The biomedical student and learning in the age of on-line digital

Hello. My name is Dr. Amanda Cain from University College London. The lecture today was prepared by Professor Elizabeth Shepherd and myself on the topic of the "Biomedical Science Students, and Learning in the Age of On-Line Digital". I should begin, a Biomedical degree course in university, it is a good time to reflect on what you've learned so far, and how you study. Today we'll be talking about skills required for successful studying, and giving you examples of digital tools and techniques which may help you.

University is for many, the next step in your education. More have similarities as well as differences in based teaching styles and expectations. The courses you may be studying could cover a diverse range of fields onto the Biomedical heading. But all will build on two central themes. Extending your knowledge and understanding in your subject specialism, and teaching you how to learn and think independently. The knowledge will build on your previous qualifications which could be very diverse across the student cohort. In the first year, we will make sure everyone has covered the same ground in all areas. So there may be some repetition of information you've already covered. Build on this, make sure you truly understood the underlying concepts, and then take it to the next step. Learning how to learn independently is a vital skill, and one that students don't immediately focus on. It's this skill along with data analysis as much as subject-specific knowledge which makes life science students particularly sought after in diverse employment possibilities.

The exact contents and structure of your course will vary, but you can expect to be taught in similar ways across all institutions. Traditional class will be taught by a single lecturer addressing a cohort of students in a lecture theater. There could be many hundreds of people present, and you need to make sure you're getting the most out of this fairly impersonal situation. My first advice would be, don't just sit and listen. Be active in your learning. I'll talk a little later about specific tips for taking notes during lectures. Tutorials are much smaller classes, and vary in size. These can go from one-to-one situations to much larger groups of tens of students. Often what will be set beforehand that you will be expected to prepare, and this will be discussed during the class. You get most from this sort of class if you join in, which can be scary. No one is going to judge you. It's okay to get things wrong, often you learn more in this way. In laboratory practicals, you'll carry out experiments which will complement your theoretical classes. Initially, you'll probably just follow a protocol that's been provided, but you will expect in later years to be designing your own hypothesis and strategy for practical work. While learning the lab-based techniques is important, you also need to concentrate on being methodical, and keeping good notes. Both are essential skills for scientists, and often underestimated by students. Assessments are designed to test your understanding but still are important learning opportunities. Again, the former can be very varied. These could be written, numerical, oral, or web-based presentations. They could require you to analyze given facts or text or write an essay using multiple sources. Be particularly careful when submitting written work to avoid plagiarism, even unconscious plagiarism. Always make sure you use your own words. This means more than changing just the vocabulary though. Sentence structure should also be unique. Be aware that not all aspects of an original work will be relevant. You need to be critical in your choices. I suggest you make plan, add brief notes from multiple different original sources then put those aside, and work on your assignment without reference to these. In the digital age, information is very readily accessible, and there's a huge amount available to you. Be aware that not all of this will be current, and some of it might not even be completely correct. A key challenge is for you to dissect out the relevant information, learn from it, and present your understanding in a unique and personal way.