• The GSBS Course Ethical Dimensions of Biomedical Science will directly follow the core course on Thursdays.
• This is a stand-alone course and it is not integrated into the core course. You must register for it separately from the core course.
• All first year students are expected to enroll in the Ethics course.
• Other interested students/trainees may also enroll in the Ethics course.

• The Core Course will not have traditional in-class exams.
• Each week, students will be given a take home assignment (developed by the Topic leader and lecturers) focused on critical thinking and concepts.
• Examples:
  • Design an experiment to test a specified hypothesis (including controls and expected outcomes/pitfalls).
  • Develop and test a hypothesis, what experiments support a particular scientific “fact” and experiments refute this “fact”.
• The students will also have a short biostatistics/bioinformatics graded assignment each week.
• All students are expected to ask at least one question or make a substantive comment each week. This will be recorded by the TA.
• Breakout session participation and assignments will also contribute to each student’s overall grade.
• Since participation is an important part of the course, please contact the course director if you will be absent due to illness or other circumstance. In some cases, an alternative assignment will be given to make up for missed class work.
• Final Grades will be based on:
  • Attendance/Participation 30%
  • Weekly Biostatistics homework 30%
  • Weekly Topic Week homework 40%

All students will be required to have a laptop for class.

• Yes - all surveys will be anonymous
• On-line Qualtrics: Comment on specific instructors and overall course any time during the week. Link will be e-mailed to all students each week.
• Weekly surveys will be reviewed by the Course Directors, Course Coordinator, Core Course Faculty and the GSBS Curriculum Committee during the semester.
• Student input will be critical for the success and refinement of this course. Your opinion matters!

Course Directors:

Dr. Swathi Arur (sarur@mdanderson.org) and Dr. Michael Lorenz (michael.lorenz@uth.tmc.edu)

• Will attend class sessions.
• Will provide feedback to lecturers/instructors.
• Will hold office hours to assist students.
• Will identify and counsel students who are having difficulty in the class.
• Will review weekly evaluations.
• Will answer any questions students have about the Core Course.

Course Coordinator:

Dr. Wassim Chehab (elamir.w.chehab@uth.tmc.edu)  

• Will attend class sessions.
• Will provide feedback to lecturers/instructors.
• Will hold office hours to assist students.
• Will identify and counsel students who are having difficulty in the class.
• Will review weekly evaluations.
• Will answer any questions students have about the Core Course.

The course is also open to first year MS students. See Dr. Chehab in the Office of Academic Affairs if you have questions.

The course is divided into 14 one-week units each covering a separate broad topic area (e.g. Cell Biology, Genetics).

• Each week will be led by a Topic Leader (a GSBS faculty member) who has organized a team of expert faculty to participate in teaching.
• Each week will consist of daily lectures and breakout sessions.
• The lectures will be concept-driven, focused on the big questions in the field, cutting-edge findings/approaches, case studies, and clinical applications.
• The course will also include a weekly biostatistics/bioinformatics module.

• Breakout sessions will consist of a variety of individual and team exercises and hands-on workshops that will complement the lectures and the week’s overall topic.
• The breakout sessions are designed to develop skills that you will need to succeed as a scientist (critical thinking, hypothesis development and testing, presentation skills, and teamwork). These sessions will also expose students to powerful scientific methods and software tools.
• In most breakout sessions, the class will be divided into small groups.
• The sessions will take different forms, for example:
  • Question-driven paper discussions (papers assigned in advance)
  • Hypothesis building - based on ideas from lecture or literature
  • Critical analysis of experimental design
  • Debate over controversial topics
  • Student presentations
  • Problem solving
  • Software workshops
• The groups will be led by the students themselves with oversight from faculty, TAs, and course volunteers. The Course Directors, Course Coordinator and TAs will also be available to “float” between groups to facilitate discussions.
• Students will be graded on individual participation and as teams where appropriate (presentations, debates, projects, etc.).

• All course material and assignments will be on Canvas. All enrolled students will be provided access to the Canvas Core Course. Please contact Dr. Chehab if you have problems accessing Canvas.
• The Canvas site will provide the overall course syllabus, weekly schedules, and content.

• The core course will include a biostatistics/bioinformatics module.
• This module will be taught by Dr. John Magnotti; a biostatistics instructor who has been hired specifically for this course.
• This module will usually be on Wednesdays.
• There will be a graded weekly take home assignment for this module.