is no compensation between the language and biological components - both must
be passed independently.

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If you feel that you no longer wish to continue on a programme with a language and would
like to transfer to a standard three-year degree, please discuss this with your Programme
Director and/or Personal Advisor. A completed Degree Programme Change form should
be submitted to the Student Support Office if you do decide to transfer off the language
programme.

55. Field courses

Field courses are open to all students, but priority is given to those with a specific
requirement in their degree programme. Plant Science and Zoology students are required
to attend one field course during their first year (but may select a second). Students from
other degree programmes (see chart on page 46) may be able to take a field course as an
optional unit. Field courses last between one and two weeks and are held in the Easter
and summer vacations at locations (many overseas) suitable for marine, freshwater or
terrestrial field work. While they involve hard academic work, field courses offer the chance
to get to know staff and other students who share your interests socially, and most
students find them very enjoyable.

Much of the cost is borne by the University, but you will be asked to make some financial
contribution. In cases of financial hardship you should contact the Student Support Office
before registering for the field course, or as soon as possible thereafter should
circumstances change.

If you are interested in taking a field course(s) then you should select this unit at
September registration. For advice and further information please contact the Field
Course Director, Dr Tristan Pocock ([email protected]), on 0161 275
5093, who will be available when you meet with your Programme Director during Welcome
Week. There will also be a lecture at the start of week 1 providing more information about
the available courses (NB: you will be expected to attend this lecture if you intend to take
any of the 1st year field courses).

In order to complete field course registration you will be required to sign a declaration
form:

(i) agreeing to pay an invoice from the University contributing to the cost of your
field course,
(ii) confirming your understanding that the invoice must still be paid should you
withdraw, for whatever reason, from the field course or from University (part or
full waiver is not negotiable given that the University often incurs irrecoverable
upfront costs in excess of the student contribution),
(iii) confirming that you will read and comply with any appropriate Risk Assessment,
(iv) agreeing to contact Student Occupational Health on 0161 275 2858 to arrange
an appointment at a time advised by the Student Support Office. This is to
check your medical fitness to travel, to receive travel advice and to assess
whether vaccinations are necessary,
(v) confirming that that you have read and understood relevant University
regulations (e.g. conduct and behaviour).

For overseas field courses you must also provide a photocopy of your passport, which
must be valid for at least six months after the date of return from the field course - the field
course coordinator should be able to confirm the exact requirements for your course. For
those travelling in the EU, a photocopy of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
will also be required. Non-EU students must check visa requirements for overseas
courses and, if appropriate, apply immediately to obtain a visa as they can take
considerable time to process.
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The above documentation must be handed in to the Student Support Office by the end of
week 2, semester 1. You will be informed in Week 4 as to whether or not you have been
accepted on your first choice course. If unsuccessful, you will have the opportunity to
select an alternative field course or may need to choose an alternative second semester
unit.

For your safety and comfort you must have suitable footwear (strong walking boots and/or
Wellington boots) and warm waterproof and windproof clothing when you attend field
courses.

You should regularly check the ‘My Lecture Resources’ page of the relevant Field
Course unit on Blackboard for updates regarding arrangements, including travel,
forms to be completed by certain deadlines, and what you need to take with you.

Please note: In the event of a field course being oversubscribed, you may be required to
complete an essay or assignment and, if unsuccessful, you will be asked to select an
alternative second semester unit.

56. Worldwide (including Europe) voluntary exchange programme

The University has a worldwide and Erasmus exchange scheme that allows students to
spend part of their degree programme in another country of the European Union. The
Faculty is linked with over 30 other European Biological Departments in 13 countries and
the University has links with more than 20 additional Universities worldwide. A period
overseas during your third year is a requirement if you are taking one of our degrees with a
language (see Section 54), but you can also use the scheme if you are not studying a
language and wish to have the opportunity to experience different modes of teaching and
a different culture. There are two approaches to this type of exchange - in Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden a large number of degree courses are now taught in English, so you
do not need to speak the language to study in these countries. You may find it an
advantage to study the language of the country when you are there, but it is not a
requirement. You may be competent in another language due to family or residential
reasons, or you may be taking one of the Language units offered by the Language Centre.
Alternatively, worldwide exchanges to English-speaking countries (USA, Canada, Hong
Kong, Australia, etc.) are also an option.

Any voluntary overseas exchange must be in your second year and is usually for one
semester. You may be able to take courses that are not available to you in Manchester,
but in all cases you must obtain the permission of your Programme Director. The courses
you take will be assessed by the overseas University and will contribute to your degree in
place of units you would have taken in Manchester. NB: Most of our partner institutions
expect visiting students to have a high level of academic achievement and good
organisational skills.

The academic criteria for a place on the Study Abroad Scheme are similar to those which
apply to the placement scheme and it is not normally possible to undertake both a Study
Abroad and an industrial /professional experience placement.

More information will be provided in a talk in Welcome Week and you should discuss the
possibility of participating in a Voluntary Worldwide-Erasmus exchange with your
Programme Director. You are also encouraged to contact the University’s Study Abroad
Unit for further details about exchanges or to ask any questions you may have about
studying abroad. Please also see the information on Studying Abroad on StudentNet at
www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/studyabroad.

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57. LEAP - Language Enhancement Access Programme

The University offers courses to students who wish to study a language as part of LEAP.
Further information is available from: www.langcent.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/leap.
If you are considering registering for a language module you must discuss this with your
Programme Director.

58. Human subjects and animal tissues

The life sciences are observational and experimental sciences concerned with living systems.
It is therefore important that your education should be appropriate and that you should gain
experience of working with tissues of living organisms. Some of the practicals in your first year
may require the use of invertebrates or tissues from invertebrate or vertebrate animals.

In some units it is important that you gain experience in human experimentation. Some
practical classes may require human volunteers and the only possible source is those
students registered for the units. In the many years that similar practical classes have
been held, students have found them interesting and worthwhile. None of the procedures
which volunteers are asked to undergo are inherently dangerous. No volunteer has ever
suffered serious ill effects and there is no compulsion for students to act as subjects. You
will be given full information and asked to complete a Consent form if you volunteer. All
practicals involving human volunteers have been approved by the University Committee
on the Ethics of Research on Human Beings. Such practicals have been banded into
Band 0, 1 and 2 according to an assessment of Health and Safety risk and medical
ethical considerations. You will be given full information and asked to complete a
Consent form for each Band 1 and 2 practical.

Your active participation is expected in all practical classes, and examinations will be
based on all matters taught in your unit. If you have any reservations about participation in
practicals using animals or their tissues, you should discuss them with your Programme
Director before registration.

59. First year timetable

You will be given a detailed timetable during Registration. This will also be permanently
displayed on the year notice board and on the Intranet. Many of the practicals have
alternative sessions. You will be allocated to groups that should avoid timetable clashes
based on the combination of units that you select. If you discover that you do seem to
have a timetable clash, please contact the Student Support Office or the Unit
Coordinator at the earliest opportunity and well before the practicals in question.
Group details will be displayed on the first year notice board in the Stopford Building and
on the Blackboard area for the unit prior to your first practical session.

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59.1 Academic Calendar

First Semester Second Semester

Week No. begins Week No. begins
1 26.09.11 1 30.01.12
2 03.10.11 2 06.02.12
3 10.10.11 3 13.02.12
4 17.10.11 4 20.02.12
5 24.10.11 5 27.02.12
6 31.10.11† 6 05.03.12
7 07.11.11 7 12.03.12
8 14.11.11 8 19.03.12
9 21.11.11 Easter
10 28.11.11 9 16.04. 12
11 05.12.11 10 23.04. 12
12 12.12.11 11 30.04. 12
12 07.05.12*
Christmas Vacation
Revision & Examinations
Examination Period 13 14.05.12
13 16.01.12 14 21.05.12
14 23.01.12 15 28.05.12
16 04.06.12**

* Bank Holiday Monday (No teaching and/or examinations on the Monday)

** Bank Holidays (No teaching and/or examinations on the Monday or Tuesday)
†
Reading Week (see below)

A full academic year calendar with more detailed information is available on the Faculty
intranet at www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/handbooks/undergraduate.aspx.

59.2 Reading Week

In week 6 of the first semester, Reading Week is where no Life Sciences lectures are
scheduled. You should plan to be in the University, as there may be practicals, seminars,
meetings and scheduled teaching in other Faculties. There should not be a tutorial (unless
your advisor agreed this at the start of the semester) as this week should give you time to
read. Some reading matter will be suggested by your lecturers and advisors, the rest
should be the material you have accumulated to date, and the reading should prepare you
for the mid-semester exams that occur in week 7 for all BIOL lecture units (see Section
22).

60. Examinations and religious observance

The University will make every effort to avoid timetabling assessments on religious days or
festivals for those students whose commitment to the observance of their faith would
otherwise cause them to miss the assessment. If this may affect you, you must fill in an
‘Examination and Religious Observance form’ from the Student Services Centre. More
information is available at www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/crucial-guide/academic-
life/exams/timetable/religious-observance.

61. Units that clash

There are no clashes between any of the units provided by the Faculty of Life Sciences in
the first year. However, a few units offered by other Faculties are timetabled for the same
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periods as those in Life Sciences. Students taking degrees with a language may find that
biological or language options will be restricted by clashes. If language students find that
there are clashes between compulsory units they must alert the Student Support Office
at the earliest opportunity.

62. Degree programme requirements

The requirements for each Degree Programme are laid out in a table on the following
page. The table is designed to enable you to check which units are compulsory for your
degree programme and which are recommended optional units. You may be able to take
other units but you must be able to fit them into your timetable and you should talk to your
Programme Director or Personal Advisor about this.

More detailed information on your degree programme structure for each level of study can
be found on the Faculty intranet under the heading ‘academic advisement’ -
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/ugteaching/academicadvisement.aspx.
Academic Advisement is the term used in Campus Solutions for the way in which degree
programmes are structured, e.g. which course units students take in each academic year,
which of those units are mandatory, and which units may be selected as options. By
following the above link you will be able to access the academic advisement documents
for your degree programme. These sheets are used at registration for your Programme
Director to agree your choice of units with you.

The Data Handling units BIOL10701 and BIOL10722 are conceptually part of the tutorial unit.

The field courses are:

BIOL10602 Field Course in Marine Biology I (Summer vacation)*
BIOL10622 Field Course in Comparative And Adaptive Biology (Easter vacation)~
BIOL10632 Field Course In Freshwater Biology (Easter vacation)
BIOL10642 Field Course in Animal Behaviour (Easter vacation)

*compulsory for Zoology students

~
compulsory for Plant Science students

Unit Codes
University unit Codes consist of 9 characters, for example BIOL10000
The four letters of the code indicate the subject matter of the unit (BIOL = Biological
Sciences), with the five remaining characters identifying the unit.
The first number in the code indicates the level, for example BIOL1#### is a level 1 unit.
The last number in the code indicates the semester the unit runs in, 1 = first semester, 2 =
second semester, 0 = across both semesters.

Therefore, BIOL10000 is a level 1 Unit that runs in both semesters.

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This chart is intended as a guide - please refer to the academic advisement for your
programme (see section 62) for full details
DEGREE PROGRAMMES

KEY:
C = Compulsory
O = Optional

Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology

© = Compulsory if:
- student does not have A level Chemistry
- student has below B in AS level Chemistry

Biolgoy with Science & Society

- student has below C in Foundation Yr Chemistry

Pharmacology & Physiology

 = Optional for joint degree with an East Asian

Developmental Biology
language only

Medical Biochemistry
Anatomical Sciences

Biomedical Sciences
 = Not taken by joint degree with a language

Molecular Biology
(all languages)

MNeuroscience

Pharmacology
Biotechnology

Neuroscience

Plant Science
 = Not taken by joint degree with an East Asian

Life Sciences
Biochemistry

Microbiology
Cell Biology
language only

Physiology
Genetics
± = Language students (all): choose 1 if BIOL10111

Zoology
Biology
required
COURSE UNITS 
BIOL10000 Tutorials Year 1 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BIOL10111 Introductory Chemistry © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © ©
BIOL10212 Biochemistry C C C O C C C O C C C C C C C C C C C C± O
BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics C C C O C C C O C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells C C C O C C C O C C C C C C C C C C C C± C
BIOL10381 A History of Biology in 20 Objects O O C O O O O O O O O O
BIOL10401 Introduction to Laboratory Science C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BIOL10402 Introduction to Experimental Biology C C C O C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BIOL10511 Biodiversity O O C C O O O C C O C O O O O O O C C
BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution and Development C C C C O O C O C C O O C C C O O O O C C
BIOL10532 Microbes, Man and the Environment O O O C C C O O O O O C O C O O O O C O
BIOL10602 Field Course in Marine Biology O O O O C
BIOL10622 Field Course in Comparative &
O O O O C O
Adaptive Biology
BIOL10632 Field Course In Freshwater Biology O O O O
BIOL10642 Animal Behaviour Field Course O O O O O O O
BIOL10701 Data Handling Skills 1 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BIOL10722 Data Handling Skills 2 C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BIOL10811 Body Systems C O O O C O O O C O O C O C O C C C C O O
BIOL10822 Drugs: From Molecules to Man C O O O C C O C O O O C O C O C C C C O O
BIOL10832 Excitable Cells C O O O C O O C O O O O O C O C C C C O O
BIOL12000 Health & Safety Online Course C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BIOL12011 Level 1 Mini Exams C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C
BMAN10011 Fundamentals of Management C
CHEM10021 Chemistry for Bioscientists 1 C O O O O O C O C O O O O O
CHEM10022 Chemistry for Bioscientists 2 C O O O O C C O O O O O
HSTM10221 Science & the Modern world O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
HSTM10272 Bodies in History O O O C O O O O O O O O O O O O O
HSTM10721 Science & the Modern world (20 cr) C O
HSTM10772 Bodies in History (20 cr) O
MSEC10010 Entrepreneurial Skills (A) C
MSEC10012 Entrepreneurial Skills (B) C
PSYC - see academic advisement for details C

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Degree Programme in Biology with Science and Society
Students take 6 compulsory BIOL units (plus Data Handling Skills) along with the following
HSTM units from the Centre for History of Science Technology and Medicine:

HSTM10272 Bodies in History (10 credits)

HSTM10721 Science and the Modern World (20 credits)
plus options to make up a total of 120 credits.

Degree Programme in Biotechnology

Students take 8 compulsory BIOL units (plus Data Handling Skills) along with the following
units from Manchester Business School and the Manchester Science Enterprise Centre:

BMAN10011 Fundamentals of Management

MSEC10010 Entrepreneurial Skills (A)
MSEC10012 Entrepreneurial Skills (B)
plus options to make up a total of 120 credits.

Degree Programme in Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology

Students take 4 compulsory BIOL units (plus Data Handling Skills) along with the following
70 credits worth of units in Psychology:

PSYC10032 Introduction to Brain and Behaviour

PSYC10111 Statistics
PSYC10302 Perception and Cognition
PSYC10321 Social Psychology & Psychology & Mental Health
PSYC10550 Laboratory Work and PSM (30 Credits)
Experimental participation (0 Credits)
plus one option to make up a total of 120 credits.

NB: The British Psychological Society (BPS) sets out accreditation requirements for
degree programmes that provide eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Registration of the
Society. These may be important if graduates wish to work as a Psychologist or practise
Psychology in their future careers. In the case of the Cognitive Neuroscience &
Psychology degree programme, the BPS requirements stipulate completion of a minimum
number of course units in Psychology and that the third year project comprises a
significant Psychology component. Please note that there will be a limited number of such
projects available. If students do not have any intention of applying to the BPS for
registration, then these constraints do not apply.

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E. THE UNITS

63. First level units that are prerequisites for second or final year units

Listed below are second and final level units from the Faculty of Life Sciences which have first
level units as a prerequisite. If a unit has prerequisites, this means that you may need to take
the prerequisite unit(s) in order to take this unit. For example, BIOL10221 is a compulsory
prerequisite for BIOL20332, therefore, if you do not take BIOL10221 in your first year, you will
not be able to take BIOL20332 in your second year. Your first year choices can therefore
influence what is available to you in subsequent years of your degree programme.

63.1 Second Level Units with First Level Prerequisites

Bold indicates a compulsory prerequisite, italics indicate a recommended prerequisite

Pre-/co-requisite
Unit Code Title Title
Unit Code
BIOL20302 Science & Society RSM HSTM10721 Science & the Modern World
BIOL20332 Genetics RSM BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution & Development
BIOL20342 General & Medical Microbiology RSM BIOL10532 Microbes, Man & the Environment
BIOL20701 Data Handling Skills 3 BIOL10701 Data Handling Skills 1
BIOL10722 Data Handling Skills 2
BIOL20912 Human Anatomy RSM BIOL10811 Body Systems
BIOL20922 Neuroscience RSM BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL20942 Physiology RSM BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL20972 Developmental Biology RSM BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution & Development
BIOL21101 Genome Maintenance & Regulation BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BIOL21111 Proteins BIOL10212 Biochemistry
BIOL10111 Introductory Chemistry
OR CHEM10021 Chemistry for Bioscientists 1
OR CHEM10022 Chemistry for Bioscientists 2
BIOL21121 The Dynamic Cell BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BIOL21141 Cell Membrane Structure & Function BIOL10212 Biochemistry
BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BIOL21152 ‘Omic Technologies & Resources BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BIOL21172 Principles of Developmental Biology BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution & Development
BIOL21202 Plants for the Future BIOL10511 Biodiversity
BIOL21232 Fundamentals of Evolutionary Biology BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution & Development
BIOL21291 Human Anatomy & Histology BIOL10811 Body Systems
BIOL21302 Clinical Drug Development BIOL10822 Drugs: From Molecules to Man
BIOL21312 Drugs & the Brain BIOL10822 Drugs: From Molecules to Man
BIOL21321 Membrane Excitability: Ion Channels & BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
Transporters in Action
BIOL21332 Motor Systems BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL21341 Sensory Systems BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL21371 Organismal Genetics BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution & Development
BIOL21410 Drugs: Models & Mechanisms BIOL10822 Drugs: From Molecules to Man

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63.2 Current Final Level Units with First Level Prerequisites
(NB. Final year units are very likely to change before your final year)

Bold indicates a compulsory prerequisite, italics indicate a recommended prerequisite

Prerequisite
Unit Code Title Prerequisite Unit Title
Unit Code
BIOL30112 Neuroinflammation in Health & Disease BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL30121 How Cells Sense & Respond to their BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
Environment: Lessons from Eukaryotic
Microbes
BIOL30161 Cell Signalling BIOL10212 Biochemistry
BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BIOL30262 Applications of Plant Biotechnology BIOL10212 Biochemistry
BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BIOL30331 Current Trends in Human Anatomy from BIOL10811 Body Systems
Clinical & Research Perspectives
BIOL30381 Channels and Transporters: Molecule BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL30471 Control of Cell Division BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BIOL30561 Channels and Transporters: Health BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL30931 Stem Cells BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BIOL31191 Protein Assembly, Dynamics & Function BIOL10212 Biochemistry
CHEM10021 Chemistry for Bioscientists 1
CHEM10022 Chemistry to Bioscientists 2
BIOL31241 Macromolecular Recognition in BIOL10212 Biochemistry
Biological Systems CHEM10021 Chemistry for Bioscientists 1
CHEM10022 Chemistry for Bioscientists 2

64. Textbooks and other requirements

Included in most of the first year unit descriptions are the textbook(s) recommended for the
unit, and any other special requirements. You are advised not to purchase textbooks until
the unit coordinator has had a chance to discuss these with you, and perhaps show you
samples - sometimes there is a choice of recommended texts, depending on the other
units that you are taking, and sometimes a better book has become available after the
printing of this handbook. Copies of all recommended texts are in the John Rylands
University Library and multiple copies are available for overnight loan.

White lab coats are required for all practical classes plus an additional coloured lab coat
for students on the Microbiology degree programme. Lab coats should be purchased
before arriving in Manchester (details will be sent to you), however, should you need to
purchase one in Manchester please contact the Faculty’s Admissions Office (Stopford
G.483).

A pocket calculator will also be necessary. NB: Calculators capable of storing and retrieving
text (or having a full alphabet keyboard) are not permitted in University examinations. If you
use one, an additional “simple” calculator will be necessary for examinations.

65. Withdrawal of units

The information provided is correct at the time of publication. The Faculty reserves the right to
withdraw or alter units should there be changes in academic staff or insufficient registrations.

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66. First level course unit profiles

The following pages provide profiles of the course units on offer from the Faculty of Life
Sciences for the current academic year. Profiles include Aims, Intended Learning
Outcomes, lecture and/or practical content, along with details of the assessments,
recommended texts and prerequisites. The headings give information on the unit code
number (which is all that is used by the University to identify a unit, including the
information used for entry to examinations), the semester in which it is taught and the
unit coordinator with his/her email address. The principal lecturers on the unit are also
listed at the end of the profile. For further information on specific units, check the
online course unit profiles which are available on the Faculty intranet at
www.intranet.ls.manchester.ac.uk/education/ugteaching/default.aspx. Enter the unit code
(e.g. BIOL10212) in the ‘Search Term’ field and click ‘Find’. The intranet is the most up-to-
date source of information on the Faculty’s course units.

If you have any questions about a unit once it has started you should approach the lecturer
directly, or consult the unit coordinator.

Students wishing to contact a unit coordinator directly should do so by email.

Full descriptions of language units for those students taking the four-year degrees with a
language are available from the School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures at
www.llc.manchester.ac.uk.

Please note, although students are permitted to take units outside the Faculty, timetable
constraints may not allow some of these units to be taken in conjunction with some compulsory
Faculty units. Please discuss this with your Personal Advisor and/or Programme Director.

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TUTORIALS YEAR 1 BIOL10000

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Liz Sheffield Semester 1 & 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To allow all students to develop some of the skills associated with their degree
programme, along with many employable skills (such as oral and written communication,
organisation, personal interaction, time management, teamwork and computing) which will
prove of general use and should enhance employability.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to integrate information obtained both within and outside the lecture-
based units to obtain an overview of their own degree programme discipline. They will be
adept in oral and written communication, organisation, personal interaction, teamwork,
time management and IT.
Lecture Content
The unit will normally comprise weekly/fortnightly tutorials in small groups. The scientific
content of these units will vary between degree programmes, but all will include:

• essay writing
• discussion groups
• oral presentations
• team working
• poster presentation

Assessment
The work will be assessed by the marking of a variety of pieces of work including essays
submitted to your Advisor, the poster and oral presentations. If either your attendance or
the work submitted is unsatisfactory then you will be required to write an extended
essay during the summer vacation and examination compensation rules cannot be
applied.
In addition, please note that Data Handling Skills units BIOL10701 and BIOL10722 are
also part of the tutorial programme.
Attendance
Attendance at all sessions is a compulsory element of the Work and Attendance
regulations of the Faculty.
Feedback
Students will receive written and verbal feedback from their Academic Advisor for all work
submitted for the Tutorial Unit. Students are also encouraged to meet with their Academic
Advisor to discuss in more detail their written feedback.
Prerequisites
None.

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INTRODUCTORY CHEMISTRY BIOL10111

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Ewan Blanch Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To provide a basic introduction, approximating to 'A' level standard, to the principles and
concepts of chemistry, suitable for biologists.
Intended Learning Outcomes
After completing the course unit, participants should be able to demonstrate a working
knowledge of the basic principles of physical, inorganic and organic chemistry sufficient to
recognise their involvement in biological and other areas.
Lecture Content
• Atoms, ions and molecules; the periodic table and periodicity; atomic structure;
electron configurations.
• Chemical bonding and non-covalent interactions.
• Resonance and aromatics; stereochemistry and chirality.
• Functional group recognition and properties.
• Equilibria, pH and buffers; basic thermodynamics.
• Oxidation and reduction; reaction rates.

Assessment
A 2-hour examination in January contributes 80% to the Unit mark. Learning Module
assessment contributes 20% to the Unit mark.
Learning Module Content
• 5 assessments and 1 revision learning module will cover the material in the above
sections
• 5 clinics that cover the online section of the course along with additional online
material will support the assessed online course work

Feedback
Feedback via problem-solving clinics, revision workshops and eLearning Modules.
Prerequisites
None.
Recommended Reading
Holum JR Fundamentals of General, Organic and Biological Chemistry (6th edition) 1998
Wiley is the main recommended reading material. Lecturers may also refer you to a
specific section of one or more of the following optional books for particular parts of the unit.

• Housecroft C, Constable, E Chemistry: An introduction to organic, inorganic and

physical chemistry' (2nd edition) 2002 Prentice-Hall
• Hill G, Holman J Chemistry in Context (5th edition) 2000 Nelson Thornes
• Jones L, Atkins P Chemistry: Molecules, Matter and Change (4th edition) 2000 WH
Freeman
• Holum JR Fundamentals of General, Organic and Biological Chemistry (6th edition)
1998 Wiley
• Housecroft & Constable: www.booksites.net/housecroft/
• Hill & Hollman www.chemistry-in-context.co.uk/chem_in_cont.htm
• Jones & Atkins www.whfreeman.com/gchem/

Teaching Staff
Dr Ewan Blanch; Professor Andrew Doig; Professor Andrew Munro; Dr Steve Prince

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BIOCHEMISTRY BIOL10212
Unit Coordinator(s): Professor Robert Ford Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To provide grounding in the basic principles of Biochemistry for students in Life Sciences.
To provide a description of the principal components of cells. To demonstrate how energy
is harvested from sunlight, converted and stored in food and then released into high-
energy compounds capable of driving biochemical reactions.
Intended Learning Outcomes
To understand: basic chemical properties of molecules that make life possible, and how
these properties relate to specific macromolecular structures and functions; proteins and
cell membrane structure. Structural proteins, enzymes and macromolecular complexes as
protein machines will be understood. An introduction to biochemical and biophysical
methods will be given. The functions of mitochondria and chloroplasts in oxidative
phosphorylation and photosynthesis respectively will be discussed as well as how energy
can be released during catabolism and how it can be stored during anabolism.
Lecture Content
Structure and chemical components of cells: chemical bonds, molecules in cells,
protein structure and function, purification of proteins, protein function during catalysis,
enzymes as catalysts, naming of enzymes, chemical reactions, activation energy barrier,
importance of enzymes, how enzymes work, active site, co-factors, specificity, activation,
enzyme substrate binding.
Factors affecting enzymes: rates of reaction, effect of temperature, pH, concentration,
Michaelis-Menton, Lineweaver-Burk, enzyme inhibition/regulation reversible, non-
reversible, allosteric molecules.
Membrane structure: fluid mosaic model, phospholipid bilayer, proteins in membranes,
membrane fluidity and the role of cholesterol, use of detergents to solubilize cell
membranes and membrane proteins.
Biochemical and biophysical methods: Protein folding, the Levinthal paradox, diseases
in protein folding. Protein purification and detection methods, chromatography,
electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, use of antibodies.
Metabolism & bioenergetics: concept of high energy carriers, ATP, acetyl CoA, and co-factors
NAD+, NADP+, catabolism and anabolism, free energy changes, glycolysis, the citric acid cycle,
glycogen breakdown, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism.
Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation: the mitochondrion and the
chemiosmotic theory, proton motive force and the production of ATP, ATP synthase.
Photosynthesis: the chloroplast, light capturing pigments, light reactions, photosystems,
electron transport, dark reactions, carbon fixation, synthesis of sucrose and starch.
Assessment
1 hour examination involving 50 multiple choice questions (85% of unit credits).
Electronically marked Blackboard eLearning assessments (15% of unit credits).
Feedback - Feedback will be via mid-semester exam marks & guidance; Blackboard
eLearning modules; Blackboard Discussion Board.
Prerequisites - None.
Recommended Reading
• Horton, R et al Principles of Biochemistry (4th edition) 2006 Prentice Hall

Teaching Staff - Dr Johanna Avis; Professor Robert Ford

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MOLECULAR GENETICS BIOL10221

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr David Boam Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To provide a general introduction to the molecular basis of genetics, how genes are
maintained from one generation to the next and how their expression is regulated in
various systems.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will understand the basis of genome maintenance and gene expression, and
appreciate the concept of mutation at the level of the genotype and how this manifests at
the phenotypic level. The major concepts and principles underlying recombinant DNA
technology will be understood, along with major applications and associated issues
relating to the public understanding of science.
Lecture Content
Part I - Structure and Function of DNA
• DNA as the heritable material
• Biochemical properties and structure of DNA
• DNA replication: semi-conservative replication, origins of DNA replication, elongation at
replication forks, DNA polymerases, cell cycle control of DNA replication; replication of
telomeres, consequences of defects in telomerase
• DNA repair: fidelity of replication, DNA damage, DNA repair mechanisms
• The Genome: structure and function of chromosomes, advances in genome analysis

Part II - Gene expression

• From DNA to RNA: the structure and function of the gene, promoters and
terminators. Transcriptional initiation, elongation and termination, RNA polymerases
• Structure, function and Biochemical properties of RNA
• From RNA to Protein: the genetic code, codons & anticodons, the ribosome & translation
• Gene expression in Prokaryotes: the Lac operon
• Gene expression in Eukaryotes I: regulation of transcription, promoters, enhancer
elements; RNA splicing, post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation
Part III - Molecular basis of mutation
• Consequences of mutation: genotype versus phenotype, molecular basis of
dominant and recessive alleles, somatic versus germline mutations
• Gene mutations: missense versus nonsense mutations, insertions, deletions and
frameshifts. Genetic reversion and suppression
• Chromosomal mutations: changes in chromosome number or structure. Consequences
for fertility
• Occurrence of mutations: spontaneous mutations and effects of environmental factors

Part IV - Recombinant DNA Technology

• Principles of Genetic Engineering: gene cloning and genomics
• Perspectives in Genetic Engineering: applications, moral and ethical issues

Assessment
1 hour examination (90%) and an eLearning exercise (10%).
Feedback
An eLearning component of the unit assessment allows students to monitor their own
progress. An additional optional eLearning exercise will allow students to practice MCQs
based on various parts of the lecture unit. An online discussion forum is available for
communication between students and staff.
Prerequisites - None
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Recommended Reading
• Alberts B et al. Essential Cell Biology 2nd Edition 2003 Garland Science
• Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K & Walter P Molecular Biology of
the Cell (4th edition) 2002 Garland Science
Teaching Staff - Dr David Boam; Professor Terry Brown

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FROM MOLECULES TO CELLS BIOL10232

Unit Coordinator(s): Professor Viki Allan Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To provide a general introduction to molecular cell biology for students in Life Sciences. To
demonstrate how molecular cell biology explains cell function at the level of an individual
cell, and as part of a tissue or organism.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will understand the fundamental processes that govern how and when a cell
communicates, grows, interacts with its neighbours, divides and dies, and how these
processes go awry during cancer. Students will have insight into how cells produce and
export proteins, and how material is endocytosed.
Lecture Content
Introduction to Cell Biology: cell types and techniques
Intracellular compartments and transport: protein sorting; membrane-bounded
organelles, the endoplasmic reticulum; the secretory pathway and vesicular transport; the
cell membrane and endocytic pathway; compartments, transport and disease.
Cell response to the environment: cell communication and signalling.
The cytoskeleton and cell movement: microtubules, actin filaments and intermediate
filaments. Molecular motors.
Cycles of division and growth in cell populations: cell division; cell cycle; control of cell
proliferation and differentiation; cancer; cell death
Interactions between cells in multicellular systems: extracellular matrix and connective
tissue; epithelia and cell junctions.
Assessment
1 hour examination consisting of 50 multiple choice questions (95%) in the semester 2
examination period. eLearning exercise (5%).
Feedback
Feedback will be provided via Learning Modules, Bulletin Board, and by question and
answer exercises during the lectures.
Prerequisites
None.
Recommended Reading
• Alberts B et al. Essential Cell Biology 2nd Edition 2003 Garland Science
Teaching Staff
Professor Viki Allan; Professor Stephen High, Dr Claudia Wellbrock

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A HISTORY OF BIOLOGY IN 20 OBJECTS BIOL10381

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Carsten Timmermann Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
This course provides students with a broad perspective on how today’s life sciences
have grown out of past investigations of nature. It creates a historically-grounded
framework for the knowledge and skills they will acquire as undergraduates. By focusing
on “objects” - topics of inquiry and the tools used to carry out those inquiries - students
will see the history of their subject not as something done in the past by a series of “great
men”, but as something that helps us understand our present. What are now everyday
laboratory objects were once associated with exciting new developments and cutting
edge research; the reasons why these objects and approaches were adopted tells us a
great deal about how biology works, how it has changed, and gives us some insight into
how it may change again in the 21st century. Students will gain an insight into the
motivations that inspired scholars in the past to study nature, as well as the links
between the contexts in which research was pursued and the products of this research.
The result will be that students look at their laboratory work, and at the material they are
taught in other units, in a different light.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The central questions we will address are:
• What did it mean to investigate nature, to develop a science of life at various points in
history?
• Who was interested in this?
• How was this done, in different historical, i.e. national, social or institutional settings?
• Why did biology develop the way it did?

The course will look and feel rather different from history courses that students may have
been exposed to in school. We will not be talking primarily about great men and women
and their dates of birth or death. Lectures will be organised around “objects”: topics of
inquiry, key organisms or research tools. We will work with images and (short) original
texts, and students will be confronted with stories which they may or may not associate
with the life sciences and might find surprising (and hopefully illuminating and
entertaining). We will also explore ways in which the history of the life sciences could have
taken a different course. What if, for example, Charles Darwin had known about Gregor
Mendel’s breeding experiments? What if the inventor of the ultracentrifuge had never
become interested in proteins?

Lecture Content
There will be 20 lectures on the history of selected objects and a poster workshop. The
lectures are arranged in approximate chronological order, introducing the historical contexts,
social, political and institutional, from which respective objects emerged and discussing what
happened to these objects since they became part of biology. Students will be assigned to
small study groups that work together on developing a poster on the history of an object; a
tool, concept or key organism. They can either meet physically or use Blackboard to
collaborate, or any combination of meetings and online work. We will encourage students to
link the poster exercise with research that is currently pursued within FLS.

Accompanying lectures, students will be required to read a selection of short, original texts
(for example the 2-page 1953 paper by Watson and Crick, introducing their proposed
structure of DNA) and discuss these in Blackboard chat rooms, guided by a set of
questions. Lectures will also be accompanied by online quizzes in Blackboard, guided by
questions relating to lectures and required readings. Some of these will be exercises in
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“counterfactual history”: what would today’s life sciences look like if things had turned out
differently?

Assessment
1 hour examination: multiple-choice and short note answer questions - 70%
Poster on the history of an object, tool, concept or key organism (peer reviewed) - 20%
Participation in online discussions and seminars - 10%

Feedback - Feedback will be provided via Blackboard, in response to chat room postings.
Students will be able to gauge their understanding of topics by completing online quizzes
throughout the semester.

Prerequisites - none.

Recommended Reading
• Allen, Garland E., Life Science in the Twentieth Century (Cambridge University Press,
1975)
• Bowler, Peter J. and Iwan Rhys Morus, Making Modern Science: A Historical Survey
(University of Chicago Press, 2005).
• Cobb, Matthew, The Egg & Sperm Race: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists who
unlocked the Secrets of Sex and Growth (The Free Press, 2006)
• Morange, Michael, A History of Molecular Biology (Harvard University Press, 1998)

Teaching Staff
Professor Matthew Cobb, Prof. John Pickstone, Dr Carsten Timmermann, Prof. Michael
Worboys. With guest lectures by Drs Ian Burney, Robert Kirk and Duncan Wilson

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INTRODUCTION TO LABORATORY SCIENCE BIOL10401

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Ruth Grady Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To introduce students to the basic skills and techniques that underpin laboratory
investigation; to build the expertise and knowledge that will be required by students to
undertake both the Introduction to Experimental Biology unit offered in the second
semester, and the practical modules offered at level 2.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of their first year students are expected to: be competent in a range of practical
techniques and skills appropriate to the biosciences; conduct experiments taking into
consideration health and safety requirements; make detailed experimental observations,
and record, analyse and evaluate experimental and other scientific data; analyse
experimental data using appropriate statistical methods; be able to modify or design
related experiments; communicate experimental work by means of written, or computer-
assisted, reports and assignments; use information technology in the research, analysis
and presentation of scientific data; relate knowledge acquired in the laboratory to
theoretical material covered in the lecture units; work both independently and as part of a
team; be able to make critical evaluation of both their own work and that of their peers; and
reflect upon their skills development during their first year.

Practical Content
The unit consists of ten practical sessions introducing the fundamental experimental
approaches in bioscience and biomedical research. Students will study the human
cardiovascular and respiratory systems; gain experience in working with a diverse array of
experimental organisms ranging from microbes to plants to humans; and gain expertise in
working with DNA, proteins and other biomolecules.

The 10 practicals are as follows (subject to change):

The Diversity of Life

1. The evolution of complexity: unicellular to multicellular organisms
2. Cell behaviour: how Paramecium feed

Shedding Light on Biomolecules

3. Using spectrophotometry to characterise vitamin B12 and lysozyme
4. Photosynthetic pigments in seaweeds

DNA & Proteins

5. Plasmid DNA preparation and agarose gel electrophoresis
6. The Fish-fingerprinting lab: visualising proteins by SDS PAGE gel electrophoresis

Switching on Genes
7. Expression of the Lactose (lac) operon of Escherichia coli

Human Biology
8. Haematology and the histology of blood
9. Pulses, blood pressure, and the anatomy of circulation
10. Lung mechanics

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Assessment
50% coursework; 50 % examination

Students will be assessed by their satisfactory completion of experimental work during the
laboratory sessions (20%), by short written assignments relating to Practicals 1-4 (30%)
and by a 1 hour examination consisting of multiple choice questions and short answer
questions in January (50%)

The short written assignments relating to Practicals 1-4 will be assessed by peer-marking:
critical appraisal of the work of others is a key skill in all fields of science and is an intended
learning outcome for this unit - participation in the peer-marking sessions is compulsory and
failure to do so will result in a deduction of 50% of the marks for Practicals 1-4.

NB. Attendance at practical sessions is compulsory. The attendance mark (20%) will be
awarded only if attendance and completion of practicals is judged to be ‘satisfactory’
(defined as attending and completing at least 80% of the practicals); otherwise attendance
is judged to be ‘unsatisfactory’ and will be awarded a mark of 0. Further penalties for
absences are detailed in the practical manual. Missing more than 2 practicals for whatever
reason will trigger a meeting with the Unit Coordinator &/or the Senior Advisor. A mark of
at least 40% is required to pass this unit. Failure of this unit will result in a loss of
compensation for other failed first year examinations.

Feedback
During the practical sessions, you will be able get immediate feedback on your technical
performance by talking to staff, demonstrators and your peers. The questions or exercises
in the practical manual are there to test your understanding and you should get feedback
on your answers from staff or demonstrators before you leave each laboratory session.
After each practical, there are additional ‘quiz questions’ available on Blackboard for you to
judge your understanding later. In week 7, you will undertake ‘peer marking’ of the
assessment coursework questions for Practicals 1-4, allowing you to judge your own
understanding compared to one of your peers. Any queries regarding this unit can be
addressed to staff or other students via communication boards on Blackboard. You will get
feedback on your overall performance for the unit in the form of the final mark released at
the beginning of Semester 2. Additional practice problems/questions [including some with
model answers or feedback] will be made available during the semester and should
support your preparation for the written examination

Prerequisites
None

Teaching Staff
Dr Amanda Bamford, Dr Shazia Chaudhry, Dr Maggy Fostier, Dr Ruth Grady, Dr David
Hughes, Dr Michelle Keown, Dr Tristan Pocock, Dr Liz Sheader, Dr Tracey Speake, Dr
Carol Wakeford

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INTRODUCTION TO EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY BIOL10402

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Maggy Fostier Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To equip students with the basic laboratory skills necessary to study the Life Sciences.
This unit will provide the foundation for more advanced level 2 laboratory skills units.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this unit, students will be proficient in a number of basic laboratory
techniques appropriate to their specialist degree programme. By the end of their first year
students are expected to: be competent in a range of practical techniques and skills
appropriate to the biosciences; conduct experiments taking into consideration health and
safety requirements; make detailed experimental observations, and record, analyse and
evaluate experimental and other scientific data; analyse experimental data using
appropriate statistical methods; be able to modify or design related experiments;
communicate experimental work by means of written reports and assignments; use
information technology in the research, analysis and presentation of scientific data; relate
knowledge acquired in the laboratory to theoretical material covered in the lecture units;
work both independently and as part of a team; be able to make critical evaluation of both
their own work and that of their peers; and reflect upon their skills development during their
first year.

Practical Content
Students will undertake two of the following experimental strands, as determined by their
Programme Director. Together, these programmes encompass widely used modern
techniques and more specific techniques appropriate to each student’s degree
programme. In addition, all students will take the Biomathematics session which provides
complementary training in statistical analysis.
• Strand 1 - Drugs and the Nervous System
• Strand 2 - Molecular Genetics for Human Biologists
• Strand 3 - Cells and Genes
• Strand 4 - Organisms and the Environment
• Strand 5 - Inside the Cell: from DNA to Protein

Assessment
Students will be assessed by a full experimental report for one practical (50%) and a 1 hour
examination consisting of multiple choice questions and short answer questions (50%).

NB: Attendance at practical sessions is compulsory; including the induction session for
this unit timetabled in week 1 of semester 2. Attendance judged to be unsatisfactory will
lead to marks getting deducted out of your overall unit score (see details in the practical
manual).

A mark of at least 40% is required to pass this unit. Failure of this unit will result in a loss of
compensation for other failed first year examinations.

Feedback
During the practical sessions, there will be many opportunities for you to get feedback from
staff or demonstrators on your technical performance and on your conceptual
understanding of the practical tested through the questions and exercises posed in the
practical manual. This feedback along with additional practice problems/questions
[including some with model answers or feedback] should support your preparation for the

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written examination. For the experimental laboratory report, support and feedback will be
provided by your academic advisor and through the Biomathematics practical session. You
will get feedback on your overall performance in the form of the final mark for the unit and
will get individual feedback on your lab report from your tutor.

Prerequisites
None

Teaching Staff
Dr Amanda Bamford, Dr Jason Bruce, Dr Shazia Chaudhry, Dr Bip Choudhury, Dr
Sheena Cruickshank, Dr Maggy Fostier, Dr Stefan Gabriel, Dr Ruth Grady, Dr Kath
Hinchliffe, Dr David Hughes, Dr Josip Lovric, Dr Michelle Keown, Dr Tristan Pocock, Dr
Daniel Rozen, Dr Liz Sheader, Dr Tracey Speake, Dr Carol Wakeford, Dr Donald Ward

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BIODIVERSITY BIOL10511
Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Liz Sheffield Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To consider the entire breadth of organismal diversity and the depth of particular examples
of scientific, environmental or economic importance. To focus on "ways to make a living"
involving everything from the smallest microbes to the mightiest redwoods and whales -
emphasising that organisms should not be considered in isolation, as they naturally team
up with others, share resources, or compete with each other in richly diverse ecosystems.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will understand how eukaryotes arose from prokaryotes; multicells from unicells;
sexual from non-sexual organisms; complex life forms from simple ones.
Lecture Content
Emphasises the enormous periods of the earth's history that elapsed before mammals and
angiosperms came to dominate the human perspective. Tolerance of extremes and
metabolic plasticity - key to the success of a diverse range of photosynthetic prokaryotes.
Eukaryotic diversity. Euglenoids and dinoflagellates illustrate the lack of easy distinction
between plants and animals. Structural and reproductive advances which led to green
plants. Chlamydomonas (to illustrate sexual reproduction). Terrestrial adaptation is key to
modern plant diversity. Diversification of body forms and reproductive mechanisms
produced all present-day successful strategies. Mosses and ferns - reliance on motile
sperm does not preclude terrestrial existence. The evolution of seed plants. How
angiosperms and animals have shaped one another's evolution.
Deep sea vent communities. Slime moulds to animals. Body plans, segmentation and
support - their role in colonisation of land by animals. Arthropods. Horseshoe crab.
Vertebrates. Endoskeletons, brains and the amniotic egg - features that have allowed the
survival of modern terrestrial reptiles and mammals.
Partners and robbers. Partnerships allow survival in otherwise inhospitable or highly
competitive habitats - corals, jellies, rattans, lichens. Hemi-parasites; full parasites;
carnivorous plants.
Retracing steps: aquatic mammals and angiosperms.
Assessment
90% for a one hour written examination (MCQs and SNQs), in the semester 1 examination
period, 5% for eLearning exercises and 5% for collaborative ePoster.
Feedback
Feedback on your work may be given in one or more of a range of methods. The most
usual vehicle will be Blackboard and the most obvious way to obtain feedback is via the
Learning Modules for the unit. Each response you give will be evaluated and comments
provided that expand correct answers, and help you understand what was wrong about
incorrect answers.You may also receive verbal feedback (e.g. during lectures or face to
face with the Unit Coordinator), and comments may be made on entries posted on the
Discussion Board for this unit.
There will be peer feedback and formative feedback from the Unit Coordinator on your
draft e-poster. There will also be answers provided to all the mid-semester examinations
with generic feedback on student performance in that exam. If you fail the January
examination please consult the generic feedback that will be published on the answers
given in that exam. You may also see the Unit Coordinator for individual feedback on your
examination paper.

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Prerequisites - None.
Recommended Reading
• Campbell N et al. Biology (9th edition) 2011 Pearson Education
• Sadava, D et al. Life. The Science of Biology 2008 Sinauer
• Hickman CP, Roberts LS, I'Anson H & Larson A Integrated Principles of Zoology
2003 McGraw-Hill
• Ennos R and Sheffield E Plantlife 2000 Blackwell Science

Teaching Staff - Dr Liz Sheffield

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GENES, EVOLUTION AND DEVELOPMENT BIOL10521

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr David Hughes Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To provide a general introduction to the patterns and principles of heredity. To investigate
the process of evolutionary change and to relate genetic mechanisms to evolutionary
outcomes. To provide an overview of the principles of developmental biology and the
relationship between development and evolution.

Intended Learning Outcomes

To understand basic genetic principles, both at the individual and population level, and to
appreciate the concept of natural selection as the driving force of evolution. To appreciate
how interactions between organisms and the environment, between individuals within a
species, and between individuals of different species can shape selective forces and
evolutionary outcomes. To understand how genes control the development of organisms
and to appreciate the importance of development in evolutionary change.

Lecture Content
Patterns and Principles of Inheritance - Mendelian inheritance and probability;
relationship between Mendelism and the behaviour of chromosomes during meiosis; gene
interactions including multiple alleles, complications in the concept of dominance,
penetrance and expressivity; sex determination and sex-linked inheritance; genetic linkage
and gene mapping; maternal inheritance and organelles; genetics of complex characters;
human genetics.
Mechanisms of Evolution - Descent with modification: a Darwinian view of life;
population genetics and genetic variation; Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; processes that
change genotype and allele frequencies; natural selection as a mechanism of adaptive
evolution; sexual selection; evolution at the molecular level; speciation; the evolution of
interactions among species.
Developmental Biology - Overview of the principles of animal development: how does a
single-celled fertilised egg becomes an embryo and then a fully formed adult body. Cell
fate and differentiation: overview of the mechanisms of developmental commitment and
maintenance of cell differentiation. Experimental developmental biology: model organisms
and the main techniques to study development. Development and evolution: the evo-devo
concept.

Assessment
1 hour written examination (MCQs) in the semester 1 examination period (80%)
Coursework/eLearning (20%)

Feedback
Feedback via mid-semester exam marks & guidance, Learning Modules, Problem Sets,
Bulletin Board.

Prerequisites - None

Recommended Reading
• Campbell N and Reece J (2008) Biology (8th edition). Benjamin Cummings
• Coyne, JA (2009) Why Evolution is True. Oxford University Press
• Savada D (2011) Life: The Science of Biology (9th edition). Sinauer-Freeman
• Wolpert L (2002) Principles of Development (2nd edition). Oxford University Press

Teaching Staff - Professor Matthew Cobb, Dr Maggy Fostier, Dr David Hughes

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MICROBES, MAN AND THE ENVIRONMENT BIOL10532

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Geoff Robson Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To investigate the diversity of form and function of microbes in relation to environmental
niches. To consider the breadth of microbial interactions with other organisms in the
ecosystem and the impact of those interactions on human affairs.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will understand how microbes evolved structurally and metabolically from
primitive organisms diversifying into new niches. Students will appreciate the breadth of
microbes and their critical role in the global ecosystem and understand how microbes form
associations and interactions with plants, animals and insects, and how these associations
continue to impact on our everyday lives.
Lecture Content
Microbial evolution and nutrition: The origin of life, phylogeny, evolution of bacteria,
Archaea and fungi; Evolution of microbes into diversifying ecosystems; Diversity of energy-
generating systems of microbes.
Microbial structure, replication and motility: Bacterial replication, structure, adhesion,
motility and growth; Fungal replication, yeasts, moulds and spores; Diversity of viruses &
viral replication.
Microbes in the environment: Carbon cycling in the ecosystem. Brown rots and white rot
fungi; nitrogen cycling in the ecosystem. Ammonification, nitrification and de-nitrification.
Microbial partnerships: Microbial associations with plant roots. Legumes, rhizobia and
nitrogen fixation. Mycorrhizal associations with plant roots, from trees to orchids; Microbial
associations with animals and insects. Ruminants and hind gut fermenters. Cellulose
digestion, methanogens and chytrids. Termites and leaf cutter ants.
Microbes as pathogens: Human-microbe interactions; Introduction to bacterial
pathogenicity; Bacterial exotoxins and endotoxins as virulence factors; Viral diseases of
man; epidemiology; the spread of disease through the population; microbial pathogens of
plants and insects. Colonisation and invasion strategies; viral diseases of man.
Antimicrobials and targets; antibiotics; targets and modes of action; emergence and
mechanism of antibiotic resistance.
Microbial Biotechnology: Microbes & food. Use of microbes in food and beverage
production. Food spoilage & toxins; Exploitation of natural microbial communities in the
treatment of sewage; Exploitation of bacteria for plant transformation for the production of
genetically modified crops; Use of bacterial toxins and resistance genes for novel pest and
weed control.
Assessment - 95 marks awarded for a one hour examination which includes 50 MCQs, in
the semester 2 examination period, and 5 marks awarded for eLearning exercises.
Feedback - Feedback is through eLearning modules running throughout the unit.
Prerequisites - None
Recommended Reading
Madigan, Martinko, Dunlap & Clark (Eds.) Brock:Biology of Microorganisms 12th edition
2009 Pearson:Benjamin Cummings
Teaching Staff - Dr Nicola High, Prof Ian Roberts, Dr Geoff Robson, Prof Simon Turner

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FIELD COURSE IN MARINE BIOLOGY BIOL10602

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Holly Shiels Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To examine organisms of rocky shores, sandy shores, the shallow-sea benthic fauna and
planktonic organisms. To study zonation patterns on rocky and sandy shores. To
investigate effectiveness of standard ecological surveying methods. To conduct a project
working in small teams and compile a written and verbal report.
Intended Learning Outcomes
To recognise shore organisms to phylum or class level and many common organism to the
species level; to understand the patterns and causes of zonation on both rocky and sandy
intertidal shores; to examine live plankton and completed a portfolio of planktonic
organisms. To learn effective teamwork and planning of a group project and to learn
effective written and oral presentation to a short deadline.
Field Course Content
A series of introductory workshops in Manchester will precede an 8 day residential
course which will be held immediately following the June exam period (precise dates
not known until November). The course is held at the University Marine Biological
Station, in Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, Scotland. Lectures, laboratory work and field work
(including boat work) are included. Accommodation is full-board in the hostel adjacent
to the Marine Station. Transport will be by coach to Glasgow then by ferry to Cumbrae.
Field Courses will require a financial contribution to be made early in the first
semester of your first year. In cases of financial hardship, you should contact the
Senior Advisor as soon as possible. You cannot change field course registration
after the end of the second week of teaching in Semester 1.
Assessment - Three components will be assessed and the marks combined (equal
weight) to give the unit mark:
• A species identification test.
• Assessment of plankton drawings and laboratory notebooks.
• Oral and written presentation of group project results (mark shared by the group
members).
Feedback - Feedback is ongoing through the course as students interact with staff and
demonstrators. Grades for species identification test are released during the course.
Feedback on presentations occurs during course.
Prerequisites
This unit is compulsory for Zoology students and optional for some other degree
programmes (see ‘Degree Programme Requirements’ table in Section 62).
Recommended Reading
• Campbell A C (1994) Hamlyn Guide to the Seashores and Shallow Seas of Britain
and Europe. Hamlyn
• Gibson R, Hextall B & Rogers A (2001) Photographic Guide to the Sea & Shore Life
of Britain and North-west Europe. Oxford University Press
• Hawkins S J & Jones H D (1992) Marine Field Course Guide I: Rocky Shores. Immel
• Hayward P J, Nelson-Smith T & Shields C (1996) Collins Pocket guide to the Sea
Shore of Britain and Northern Europe. Collins
• Hickman C, Roberts L & Larsen A (1995) Integrated Principles of Zoology.
McGraw-Hill
Teaching Staff - Dr Holly Shiels

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FIELD COURSE IN COMPARATIVE AND ADAPTIVE BIOL10622

BIOLOGY
Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Giles Johnson Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To introduce students to the Mediterranean environment and to investigate the adaptations
seen in organisms living in that environment. To discuss how and why those adaptations
evolved. To introduce students to essential techniques in field biology.
Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, you should be able to recognise the most important and
characteristic adaptations of plants to the Mediterranean environment and to understand
the main evolutionary factors that gave rise to those adaptations. You will have gained
experience in using keys to separate organisms, and in designing and executing a range
of field surveys. You will have experience of planning and executing a group-based project
and presenting an oral account of the research to a short deadline.
Field Course Content
Two introductory workshops in Manchester will precede a residential field course, which
will take place during one week of the Easter vacation on the island of Majorca. We will
stay in a self-catering apartment complex on the outskirts of the old town of Alcudia. The
course begins with field demonstrations and exercises in scrub, woodland, mountain, salt
marsh and sand dune habitats. A visit to a local market will be used as the basis for an
introduction to plants cultivated and animals farmed in the Mediterranean, including
introduction to species with physiological and reproductive features that permit survival in
the Mediterranean climate. The second half of the course unit will comprise small student-
led group projects. Recent projects have included studies of the distribution of hybridising
plant species; studies of plant stress physiology in different situations; sexual selection in
beetles; polymorphism in snails; association of parasites and hosts.
In addition to the residential part of the course there will be two introductory sessions (3
hours each) taking place in Manchester prior to the Easter vacation. Further information is
available at http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/giles.johnson/mallorca/.
Field Courses will require a financial contribution to be made early in the first
semester of your first year. In cases of financial hardship, you should contact the
Senior Advisor as soon as possible. You cannot change field course registration
after the end of the second week of teaching in Semester 1.
Assessment
Marks will be collected from two assignments:
• Spot tests of specimens (names, group, adaptive features etc) 40%
• Oral presentation of group projects 60%
Feedback
Staff are available throughout the course to give informal feedback. Formal feedback on
individual performance will be supplied by email after the course if requested.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for the unit but attendance at 'Biodiversity (BIOL10511)' would
be useful. The course may be of particular interest to students who studied the 'Ecology'
module at A Level, and those who have conducted field work in British habitats, as the
organisms and their adaptations provide a marked contrast to those seen in British flora
and fauna. The course is primarily intended for Biology, Plant Science and Environmental
Science students, but is also relevant to students of Zoology or Genetics.
Teaching Staff - Dr Giles Johnson, Dr Minsung Kim

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FIELD COURSE IN FRESHWATER BIOLOGY BIOL10632

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Keith White Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To provide an understanding of the structure and functioning of lake and river
communities, including the skills necessary to examine community interactions in the field.
To understand how and why human activities, in particular pollution, damage freshwater
communities. To conduct a project working in small teams and compile a written and
verbal report.

Intended Learning Outcomes

To recognise the dominant groups of plants and animals constituting the plankton (drifting
organisms) and nekton (swimming organisms) of lakes, and of the benthos (bottom
dwellers) of rivers. To assess the importance of natural and human-impacts on freshwater
communities. To learn effective teamwork and to design, execute and present a field-
based project on an aspect of freshwater ecology and deliver a word-processed report.

Field Course Content

Venue: A series of introductory workshops in Manchester will precede an eight day
residential course at the Environment Education Centre, Kastoria, Greece (http://kpe-
kastor.kas.sch.gr/en_index.htm) during the Easter vacation. The new centre includes
laboratories and lecture-rooms, is adjacent to Lake Kastoria and is in easy reach of nearby
rivers and lakes.
The course begins with field demonstrations in sampling and analysis of lakes and rivers
including sampling and identification of benthic invertebrates, zooplankton and
phytoplankton. Techniques in sampling and analysis of water quality will also be covered.
The course will involve boat work and river wading. The second half of the course will
comprise small group student-led field-based projects. Recent projects have included
identification of trophic status of a lake, use of benthic invertebrates as indicators of
pollution, influence of sewage pollution on lake, urban river water quality & ecology.
Field Courses will require a financial contribution to be made early in the first
semester of your first year. In cases of financial hardship, you should contact the
Senior Advisor as soon as possible. You cannot change field course registration
after the end of the second week of teaching in Semester 1.
Assessment
'Spot' identification test (30%), oral presentation (20%) & individual write-up of the group
project (50%).
Feedback
Written feedback and mark in relation to performance in the identification test and the oral
presentation. Advice on write-up of the project in relation to content of the oral presentation.
Prerequisites
None, as background lectures are provided during the course. This course may be of particular
interest to students interested in environmental research and environmental consultancy.
Recommended Reading
Use either text book:
• Sigee DC Freshwater Microbiology 2004 Wiley
• Horne, A.J. and Goldman, C. R. Limnology (3rd Edition) 1994 New York:McGraw Hill

Teaching Staff - Dr Amanda Bamford; Dr Keith White

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FIELD COURSE IN ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR BIOL10642

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Reinmar Hager Semester 2
([email protected]) & Dr Tristan Pocock Credits 10
([email protected])

Aims
The overall aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the adaptive value of
animal behaviour and how it can be analysed. Using the South African savannah as a
setting, students will design simple experiments in the field on animals across a wide
variety of taxa, ranging from large mammals and birds to invertebrates, to address cause
and function of animal behaviour. The course will also cover animal behaviour in
conservation and ex situ management.
Intended Learning Outcomes
• To understand the basics of experimental design and conduct simple behavioural
experiments in the field.
• To develop observational skills to accurately record behaviours of a diverse range
of animals.
• To be able to distinguish proximate and ultimate mechanisms of behaviour.
• To understand how behaviour is adapted to the physical and social environment
• To develop skills in statistical analyses and presentation of behavioural data.

Field Course Content

Introductory workshops in Manchester will precede a residential field course, which will
take place over 7-12 days of the Easter vacation (exact dates to be finalized) in South
Africa. Accommodation is provided at a fully-catered private game reserve near
Thabazimbi, north of Pretoria. Common flora and fauna of the bushveld will be identified.
Students will work in small groups on different behavioural projects, including classifying
species based on behaviour, diurnal variation in animal behaviour, social behaviour of
birds and large mammals, and statistical analysis. Lectures covering aspects of animal
behaviour, conservation biology and zoology will be delivered during the field course.

Field courses will require a financial contribution to be made early in the first
semester of your first year. In cases of financial hardship, you should contact the
Senior Advisor as soon as possible. You cannot change field course registration
after the end of the second week of teaching in Semester 1.
Assessment
Students will be assessed on their participation in group projects, experimental design
worksheets (5%), a behavioural interpretation quiz (5%), group presentation of their
studies (30%), and individual project write-ups (60%).
Feedback
Students will receive verbal feedback on their experimental design to help with project
planning. They will also receive written feedback on their write-ups to improve their report-
writing skills.
Prerequisites
This unit is preferentially aimed at Zoology and Neuroscience students, but is also open to
Biology and Life Sciences students. Participants on the course will have to undergo a
course of appropriate immunisations in the months prior to the departure date.
Recommended Reading
• Festing, M.F.W. et al. (2002). The design of animal experiments. Royal Society of
Medicine Press (Compulsory)

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• Loon, R. & Loon, H. (2005) Birds, The Inside Story: Exploring Birds and their
Behaviour in Southern Africa. Struik, Capetown, SA
• Carruthers, V. (2000) The Wildlife of Southern Africa: A Field Guide to the Animals
and Plants of the Region. Struik, Capetown, SA
• Martin, P. & Bateson, P. (2007) Measuring Behaviour: An Introductory Guide (3rd
Ed.) Cambridge University Press
• Fowler J. & Cohen L. (1998) Practical statistics for field biology. (2nd ed.) Blackwell
• Estes, R.D. (1992) The behaviour guide to African mammals. University of
California Press
Teaching Staff - Dr Tristan Pocock; Dr Stefan Gabriel; Dr Reinmar Hager

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DATA HANDLING SKILLS 1 BIOL10701

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Martin Steward Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 0
Aims
This is the first of three modules that aim to provide experience in scientific calculations,
experimental design, data analysis, statistical techniques and the use of scientific
software. The module forms an integral part of the tutorial unit for degree programmes in
the Faculty.

Intended Learning Outcomes

You will be able: to access University IT facilities; to use basic scientific and office
software; to perform calculations accurately using scientific notation, SI units and unit
prefixes; to manipulate and present experimental data with appropriate precision; to
present experimental data graphically and fit lines to experimental data using
spreadsheets; to understand the basic principles of bioinformatics.

Lecture Content
• Measurements and units
• Moles and concentrations
• Accuracy and precision
• Logs and exponentials
• Functions and equations
• Using spreadsheets
• Graphs and trendlines
• Data analysis in Excel
• Bioinformatic gene sequence analysis
• Working with PDF files

Assessment
You will undertake weekly exercises within the Blackboard virtual learning environment
and enter your answers to both practice and assessed questions on-line. Your cumulative
score on the assessed questions must exceed 70% in each semester for you to pass the
tutorial unit (BIOL10000).

Feedback
You will receive immediate feedback when you submit your answers to the quick quizzes
and practice questions, including helpful tips on questions that have been answered
incorrectly. You will also see your score when you submit your answers to each week's
assessment, as well as running total and average marks so that you can judge whether
you are on target to pass the unit.

Prerequisites
None

Recommended Reading
• Cann A J (2003) Maths from Scratch for Biologists. Wiley
• Aitken MRF, Broadhurst RW & Hladky SB (2010) Mathematics for Biological
Scientists. Garland Science

Teaching Staff
Dr Martin Steward and Dr Carol Wakeford

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DATA HANDLING SKILLS 2 BIOL10722

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Roland Ennos Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 0

Aims
This is the second of three modules that aim to provide experience in scientific
calculations, experimental design, data analysis, statistical techniques and the use of
scientific software. The module forms an integral part of the tutorial unit for most degree
programmes in the Faculty.

Intended Learning Outcomes

You will be able: to understand the origin of variability within populations and to quantify it;
to select and apply appropriate statistical tests in finding differences between samples and
in finding associations between variables; to use an understanding of statistics to optimise
experimental design.

Lecture Content
• Variability and sampling
• Preparing publishable graphs in Excel
• Testing for differences
• Investigating associations
• Dealing with categorical data
• Using SPSS
• Comparing more than two groups
• Regression
• Choosing statistical tests and designing experiments

Assessment
You will undertake weekly exercises within the Blackboard virtual learning environment
and enter your answers to both practice and assessed questions on-line. Your cumulative
score on the assessed questions must exceed 70% in both semesters for you to pass the
tutorial unit (BIOL10000).

Feedback
Feedback is available on your incorrect answers in the practice questions, and during
weekly clinics.

Prerequisites
BIOL10701 (Compulsory)

Recommended Reading
• Ennos AR (2007) Statistical and Data Handling Skills in Biology (2nd Edition).
Prentice Hall

Teaching Staff
Dr Roland Ennos, Dr Martin Steward

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BODY SYSTEMS BIOL10811

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Nick Ashton Semester 1
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To introduce students to the concepts that underpin physiology: homeostasis, and the
major tissue types that form the body structures. To consider the detailed anatomy and
physiology of the human cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Intended Learning Outcomes

To understand the interrelationship between structure and function of each of the
cardiovascular and respiratory systems and how these two systems contribute to
homeostasis. To understand how some common diseases of the cardiovascular and
respiratory systems can be interpreted in terms of altered physiology and anatomy.

Lecture Content
Homeostasis and Control System: Evolution of an internal 'sea' (the extracellular fluid)
and maintenance of a relative constancy in its composition. Endocrine and neural control
systems. The autonomic nervous system and the concept of dual control.
Tissue Diversity: An introduction to the various tissue types that form the body structures.
Lining and covering tissues, muscle tissues, supporting tissues, haemopoietic tissues and
the physiology of blood.
The Cardiovascular System: Structure and physiology of blood vessels. The gross
anatomy of the circulations. The anatomy of the heart and initiation of the heart beat.
Energetics of the circulation and the cardiac cycle. The control of cardiac output and of
blood pressure. Local control of the circulation. Physiology of the coronary and pulmonary
circulations. Diseases of the cardiovascular system.
The Respiratory System: Anatomy of the respiratory tract and lungs. Anatomy and
physiology of ventilation. Gaseous exchange in the lungs. Transport of oxygen and carbon
dioxide in blood. The control of breathing. Diseases of the lung.

Assessment
95% examination (one hour multiple choice question (MCQ) examination) and 5%
coursework, comprising a number of short online assessments.

Feedback - Feedback will be given via Blackboard Learning Modules and Mid-semester
formative assessment.

Prerequisites - None

Recommended Reading
A number of anatomy and physiology textbooks are appropriate for this unit. Reading the
relevant information in more than one book is a good habit to get into as different books
will explain things in different ways and aid your understanding. If you prefer to buy your
own textbook it is suggested that you try before you buy.
The following book is recommended, but others are equally good.
• Martini, F.H. (2008) Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology (8th edition).
Pearson Education

Teaching Staff - Dr Nick Ashton, Dr Bip Choudhury, Professor Mark Dunne, Dr Michelle
Keown
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DRUGS: FROM MOLECULES TO MAN BIOL10822

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Richard Prince Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To introduce the major concepts underpinning pharmacology. To describe the main
molecular mechanisms of action of some important classes of drugs acting on the
cardiorespiratory system and relate these mechanisms to their cellular, tissue, organ and
whole animal effects.
Intended Learning Outcomes
To understand: the molecular targets for drugs and examples of drugs acting at several target
types; the basic concepts of drug receptor interactions; the importance of drug structure in
their ability to interact with their targets; the mechanisms of the major drug classes used to
treat hypertension, angina, cardiac failure, cardiac dysrhythmias and asthma.
Lecture Content
Introduction to pharmacology: History and scope of pharmacology. How drugs are
discovered.
Introduction to drug targets: Structure, function and cellular location of ligand-gated
channels, voltage gated channels, enzymes, nuclear hormone receptors, transporters and
pumps, G-protein coupled receptors.
Nature of drug receptor interactions: Agonists, antagonists and partial agonists,
efficacy, drug structures, pharmacophores and selectivity. Concentration-response
relationships. Gaddum, Schild analysis.
Drugs acting on the cardiovascular/respiratory systems: Antihypertensive drugs,
antidysrhythmic drugs, drugs used to treat angina and cardiac failure, lipid lowering drugs,
drug used to treat and prevent thrombosis, drugs used to treat asthma.
Assessment
95 marks awarded for a one hour examination, which will include 50 MCQs in the semester
2 examination period, and 5 marks awarded for an electronically marked exercise.
Feedback
Feedback will be provided via automated eLearning module responses; post-examination
guidance (if requested)
Prerequisites – BIOL10811 (Strongly Recommended)
Recommended Reading
• Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM & Flower, R Rang & Dale's Pharmacology (7th
Edition) 2011 Churchill Livingstone For purchase if studying Pharmacology in Years
2&3
• Waller DG, Renwick AG & Hillier K Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (3rd
Edition) 2010 WD Saunders
nd
• Dale, MM & Haylett, DG Pharmacology Condensed 2 Ed. 2008 Churchill
Livingstone
th
• Katzung BG et al., Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (11 Ed) 2009. Lange.
Available as an e-book via JRUL website.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT BUY A TEXTBOOK UNTIL YOU HAVE ATTENDED THE FIRST
LECTURE!

Teaching Staff - Dr Richard Prince

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EXCITABLE CELLS BIOL10832

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Owen Jones Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10
Aims
To consider the major concepts underlying the basis of cell excitability, the structure and
function of excitable cells and their contribution to muscle and nervous system function.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will understand what excitable cells are and what makes them important; the
techniques used to study them; the structure and function of muscles and the nervous
system; invertebrate and vertebrate learning.
Lecture Content
Overview. The cytosol, extracellular fluids, membranes. The proteins - ion channels,
pumps and transporters. Diffusion, permeability, electricity. Origin of resting membrane
potentials. Radiotracers, dyes, electrophysiology. Patch Clamp Techniques. The action
potential. Gross organization of musculature. Cellular structure of muscle. Excitation-
contraction coupling in muscle cells.
Gross organization of the nervous system. Cellular organization of the nervous system.
Transmission. Saltatory conduction. Electrical synapses. Chemical transmission. A model
synapse - the neuromuscular junction. Synaptic integration. Synaptic modulation. Simple
nervous systems: invertebrate learning. Vertebrate nervous systems: learning.
Assessment
95 marks awarded for a one hour examination which will consist of 50 MCQs, in the
semester 2 examination period, and 5 marks awarded for an eLearning Module exercise.
Feedback
Feedback will be provided verbally in lectures, automatically for eLearning assignments
and in response to email enquiries and via post-exam guidance.
Prerequisites
None.
Recommended Reading
• Bear M F, Connors B W & Paradiso M Neuroscience; exploring the brain 2001
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Teaching Staff
Professor Richard Baines; Dr Owen Jones

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CHEMISTRY FOR BIOSCIENTISTS 1 CHEM10021

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Johanna Avis Semester 1
([email protected]); Dr Peter Quayle Credits 10
([email protected])
Aims
To outline the principles of chemistry relevant to an understanding of key biological
structures and processes. The unit continues in semester 2 (see CHEM 10022).
Specifically, this semester 1 unit aims:
• To provide a description of: atomic structure and molecular structure using various
models for chemical bonding; the structure and chemistry of aromatic and
heteroaromatic molecules; resonance; to explain the consequences of
conformation, isomerism and chirality within molecules; to provide an introduction to
the thermodynamics of solutions; to cover key aspects of chemical reaction kinetics
and redox processes.
Intended Learning Outcomes
After completing the course unit students should be able to:
Describe and explain:
• the nature of matter and the formation of chemical bonds
• how the nature of molecular and hybrid orbitals in molecules influence the shape
and chemical properties of the molecules
• the significance of the various types of isomerism possible within molecular
structures
Describe:
• the different models for chemical bonding
• aromaticity and the properties of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds
• and use key kinetic concepts such as reaction rates, rate laws, rate constants and
activation energy
Explain:
• and apply the laws of thermodynamics
• the significance of oxidation and reduction processes
Develop:
• the ability to use ‘curly’ arrows to indicate ‘movement’ of electron pairs within
molecules and generate different resonance forms
Lecture Content
Bonding and Molecular Structure
• Understanding the nature of matter (Development of Atomic theory)
• Orbitals, electronic structure, periodicity
• Chemical bonding I: Lewis structures
• Molecular geometry (VSEPR), bond polarity
• Chemical bonding II: orbital hybridisation (carbon, nitrogen and oxygen)
• Chemical bonding III: molecular orbitals
• Aromatic structure and heteroaromatics
• Resonance with biological examples, e.g. peptide bond
Conformation, Isomerism and Chirality
• Rotation about single bonds
• Conformations of rings, six-membered rings
• Stereoisomerism
• Chirality

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Reactions of molecules I: energetics, rates and redox processes
• Physical states of matter – gas, liquid, solid
• Work, heat, internal energy, first law of thermodynamics, temperature, heat
capacity; enthalpy and Hess’s law
• Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics
• Gibbs energy, chemical equilibrium, equilibrium constant, reaction quotient
• Dependence of equilibrium constant on temperature
• Experimental chemical kinetics
• Rates of reaction – instantaneous rate, rate law, rate constant, reaction order
• Integrated rate laws – first order reactions, second order reactions, half lives
• Temperature dependence of rate constants, Arrhenius equation, catalysis
• Oxidation, reduction, redox processes, electrochemical series
Learning Support and Feedback
The lectures are supported by workshops and eLearning material on Blackboard (online
assignments and assessments).
The workshops develop problem-solving skills related to chemical concepts, provide key
support for lecture material, provide formative assessment and feedback on progress and
valuable exam preparation. During a workshop session, there is opportunity to discuss the
answers you have prepared to problems set prior to the session.
The eLearning modules provide summative assessment at certain stages as the course
progresses. Feedback in the case of these assessments is received as a mark or grade
with comments. The online questions provide important exam practise and guide self-
study through the lecture material. The eLearning component is thus an integral part of
the course and includes a discussion forum.
Assessment
2-hour examination in January (95%)
Online exercises (5%)
Prerequisites
A-level chemistry (strongly recommended)
AS Chemistry (minimum grade B) or equivalent (compulsory).
It is recommended (though not compulsory) that students taking CHEM 10021 also take
CHEM 10022 as the two units are linked to give a fully integrated, comprehensive
chemistry course.
Recommended Reading
Bruice, PY Organic Chemistry, 4th (or 3rd) edition Prentice-Hall, is the recommended
general text. Other important texts are:
• Atkins, PW and De Paula, J (2005) Elements of Physical Chemistry (4th edition).
Oxford University Press
• Atkins, PW and de Paula, J (2006) Physical Chemistry for the Life Sciences. Oxford
University Press
• Berg J, Tymoczko T & Stryer L (2002) Biochemistry (5th edition). W.H. Freeman
• Mark J. Winter (1994) Chemical bonding. Oxford University Press
• Richards, WG & Scott, PR (1994) Energy levels in atoms and molecules. Oxford
University Press
Teaching Staff - Dr Johanna Avis, Prof. John Helliwell, Dr Peter Quayle, Dr John Thomas

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CHEMISTRY FOR BIOSCIENTISTS 2 CHEM10022

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Johanna Avis Semester 2
([email protected]), Dr David Credits 10
Berrisford ([email protected])
Aims
Building on core material learned in CHEM10021, the aims of this unit are to illustrate the
importance of key functional group properties and reaction mechanisms to the
understanding of biochemical processes, and to appreciate the analytical methods
available for molecular structure analysis.
Intended Learning Outcomes
After completing the course unit students should be able to:
• Describe and explain general types of reaction mechanism (substitution, addition,
elimination), building on knowledge of molecular structure, thermodynamics and
kinetics gained in CHEM10021.
• Identify functional groups and fully describe mechanisms of their reactivity in
chemical reaction relevant to biological systems, e.g. as part of metabolic
processes, or a toxic response.
• Explain how molecules may be sensitive to particular spectroscopic techniques and
describe how such techniques are applied in structure and function analysis of
biological molecules.
• Predict and interpret spectra of simple molecules.
• Interpret and derive useful information from mass spectrometry data of proteins and
peptides.

Lecture Content
Part A: Reactions of Molecules Relevant To Biological Systems
The first 14 lectures will cover the basics of reaction mechanisms and describe a range of
functional groups and their reactions. The lectures will illustrate the biological relevance of
esterification, imine formation, amide bond formation, glycosidylation, methylation, addition
across double bonds, phosphate diester, and aromatic/heteroaromatic chemistry. Specific
biological molecule classes used to illustrate these reaction types will include; peptides
(peptide bond formation, methylation); lipids (esterification, electrophilic addition to
alkenes); and carbohydrates (esterification and alkylation, imine formation, enolisation,
glycosidation).
Part B: Analysing Molecular Structure and Function
The remaining lectures will introduce and explain the utility of a range of techniques for
analyzing and determining molecular structures, covering NMR, fluorescence, IR and UV
spectroscopic methods and mass spectrometry.
Feedback and Learning Support
The lectures are supported by workshops and eLearning material on Blackboard (online
assignments and assessments). The workshops develop problem-solving skills related to
chemical concepts, provide key support for lecture material, provide formative assessment
and feedback on progress and valuable exam preparation. The eLearning modules
provide summative assessment at certain stages as the course progresses. Feedback in
the case of these assessments is received as a mark or grade. The online questions
provide important exam practise and guide self-study through the lecture material. The
eLearning component is thus an integral part of the course and includes a discussion
forum.
Assessment
A 2-hour examination in May/June contributes 95% to the Unit mark, online eLearning
exercises contribute 5%.
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Prerequisites
CHEM10021 (Compulsory)
Recommended Reading
NOTE: Bruice, PY Organic Chemistry is the recommended general text, however,
alternatives are also listed below. Lecturers may also recommend reading specific
elements of their teaching material.
• Bruice, PY () Organic Chemistry, 4th (or 3rd) edition. Prentice Hall
• Carey, FA () Organic Chemistry. McGraw-Hill, Inc.
• Fox, MA & Whitesell, JA () Organic Chemistry. Bartlett and Jones
Teaching Staff - Dr David Berrisford, Dr John M Gardiner, Dr Ramesh Vasudevan

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SCIENCE AND THE MODERN WORLD HSTM10221/HSTM10721

Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Vladimir Jankovic Semester 1
(vladimir.jankovic @manchester.ac.uk) Credits 10/20
Aims
To provide a general introduction to science as a central part of our cultural, economic and
political life. To explore the place of science and scientific knowledge in human affairs
through a study of its historical and social context. To introduce students from all
backgrounds to different ways of thinking about science in the past and the present
through the use of a variety of resources and media, including literature and film. In
addition, the 20 credit unit aims to give students the opportunity of exploring in detail some
aspect of the relationship between science and the modern world through an individually
supervised research project.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Students will have an appreciation of the complexity of the modern sciences in the broad
context of their historical development; understand a range of ways of thinking about the
sciences and contemporary society and the relationships between them; be able to reflect
critically on the role of the sciences in modern culture; develop their communication and
group-working skills; in addition, the 20 credit unit will extend and develop their research
and writing skills through an individual research project.
Lecture Content - Lectures form a connected series of case studies of various aspects of
science in society and culture, based on the following themes:
• What is Science? Understanding the cultural authority of science.
• Seeing: the philosophy of representation in science.
• Creating: anthropological studies of science in action.
• Explaining: Darwin and the ‘conflict’ between science and religion.
• Destroying: science and war; the atomic bomb.
• Mediating: science fact and science fiction; science in popular culture
• Engendering: gender and the shaping of science.
• Controlling: applications of science; eugenics & the Human Genome Project
• Confronting: controversies in science and the public expertise of the scientist
Seminars consolidate lecture material through a set weekly reading. Students are required
to answer a short series of questions based on the set text; these questions form the basis
of the seminar discussion.
Assessment - Both lecture and seminar content are assessed by:
10 credit unit (HSTM10221) - 1,000-word essay (50% of overall mark), a 1.5 hour exam
(50% of overall mark)
20 credit unit (HSTM10721) - 1,000-word essay (25% of overall mark), a 1.5 hour exam
(25% of overall mark) and a 3,000-word individual research project (50% of overall mark).
Feedback - Students may ask questions at any time during lectures and seminars.
Teaching staff can usually answer specific queries by email or during office hours, and will
provide contact details in the course handbook or at lectures. All submitted coursework will
be returned with annotations and an assessment sheet explaining the mark awarded.
Prerequisites - None.
Recommended Reading
• Bowler PJ & Morus I Making Modern Science 2005 University of Chicago Press
• Chalmers A What is This Thing Called Science? 1999 Open University Press
• Collins H and Pinch T The Golem: What Everyone Should Know About Science
1998 Cambridge University Press
Teaching Staff - Dr Vladimir Jankovic
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BODIES IN HISTORY: AN INTRODUCTION HSTM10272/HSTM10772

TO THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE, 1500-2000
Unit Coordinator(s): Dr Elizabeth Toon Semester 2
([email protected]) Credits 10/20
Aims
To provide an introduction to medicine in modern Western culture, from c 1500- c 2000. To
show how, through a focus on bodies (human and social), historians of medicine address
themes such as class, race, gender, national identity, economic life and cultural production, and
how scientific and medical theories and practices can be understood as part of wider histories.
Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit, students will have acquired a knowledge of the outlines of modern
history of medicine; skills in linking ‘body histories’ to wider contexts; critical abilities in
analyzing historical arguments; experience of presenting historical arguments in written
seminar responses; and experience of presenting oral arguments in seminar discussions.
In addition, students taking the 20 credit unit will be able to find and research a topic of
their own choosing; to find and assess critically primary and secondary sources; to write,
with full scholarly apparatus, a report on their individual research project.
Lecture Content
• Bodies in History: A Course introduction
• Bodies Explored: Renaissance Anatomy
• Bodies Ordered: Enlightenment Taxonomies
• Bodies Analyzed: The Birth of the Clinic
• Bodies Clean and Dirty: Constitution, Contagion, Cleanliness
• Bodies and Minds
• Bodies “Improved”: Eugenics and Efficiency
• Bodies at Work, Bodies at War
• The Cost of Health
• Standard Bodies
• Consuming Bodies

Practical Content
The course meets for one two-hour session. These will include a lecture followed by a
practical workshop. The lectures will treat the subject synthetically; the workshops are
intended for closer critical investigation of particular issues raised in the week’s required
reading. Attendance at BOTH lectures and workshops is required.
Assessment
10 credit unit (HSTM10272) – Two hour examination (50%); practical assessment (50%)
20 credit unit (HSTM10772) – Two hour examination (25%); practical assessment (25%);
written project (50%)
Feedback - Students may ask questions at any time during lectures and seminars.
Teaching staff can usually answer specific queries by email or during office hours, and will
provide contact details in the course handbook or at lectures. All submitted coursework will
be returned with annotations and an assessment sheet explaining the mark awarded.
Prerequisites - None.
Recommended Reading
• Brunton, D Medicine Transformed: Health, Disease & Society in Europe, 1800-1930 2004
• Elmer, P The Healing Arts: Health, Disease and Society in Europe, 1500-1800 2004
• Porter, R Blood and Guts 2003
• Cooter R & Pickstone J Medicine in the Twentieth Century 2000 Harwood Academic

Teaching Staff - Elizabeth Toon

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BMAN UNITS BMAN

Manchester Business School Semester 1 & 2

BMAN10011 Fundamentals of Management

For further information please consult:

http://courses.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/ug/mbs and click on ‘MBS Business and

Management for all Programmes (BMAP)’.

You should be aware that timetabling constraints may limit your choice of units and
you should consult with your Programme Director when you meet at registration.

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LANGUAGE UNITS LANGUAGES

School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures Semester 1 & 2

Students registered on a ‘with language’ degree programme only.

For further information please contact:

School of Languages,Linguistics and Cultures

Faculty of Humanities
Samuel Alexander Building

School Receptionist
Tel: 0161 275 8311

Undergraduate Support Officers :

East Asian Studies: Janet Addis ([email protected])

French: Gill Worrall ([email protected])
German: Damita West ([email protected])
Italian: Angela Aspden ([email protected])
Spanish/Portuguese:
First & Second Year students: Wendy Howat ([email protected])
Final Year students: Bernadette Cunnane ([email protected])

You should be aware that timetabling constraints may limit your choice of units and
you should consult with your Programme Director when you meet at registration.

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MSEC UNITS MSEC

Manchester Science Enterprise Centre Semester 1 & 2

MSEC10010 Entrepreneurial Skills A

MSEC10012 Entrepreneurial Skills B

For further information please contact:

Andrea Taylor
D42.5
Sackville Street Building
Sackville Street.

Tel: 0161 306 8480

Email: [email protected]

www.mbs.ac.uk/mec/ug-enterprise/ug-enterprise-units/unit-details.aspx

You should be aware that timetabling constraints may limit your choice of units and
you should consult with your Programme Director when you meet at registration.

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PSYC UNITS PSYC

School of Psychological Sciences Semester 1 & 2

PLEASE NOTE: PSYC units are only taken by students enrolled on the
CognitiveNeuroscience & Psychology programme.

For information on PSYC units please contact:

School of Psychological Sciences

Coupland 1 Building
Coupland Street

www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk

Miss Emma Wilson

Undergraduate Education Manager
Tel: 0161 275 2559
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

You should be aware that timetabling constraints may limit your choice of units and
you should consult with your Programme Director when you meet at registration.

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GLOSSARY
Campus Solutions

Campus Solutions Glossary of Terms

Introduction

This Glossary describes terms used in the Campus Solutions Student System and
describes general usage including University of Manchester terminology.

Campus Alternative
University Of Manchester Usage/Definition
Solutions Term Terminology
Academic
Study path e.g. Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught Career/Study Level
Career
Academic Any body that can offer a course be it Faculty, School,
School/Faculty
Group Division, Subject Area
A plan of the programme especially where there are
Academic Plan Programme
specialisations
Academic A course of Study made up of one or more course units
Programme
Programme which leads to an award
Class A scheduled instance of a course unit Session
Class Choice and enrolment of both mandatory and optional
Course Unit Selection
Enrolment course units
Course An individual study unit of the programme Course Unit or Module
The award normally achieved at the end of the
Degree Award
programme
The number generated by Campus Solutions unique to
Person ID/Registration
Emplid/ID the individual, whatever the role. For students it will also
Number
be their registration number.
Facility Class or meeting venue Building
The process by which applicants are converted to
Matriculate Roll Forward
students.
A session can be either one of the two semesters or the
Session Semester
full term
Term Academic year running from September to June Academic Year
The process by which the system is informed that
Term Activate admitted and matriculated students are eligible to enrol Expected to register
on classes in a particular term
An award is achieved by attaining a mandatory amount
Units Credits
of units (units are earned by completion of a course)

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LEVEL 1 BIOL UNITS - BY UNIT NUMBER

Code Title
BIOL10000 Tutorials Year 1
BIOL10111 Introductory Chemistry
BIOL10212 Biochemistry
BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BIOL10381 A History of Biology in 20 Objects
BIOL10401 Introduction to Laboratory Science
BIOL10402 Introduction to Experimental Biology
BIOL10511 Biodiversity
BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution and Development
BIOL10532 Microbes, Man and the Environment
BIOL10602 Field Course in Marine Biology
BIOL10622 Field Course in Comparative and Adaptive Biology
BIOL10632 Field Course In Freshwater Biology
BIOL10642 Field Course in Animal Behaviour
BIOL10701 Data Handling Skills 1
BIOL10722 Data Handling Skills 2
BIOL10811 Body Systems
BIOL10822 Drugs: From Molecules to Man
BIOL10832 Excitable Cells

LEVEL 1 BIOL UNITS - BY UNIT NAME

Code Title
BIOL10381 A History of Biology in 20 Objects
BIOL10212 Biochemistry
BIOL10511 Biodiversity
BIOL10811 Body Systems
BIOL10701 Data Handling Skills 1
BIOL10722 Data Handling Skills 2
BIOL10822 Drugs: From Molecules to Man
BIOL10832 Excitable Cells
BIOL10642 Field Course in Animal Behaviour
BIOL10622 Field Course in Comparative and Adaptive Biology
BIOL10632 Field Course In Freshwater Biology
BIOL10602 Field Course in Marine Biology

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Code Title
BIOL10232 From Molecules to Cells
BIOL10521 Genes, Evolution and Development
BIOL10402 Introduction to Experimental Biology
BIOL10401 Introduction to Laboratory Science
BIOL10111 Introductory Chemistry
BIOL10532 Microbes, Man and the Environment
BIOL10221 Molecular Genetics
BIOL10000 Tutorials Year 1

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