New learning design

Description:

The learning design described here is to be used in the 10 ECTS course RNA molecular biology, which is a master course at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University. About 30 students attend each year. Specifically, the learning design described here is intended for the part of the course covering RNA modifications (1 of 14 weeks). This part of the course includes a lecture, which cover the gamut of the field and is supported by the students reading a recent review article prior to the lecture, and three hours of small class teaching. The final assessment is a written exam where the list of questions is given beforehand.
Specifically, the learning design described here, is intended for the part of the course covering RNA modifications (1 out of 14 weeks). This part of the course includes a lecture, which covers the gamut of the field and is supported by the students reading a recent review article prior to the lecture. In addition, three hours of small class teaching will conclude the week.

The objective for the learning design described here, is to try an alternative approach to facilitate a greater student participation in the in-class discussions and that the students enter the small-class teaching room better prepared. Many student currently use part of the in-class time, which is meant for group discussions, for reading the original article. With the learning design described here, I am hoping that a greater fraction of the students will read the article before the session and that more interaction with the instructor will facilitate more discussion and a deeper learning.