Lectures and Team Based Learning

- Physiology lectures are in hybrid form, i.e. partly face-to-face in the auditory, and partly online. More details are available in the document Programme of the physiology lectures.

- The programme of physiology lectures can be found on the website of the Institute of Physiology. The topics are scheduled for individual weeks so that students have study material available in advance to prepare for practicals and tests. Online lectures are in white fields, face-to-face lectures that will take place in the auditory are in the grey fields.

- All lectures (topics) are available in form of short videos with narrative. Students may access the lectures through the MS Teams system. All 2nd year students are members of the team “Fyziológia/Physiology – prednášky/lectures“ where the lectures are accessible. Lectures are organized according to the topics/systems (e.g. Blood, Respiration, Metabolism, etc.). The folder with lectures in English language can be found on the top bar under the abbreviation GM.

- The last lecture on a topic (organ system) will be held in face-to-face form in the auditory. The key points and summary of the topic will be presented by the lecturer. Part of the lecture will be devoted to consultation of the topic: students will have the opportunity to ask the lecturer questions and clarify any uncertainties. 

 

Team Based Learnng

TBL is an obligatory component of physiology learning, in each semester, 2 modules are included into the physiology learning. TBL is a modern learning strategy, where students are placed into small learning teams (usually about 5-7 members). Team members discuss questions on human physiology that are related to a clinical case. Part of the time is devoted to a general discussion, in which teams present their answers to the questions, and discuss contexts related to the questions. In case of absence, the student needs to substitute the TBL in the credit week at the end of semester. Without substitution, students cannot obtain credits for physiology.

A more detailed information about TBL is available on the webpage

https://zona.fmed.uniba.sk/en/departments/institutes/institute-of-physiology-for-students/general-medicine/team-based-learning/

Practicals

- Practical classes for individual study groups take place in the practical rooms of the Institute of Physiology (practical rooms A, B, C, D) in the time indicated by the timetable, and they last 4 hours. Students are not allowed to join practicals of another study group, unless they officially change the study group with confirmation of the study department.

- The programme of practicals for individual weeks of the semester is available on the website of the Institute of Physiology. The programme is uniform for all study groups.

- Students are required to study the topic of the practicals in advance and to come to the practical prepared. At the beginning of the practicals, they will be examined orally or by a short test/ quiz.

- The group teachers will recommend/provide study materials for individual practicals in advance.

 

Substitution of absences

- If due to serious reasons a student is unable to participate in a practical, he/she is expected to apologize and explain his/her absence.

- Students are obliged to substitute each absence. Participation in all practical classes is one of the conditions for obtaining credits.

- Students may substitute an absence in the same week with another study group, provided that the teacher of the other group has the capacity to accept the student and confirms this in written form (by email). There is a need to inform the own group’s teacher, and to make arrangements with the other group’s teacher in advance.

- Regular substitutions take place at the end of the semester in the compensatory week.

- A student is allowed to substitute maximum 3 absences.

Assessment and evaluation

- Assessment is form of credit tests. The tests are scheduled for the last practical dealing with a given system. During the semester, students have to take 4 credit tests, their dates are indicated in the programme of the physiology practicals.

- The teacher informs the students in advance which subject areas they should study for the credit test.

- All tests are in written form. The students have to answer 10 short questions (creative answers, it is not a multiple-choice test). The time to complete the test is 30 minutes. For each of the questions, the student can get 0 - 4 points, i.e. maximum 40 points. The minimum percent to pass the test is 70%, which corresponds to 28 points.

- If the student fails the first test, he/she has two other chances to repeat the test (one chance in the next week, and one chance in the credit week), i.e. he/she has the chance to write each credit test a maximum of three times.

 - Students who succeed in the test on the first time (i.e. in the regular scheduled test date indicated in the programme of practicals and they obtain at least 28 points) get 3 additional points as a bonus. In this way, they can earn a total of 12 bonus points during the semester. Students who fail a test at the first occasion (the regular date indicated by the programme of practicals) do not receive bonus points for this test.

- Depending on the sum of points from 4 successful credit tests (including bonus points), the student receives an A-Fx semester grade. This mark is inserted into the AIS2 system as the mark for Physiology 1 course. 

- Rating scale (numbers represent the sum of points achieved in 4 credit tests written at least 70% + bonus points)

A   160 – 151 points

B   150 – 141 points

C   140 – 131 points

D   130 – 121 points

E    120 – 112 points

Fx  less than 112 points

Requirements for obtaining the credits for physiology

For obtaining the credits for physiology, the student must comply with the following requirements:

- to take part in all practical classes in full extent,

- to pass successfully all credit tests during the semester, i.e. to obtain at least 28 points in each test (70% success rate),

- to participate in both modules of the Team Based Learning

- to write protocols (laboratory records) from all practical tasks,

- to complete the assigned clinical cases and projects (if applicable),

- to work actively in the practicals and to present good knowledge in the weekly assessments or quizzes,

- to take part in the multiple choice test at the end of the summer semester 

- to pass the final examination of physiology (applies to the course Physiology 2).

 

Credits are awarded (at latest on the last day of the examination period of the respective semester)

- after completing education in the 1st course – by the teacher of practical classes,

- after completing education in the 2nd course – by the examiner.

A student who fails to meet any of the conditions for the granting the credits is obliged to complete the respective course in full extent in the following academic year.

Exception applies to the students who met all criteria except the final examination. If these studetns continue their studies at the CU Faculty of Medicine, they are requested to contact the Institute of Physiology at the beginning of the next academic year to confirm the requirements.

Important note: Obtaining the credits for the course Physiology 1 is the prerequisite for attending the course Physiology 2!!!  It means that students who fail to get credits for the first course of physiology are not eligible to enter the second course of physiology and to get credits for the second course.

Final examination

 

The final examination of physiology includes 

- written test

- oral examination

Students sign for the date of the oral examination. The written test takes place one day in advance.  

 

More details about the final examination can be found in the section Examinations.