Attention Biomed students: want to create your own subject?
In a University first, students are invited to enter the School’s Create a Subject Challenge where the winners will become co-creators of a new area of study.
Now, more than ever, biomedical sciences students want to better understand viruses, learn from other countries and help discover the next generation of treatments to keep our community safe, says online teaching specialist Ger Post, from the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience.
Ger, is part of the seven member team of academics behind the inaugural School of Biomedical Sciences’ Create a Subject Challenge.
“This is a way to further engage students in their learning, encourage a greater sense of belonging and help with collaboration between students and academics,” says Ger of the program, which received a 2019 Learning and Teaching Initiative (LTI) seed grant.
The winning team will have the opportunity to work – and get paid – as student co-creators with the School’s teaching specialists to further develop their dream subject.
The result? A new subject proposal will be submitted to the University’s Academic Board for consideration to become available to future students!
Student co-creators may also have an opportunity to contribute to academic works such as publications and conference presentations arising from the process.
So, what will it take to win? Ger gives these tips: “We know students are passionate about subject ideas and have exciting content, but we are looking for entries that show how that learning will be measured or assessed and what the outcomes will be – we call it constructive alignment”.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. HOW TO ENTRY
Student teams of three to five people can be from the School or Faculty. Each team submits an idea for a new, exciting subject that must be relevant to the field of biomedical science.
ENTER HERE BEFORE 28 MAY 2020.
2. THE SHORTLIST
The shortlisted subject idea proposals will proceed to the second phase, where they will go through an online voting process by students and staff between 5 June – 1 July.
3. WINNING TEAM
The subject ideas with the highest votes will then move to the final phase of the selection process. Finalists will present their idea to a selection panel of academics and students; it involves a 10 minute presentation followed by a 10 minute Q&A session on Monday 20 July, 4pm – 6pm.
4. CO-CREATION WORKSHOPS
The winning team and teaching specialists will workshop the subject on 22 and 23 July, including the learning outcomes, the value of the subject and the alignment of the subject objectives with professional competencies. Then the application for a new subject will be submitted to the University’s Academic Board.
To find out more about the assessment criteria and how to pitch your ideas visit: