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Animal Developmental Biology

Module description

All animals on this planet develop from a single fertilised egg. In this module you will study different mechanisms and patterns of embryonic development by which a single fertilised egg can give rise to a diversity of animal life. During the module you will focus on specific subjects in the developmental biology of animals including fertilisation, pattern formation in invertebrate and vertebrate embryos, tissue specification, gene regulation, signal transduction, stem cell function, regeneration and evo-devo (evolution of development). This is an advanced module on animal developmental biology and you will investigate frontiers of knowledge and research in this fascinating subject.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The module focuses on specific topics in animal developmental biology and, through lectures, research, student-led seminars and reflective criticism, you will be challenged to investigate new developments in selected developmental biology themes.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Research, evaluate and critically assess through careful consideration of examples the biological basis and theoretical implications of selected animal developmental concepts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 2. Evaluate in detail approaches to our understanding of molecular and cell biology when applied to animal development, with reference to primary literature, reviews and research articles
• 3. Analyse in detail essential facts and theory in a subdiscipline of the biosciences
• 4. Analyse and evaluate independently a range of research-informed literature and synthesise research-informed examples from the literature into written work

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Communicate effectively arguments, evidence and conclusions using written and oral means in a manner appropriate to the intended audience
• 6. Devise and sustain, with little guidance, a logical and reasoned argument with sound, convincing conclusions
• 7. Analyse and evaluate appropriate data with very limited guidance
• 8. Work in a small team and deal proficiently with the issues that teamwork requires (i.e. communication, motivation, decision-making, awareness, responsibility, and management skills, including setting and working to deadlines)

Syllabus plan

Specific topics in developmental biology of animals will be covered including pattern formation, tissue specification, gene regulation, stem cell function, regeneration and evo-devo. You will research, analyse, evaluate and give a short lecture in a chosen aspect of developmental biology from a range of titles. For the student-led lecture you will work in a small group (normally three per group) to analyse and evaluate data and theories from literature to the class. The presentation will be followed by questions and discussion involving the whole class. When you prepare for the lecture, you will meet with and receive guidance from the lecturer associated with the module. Your lecture will be assessed by both a group mark and an individual mark, with equal weighting given to each. You will give lectures on specific topics as follows:

• History of developmental biology
• Marine invertebrate development
• Insect development
• Vertebrate model organisms
• Brain development
• Stem cells and regeneration
• Epigenetics and developmental biology
• Evolution and developmental biology

Accessibility Statement:

As part of this module you will be required to undertake group work and deliver a group presentation in class towards your summative assessment.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The student-led lecture and discussion assessment is not deferrable because of its practical nature. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Primary research literature, review articles, partly selected by students

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE page: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=9256

Key words search

Embryo, signal transduction, differentiation, diversity, pattern formation, stem cells, regeneration, evolution, development, fertilisation, marine invertebrates, programmed cell death, brain development, model animals