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

- Credit tests are the main assessment form during the semester. The tests are scheduled during the last practical session dealing with a given system. During the semester, students are required to take 4 credit tests; their dates are indicated in the programme of the physiology practicals.

- Teachers inform their students in advance about the subject areas they should study for each credit test.

- All credit tests are written. Students answer 10 short questions (open/creative answers; this is not a multiple‑choice test). The time limit is 30 minutes. Each question is scored 0–4 points, i.e. a maximum of 40 points can be obtained. The minimum score required to pass the test is 70% (28 points).

- Students who fail the first attempt have two additional opportunities to repeat the test; therefore, each credit test may be taken a maximum of three times. In exceptional cases, and upon a written request, the head of the department may grant one additional attempt to repeat a credit test. This exception may be applied to only one of the four credit tests per semester.

- Students who pass the test on the first attempt (i.e. on the regular date specified in the programme of practicals and with at least 28 points) receive 3 bonus points. In total, a student may earn up to 12 bonus points during the semester. Students who fail a test on the first attempt do not receive bonus points for that test.

- Depending on the total number of points from four successfully passed credit tests (including bonus points), the student receives a semester grade A–Fx. This grade is entered into the AIS2 system as the final mark for the Physiology 1 course. In the Physiology 2 course, the results of the credit tests form part of the final evaluation.

Grading scale (total points from four credit tests passed at ≥70% + bonus points):

A: 151 points or more

B: 141–150 points

C: 131–140 points

D: 121–130 points

E: 112–120 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 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.

 

Students who did not meet the requirements for being awarded credits within the usual timeframe, i.e. by the end of teaching in the given semester, have the opportunity to complete the missing requirements (e.g. successfully pass credit tests, make up for absences, etc.) until the end of the respective academic year.

Students may obtain credits for the course Physiology 2 only after obtaining credits for the course Physiology 1.

A student who, in the given academic year, does not meet any of the basic requirements for being awarded credits is required to complete the course instruction in full in the following academic year.

A different procedure may apply to students who have completed the Physiology 2 course and have fulfilled all requirements for being awarded credits except for successfully passing the final examination. If these students continue their studies at the Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University (i.e. they carry the course over or have re-enrolled), they must contact the Institute of Physiology at the very beginning of the academic year in order to clarify the conditions for obtaining credits.

 

 

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.