6 ECTS credits
150 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4016113ENR for all students in the 1st semester at a (E) Master - advanced level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
Department
Biology
Educational team
Decaan WE (course titular)
Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
91 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

The course ‘Guided self-study’ (GSS) within the MSc Biology program may have two objectives:

  1. Common objective (option 1): In-depth literature study on a contemporary research topic of choice.
    This option is for students who would like to immerse themselves into a specialized and contemporary research topic, either in a specific biological field or multidisciplinary, combining multiple fields. Such topic should be chosen in agreement with a professor involved in the VUB/ULB’s MSc Biology program who is willing to act as a supervisor of your GSS and should be approved by the coordinator of the program (graduation option) you are enrolled in, or by the chairman of the Master’s educational board (Kim.Roelants@vub.be).
     
  2. Exceptional objective (option 2, ONLY when advised by the coordinator of your graduation option or chairman of the Biology Master educational board): remedying a shortcoming in previous curriculum or prerequisite knowledge.
    If there is a shortcoming in your previous curriculum or in your knowledge of a particular domain in biology that is likely to be problematic for successfully completing your Master program, the program coordinator may advise you to use the GSS to remedy this shortcoming. This option requires the explicit approval of the program coordinator, who may discuss this with the chairman of the Biology Master education al board, and/or with the Faculty’s educational path counsellor. Based on their advice, the GSS can take one of the following two forms:
    i)     A study of a series of     textbook chapters that covers the relevant biological domain. Besides requiring the explicit approval of your program coordinator, a lecturer will be assigned to guide you through your GSS.
    ii)     A course of 6 ECTs that covers the relevant biological domain. Besides requiring the explicit approval of     your program coordinator, the lecturer of that course should agree as well. The evaluation scores obtained for that course will be transferred to the program coordinator and represent the score for the guided self-study.

! Note that as a student choosing GSS as an elective, it is your responsibility to contact the coordinator and relevant supervisor (option 1) or lecturer (option 2).

Regardless of the option, GSS topics are chosen in October (in agreement with supervisor and program coordinator). Before November 1st, your topic title and name of your supervisor should be sent by email to:

  • Your program coordinator;
  • The chairman of the Educational Board of the VUB’s Biology Master program (Kim Roelants; Kim.Roelants@vub.be);
  • The secretariat of the Biology department (Bert Vervloessem; secrdbio@vub.be);
  • Your GSS supervisor (in Cc)

No changes to topic and/or supervisor will be allowed after this date.

Your GSS involves the preparation of a written report (10–20 pages). Conducting your GSS involves regular communication with your supervisor to discuss the content and progress of this report. Guidelines on how to write your GSS report can be found on the 'Guided self study' course page via the CANVAS platform (https://canvas.vub.be/; Guidelines_GSS_2019_2020.pdf).

An electronic version of your report (MS Word or converted pdf) should be submitted by e-mail to your supervisor AND the chairman of the Biology Master program (Kim.Roelants@vub.be). In addition, one hard copy should be submitted to the Department’s secretariat (Bert Vervloessem, building F, 7th floor, office 7F426).

The deadline of submission is the first Monday of the relevant exam session, before 4 pm (January in case of first session, August in case of second session). Consult the exam calendar on the VUB website (https://www.vub.ac.be/en/academic-calendar) to see when the relevant exam session officially starts. This is a strict deadline. Exceptions will only be made in case of legitimate medical or family emergency reasons.

Course material
Digital course material (Recommended) : Guided Self-Study, Book chapters and recent reviews will be provided
Additional info

Guidelines to choose a subject for your guided self study as well as writing the report are provided on the course page 'Guided Self study' accessible through the Canvas learning platform (https://canvas.vub.be/).

Learning Outcomes

General competences

After completing the GSS, the student has gained in-depth knowledge of a specific biological topic;

- has an overview of its research history and literature;

- knows the current state-of the-art in relevant techniques and methods;

- is familiar with current problems and controversies;

- is capable to make a critical assessment on the topic’s current state of affairs, including a future perspective.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
SELF Paper determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the SELF Paper category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Guided self study paper with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

    Note: The student will also give a written report (min 15 - max 20-pages) of his/her literature study. This report must be given the first day of the exam session.
    The examination will take place during the normal exam session in presence of the coordinator.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Your supervisor will give a score based on your work and the final version of your GSS report. Your work will be evaluated based on your motivation, initiative, resourcefulness, punctuality and attitude during the preparation of your report. The final version of your GSS report will be evaluated based on the completeness and depth of your literature study, the way you synthesized the existing literature, the way you integrated this literature in a critical discussion and future perspective, your writing style and the overall format of your report.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Biology: Molecular and Cellular Life sciences
Master of Biology: Human Ecology
Master of Biology: Ecology and Biodiversity
Master of Biology: AR Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, start at Paris
Master of Biology: AR Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, start at Cayenne