Admission requirements
The course is open to Biology master students.
Description
The Top Lectures in Biology course consists of 6 lectures, selected by each MSc student from a preset program of 16 lectures (over two years) by invited experts from different fields of biology.
Each lecture is organised by one of the research groups in the IBL that participate in the Masters (Biology) teaching, by NCB Naturalis or by CML. The level of each lecture is aimed at both MSc students and IBL staff. An important aspect of the course is to learn to critically evaluate scientific data, and the hypotheses and models derived from these data. The speakers actively participate in the teaching part.
After each Top Leture there is a Masterclass during which the students pose questions to the speaker about their research. The students have to thoroughly prepare for each lecture, by reading the review article and two research papers provided, and by thinking of two questions to put to the speaker during their Masterclass. Students are expected to actively engage in a scientific discussion with the speaker during this Masterclass. The course also includes a final symposium, during which each participant gives a presentation in which they discuss a research paper of choice related to one of the Top Lectures they attended.
Course objectives
After completion of this course students are able to:
analyse biological research papers scientifically and critically
understand the scientific thinking and methodological issues that underlie biological research papers
critically assess the research presented
critically evaluate scientific data
give a critical presentation about a scientific paper
Timetable
In MyTimetable, you can find all course and programme schedules, allowing you to create your personal timetable. Activities for which you have enrolled via MyStudyMap will automatically appear in your timetable.
Additionally, you can easily link MyTimetable to a calendar app on your phone, and schedule changes will be automatically updated in your calendar. You can also choose to receive email notifications about schedule changes. You can enable notifications in Settings after logging in.
Questions? Watch the video, read the instructions, or contact the ISSC helpdesk.
Note: Joint Degree students from Leiden/Delft need to combine information from both the Leiden and Delft MyTimetables to see a complete schedule. This video explains how to do it.
Mode of instruction
Lectures, tutorials, symposia and student presentations.
There are one or two Top Lectures per month, starting in February of each year, at times to be announced on Brightspace and on websites (e.g. IBL, Sciences). You may complete the 6 lectures and presentation in one year or over two years (with the end presentation in the second year).
Assessment method
To complete the course, the student must have attended 6 Top Lectures and their associated masterclasses. Having met this requirement, a grade is then assigned according to an end-presentation of 15 minutes duration given by the student. This grade is 100% of the final grade. The grade may be influenced +/- 1 point by the student’s active participation in discussion during the masterclass sessions and the end-presentation session.
Inspection and feedback on the examination:
Date: after the end symposia.
Minimum grade:
Courses require a minimum, unrounded 5.5 grade to complete.
If a course has 2 or more written partial exams, the minimum grade only applies to the weighted average of the exams.
For partial grades from components other than exams (e.g. practicals, seminars, writing assignments), the bottom grade does apply to the individual components.
Please refer to the Student Charter for an overview of regulations.
Reading list
The students are informed in advance via Brightspace of one review article and two primary research articles that they must find and download as pdfs (e.g. using the Leiden University online catalog).
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for enrolling on time through MyStudyMap.
In this short video, you can see step-by-step how to enrol for courses in MyStudyMap.
Extensive information about the operation of MyStudyMap can be found here.
There are two enrolment periods per year:
Enrolment for the fall opens in July
Enrolment for the spring opens in December
See this page for more information about deadlines and enrolling for courses and exams.
Note:
It is mandatory to enrol for all activities of a course that you are going to follow.
Your enrolment is only complete when you submit your course planning in the ‘Ready for enrolment’ tab by clicking ‘Send’.
Not being enrolled for an exam/resit means that you are not allowed to participate in the exam/resit.
Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Prospective students website for more information on how to apply.
Contact
Administrative issues (Brightspace, timetables etc.): Contact: IBL Student Affairs Email: bio-studentaffairs@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Academic issues: Coordinator: Prof.dr. M.K. Richardson Email: m.k.richardson@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Maximum capacity: 50 students.
Your registration is not complete if you have not registered for all course components available in MyStudymap (exam, lecture, etc.).
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.