BMD2013 : Human Reproduction and Fertility (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Suzanne Madgwick
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Louise Reynard
- Lecturer: Dr Claire Wood, Dr Simon Bamforth, Dr Josana Rodriguez Sanchez, Professor David Elliott
- Owning School: Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Scien
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To provide a broad understanding of normal and abnormal processes related to human reproduction and fertility.
The module will cover:
Physiological processes linked to reproduction. From the generation of sex cells to fertilisation, embryogenesis, and foetal development. Including understanding how our endocrine systems support first the development of, and then the maintenance of, both male and female reproductive systems.
An intermediate understanding of inheritance (both genetic and epigenetic).
Some of the biology behind the negative impact of reproduction gone wrong. For example, infertility in a clinical setting, ageing reproductive systems, and chromosome and congenital disorders.
Medical ethics including the governance and societal attitudes towards the protection of early life and infertility related interventions.
The module also aims to provide an opportunity for students to discuss areas of controversy and study one area of reproductive health in much greater depth.
Outline Of Syllabus
Topics covered by this module will include:
Oogenesis and spermatogenesis
Reproductive endocrinology
Fertilisation and the types and frequencies of cell division errors
The ageing reproductive system
Early embryogenesis
Foetal development
Inheritance (genetic and epigenetic)
Chromosome and congenital disorders
Infertility in a clinical setting
Governance and societal attitudes towards fertility related interventions
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 16 | 1:00 | 16:00 | Delivering core content. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Academic skills activities | 1 | 24:00 | 24:00 | Student-led activity includes both independent and teamwork towards producing a presentation. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | Group oral presentation (10mins per group) and guided audience discussion (20mins per group). |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 2 | 1:30 | 3:00 | Seminars (1 seminar lead per group) to help student groups develop scientific literature searches and prepare presentations |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 150:00 | 150:00 | Writing up lecture notes, revision, and general reading. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Introduce and explain the group learning task. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Linked to teaching activity numbers above.
Lectures will be delivered into impart new information in a concise manner regarding principles of reproductive biology and the treatment of infertility. This will form the basis of the students understanding of each sub-topic.
The module talk will be to explain the organisation of the smaller group learning strategy.
The smaller group teaching activity will provide skills training and guidance on preparing a presentation.
Student-led activities allow the students to extend their learning in a given topic. Provides a much greater depth of understanding, while developing scientific and ethical reasoning, teamwork, communication skills and further prepares the student for an assessed presentation.
Group oral presentation and guided audience discussion develops communication skills commonly used in biomedical sciences and realises the culmination of hard work.
Independent study will allow students to extend their knowledge and prepare for assessments through consolidation of module content, reading relevant books, media, and journal articles.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 2 | M | 40 | Group oral presentation (10min presentation, followed by audience discussion) |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer assessment | 2 | A | Online practice MCQ exam ~40 questions no time limit to encourage reading. Complete in own time. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Digital exam - The MCQ format will allow to test student’s breadth of knowledge of taught materials, while 6 shorter answer questions will allow students to demonstrate greater understanding of key subject areas.
Group Oral presentation – In-depth study to prepare presentation content allows the student to practice deep literature searches and test ability to summarise findings. The presentations provide students with an opportunity to collaborate in a group, to collate their findings and share their knowledge to create concise research summaries. The presentation will therefore assess the students' ability to research and understand the literature, including ethical issues, along with teamwork skills, as well as more specific writing and presentation skills in the oral presentation session.
Formative MCQ exam will support revision and preparation for end-of-module exam
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- BMD2013's Timetable