As one part of the Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program (MBIDP), students are required to participate in the Molecular Biology Student Seminar Series (298). Two or three seminar sections are held each quarter. MBIDP mentors are asked to organize sections of the series on a rotating basis as part of their mentoring responsibilities. The 298s are open to all continuing (2nd yr and up) graduate students. ACCESS and other first-year students may enroll in 298s if space becomes available near the start of the quarter, and instructors permit.

SECTION FORMAT

298 seminar sections may be taught individually or they may be team taught by two UCLA faculty members with complementary research interests. Team teaching often eliminates scheduling problems so that at least one of the two faculty is available for all ten weekly class meetings. We find that it is easier to stimulate discussion with the help of another colleague to pose questions from different points of view. Therefore it is desirable (for a team taught course) that both faculty members are present at each class meeting. The precise format of the course is determined by the faculty involved, however, certain components should be included. Original research papers, not reviews, must be analyzed in depth (reviews may be assigned as background material). The research papers should cover the breadth of literature in the chosen field. Students must be given an opportunity to critically discuss experimental design and the interpretation of experimental data. Students must also make oral presentations in which they present their views on these subjects. A format that is commonly used is to assign 18 papers to be critically analyzed during the course of the quarter. Papers are assigned to individual students at the first "organizational" meeting of the class in week 1. At each subsequent weekly class meeting two students present an oral evaluation of the papers assigned to them, each speaking for approximately 50 minutes including time for discussion and answering questions. All students are expected to evaluate each paper and come to the weekly two- hour class meeting ready to critically discuss the assigned paper. [It should be made clear to students that lack of attendance will negatively affect their course grade and evaluation, and we ask that instructors be aware of students who do not attend each meeting, do not participate in discussion or have not read all the papers. This potential problem can be eliminated by requiring each student to submit weekly a brief written evaluation of each paper to be discussed.] Presentations include a discussion of experimental strategy, results, interpretation of results and possibly consideration of experimental approaches to questions raised by the paper..

GRADING AND EVALUATIONS

The 298 seminars are graded on an S/U basis only. No letter grades will be given. Instructors have the responsibility to provide immediate verbal feedback following the student's presentation and promote discussion. In addition, at the end of the quarter faculty will complete a thorough written evaluation of the student's performance, including intellectual and scientific content, preparation, organization, depth of understanding, presentation skills, and participation in class discussions. This written evaluation, which will be made available to the student, is intended to benefit rather than "grade" the student; hence, detailed, meaningful critiques are strongly encouraged. Evaluation forms will be provided to faculty by the MBI Graduate Office prior to the first meeting. Students will be given the opportunity to evaluate the instructor(s) and the course at the end of the quarter via official University evaluation forms; instructors and their department chairs will receive a summary printout of the results. nstructors have the responsibility to provide immediate verbal feedback following the student's presentation and promote discussion. In addition, at the end of the quarter faculty will complete a thorough written evaluation of the student's performance, including intellectual and scientific content, preparation, organization, depth of understanding, presentation skills, and participation in class discussions. This written evaluation, which will be made available to the student, is intended to benefit rather than "grade" the student; hence, detailed, meaningful critiques by faculty are strongly encouraged. Students will be given the opportunity to evaluate the instructor(s) and the course at the end of the quarter via official University evaluation forms.

WRITTEN EXAMS

The The 298 seminars also serve as a basis for required written examinations for students in several Ph.D. programs. Please note that these exams are NOT A COURSE REQUIREMENT, only a program requirement for SOME Ph.D. programs. The exams are independent of the final S/U grade given for the course, and have a submission deadline at the end of the quarter. Exams take the form of a three-page, single-spaced (or equivalent) proposal of possible research in an area related to the topic(s) of the 298 seminar. Instructors have about three weeks to read and grade the papers on a pass, rewrite, or fail basis.

PHOTOCOPYING

Students and instructors may use the Boyer Hall photocopiers for 298-related copying, but must first have the copier code entered by personnel from this office between the hours of 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Most articles can be downloaded from the journal web sites.

Revised 4/06