Teaching methods
There are a range of teaching methods implemented at Nottingham.
As a life sciences student your study may take the form of:
- lectures
- seminars
- laboratory classes
- workshops
- residential field courses
- problem classes
- tutorials
The aim is to stimulate your curiosity and provide you with essential information to establish a solid grounding in the core of the subject.
Personal tutors
All students are allocated a personal tutor who will work with you for the whole of your degree programme. Personal tutors are members of academic staff in the school and they will:
- monitor your academic progress and check on your wellbeing
- provide exam marks at the end of each semester and help you reflect on feedback
- act as a first point of contact for any guidance on academic or personal matters
Online learning
At Nottingham, we use an online learning environment called Moodle. This provides you with course material anywhere, any time.
The type of materials available depend on your modules and may include lecture notes, presentations and recordings of lectures.
Increasingly, assignments are submitted electronically through Moodle and in many cases, you will receive feedback through Moodle as well.
Studying effectively
Studying at The University of Nottingham will present new demands on you because it is likely to be different from your previous experience of school or college.
You will be expected to organise your own time and manage your own work. You will also gain greater levels of independence to study what you're most interested in and in a way that suits you. This will be both personally rewarding and also equip you well when it comes to making career choices and seeking employment.
We support our students through this process and further guidance can be found on the University's studying effectively webpage.
Assessment
Assessment is by a combination of end-of-semester examinations, coursework (for example, laboratory reports and project reports) and presentations.
You must pass the first (qualifying) year to progress to the second year, but only second and subsequent years contribute to your final degree.
Where a module lasts for one semester, assessment is undertaken at the end of that semester. Where a module fills two semesters, the majority of assessment is at the end of the second semester, although your progress will be measured throughout the year with some January exams. Find out more about preparing for assessment on the University's webpage.
At Nottingham, you will benefit from access to an extensive collection of printed and online library resources. In addition, you will have both on and off-campus access to a wide range of databases, ejournals and ebooks. Life sciences students have access to two specialist libraries:
George Green Library
The University recently invested £18m in the redevelopment of the George Green Library for science and engineering students. This provides more study space as well as additional computers. Laptops and iPads are also available for you to borrow for use in the library.
Find out more
Greenfield Medical Library
The Greenfield Medical Library at the Queen’s Medical Centre is the home to health and medical texts. You have access to group study rooms and silent study zones. As well as having dedicated computer areas, you can borrow iPads and laptops for use in the library.
Find out more