THE PROGRAMME

 

The Programme

Aims

Learning Objectives

Structure

Learning methods

Assessment

Technical requirements

The Programme

All students initially register for the Postgraduate Diploma.

There is a single entry point for this each year in September.

The Postgraduate Diploma comprises a taught course of 8 modules.  These will be covered in 2 modules per semester over 4 semesters – with total duration of 16 months total study.

Thus the duration of each module is 6 weeks.

All of the modules are core to the Diploma except module 7 - here there are two options. One in endocrine oncology and genetics and the other in clinical chemistry. The modules are studied in fixed order, commencing with a 'generic skills and core knowledge' module which provides a foundation on which the subsequent modules build. There are no optional modules or alternative pathways, to ensure that we cover all of the relevant subject areas comprehensively.

On successful completion of the taught course, students who are eligible and who wish to, may apply to transfer to the MSc course - for further details see pages on course structure and on individual modules.

Endocrinology is a clinical discipline. However while this course is based on the learning needs of clinical endocrinologists, there is no formal clinical component or attachment. It is anticipated that the majority of students engaged in this form of study will, in parallel, be gaining clinical experience in their working lives and will bring some of this experience to the discussions and case analysis that form an integral part of the programme.

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General Aims of the Programme

To enhance awareness of the basic sciences and research techniques underpinning endocrinology and diabetes.

To develop understanding of the clinical sciences relevant to specialist clinical practice in endocrinology and diabetes.

To develop knowledge of common and important disorders in endocrinology and diabetes at a level appropriate to underpin clinical experience and support independent practice.

To develop the problem-solving skills which will support independent practice as a specialist.

To develop professional competencies of medical graduates in allied areas to understand the pathophysiology, investigation and management of endocrine disorders.

To develop related transferable skills such as correct use of statistics, use of databases, literature searches, reviewing evidence, critical appraisal of scientific literature, writing papers and articles.

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Learning Objectives of the Programme

At the completion of the course, students should be able to:

Course Structure

The Postgraduate Diploma / MSc  in Endocrinology and Diabetes (distance learning) is designed both as a complete curriculum in Endocrinology and Diabetes for new entrants into these fields and as an update and extension for those already in it. The course should provide clinicians with a framework for the theoretical and clinically applied aspects of their discipline.

All students initially register for the postgraduate Diploma. The Postgraduate Diploma comprises a taught course of 8 modules.  These will be covered in 2 modules per semester over 4 semesters – with total duration of 16 months total study. All of the modules are core to the Diploma and are studied in fixed order, commencing with a 'generic skills and core knowledge' module which provides a foundation on which the subsequent modules build. There are no optional modules or alternative pathways, to ensure that we cover all of the relevant subject areas comprehensively.

On successful completion of the taught course, students who are eligible and who wish to, may apply to transfer to the MSc course. This involves an additional independent research project. The project proposal, supervisor, host institution and funding arrangments are organised by the student in their own institution but must be approved by QMUL. The project will have additional oversight from a QMUL supervisor and will be completed by a dissertation and viva examination.

Taught Course Module Titles
module number	Topic / Title
1	Generic skills and Core knowledge
2	Hypothalamus and pituitary
3	Thyroid, Parathyroids and Bone
4	Reproduction, pregnancy and paediatric endocrinology
5	Metabolism, Energy Balance and Lipids
6	Adrenals (medulla and cortex)
7a	Genetics, Oncology, Neuroendocrine Tumours  or 7b
7b	Clinical chemistry
8	Diabetes Mellitus
Each module accounts for 15 credits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning methods

Methods for Teaching and Learning
The taught course will be delivered online via the QMPlus platform used in all QMUL online courses.The materials for each week of the module are released together along with a list of materials and key papers.

The topics for the module-week outlined in the syllabus will be delivered using a variety of methods including:

1) Online lectures, which will form much of the delivered material.
2) Podcasts.
3) Lecture notes and documentary reading material.
4) Guided reading exercises.
5) Online Seminars / Tutorials.
6) Clinical case presentations and analysis utililising the principles of Evidence-based medicine, together with moderated discussion via the discussion board.
6) 'HOT topics' up-to-date review for each module.
7) 'Ask the expert' session (students submit questions during the module via the message board, discussed via podcast in the final week of the module.)
8) Demonstration videos if applicable.
9) Online reading lists
10) Weekly mini-quizzes online

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Assessment

Assessment of the Postgraduate Diploma

Formative Assessment
Formative assessment takes the form of short quizzes with online feedback at the end of each week, based on the learning activities completed that week.

Summative Assessment
Assignments for each module are released at the start of the module (there is a choice of topics) and each assignment must be submitted online by the end of the module. The assignments comprise 50% of the final module mark.

There is also an end-of-course summative assessment (invigilated examination) after completion of all eight modules. The exam questions for the module comprise 50% of the marks for that module.

Assessment of the MSc
The first part of the MSc comprises the taught course which is assessed as described above.

The second part of the MSc comprises a dissertation based on either an independent research project or a series of clinical cases.

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Technical Requirements

The course will be delivered via the QMPlus virtual learning environment (VLE) which is hosted by Queen Mary, University of London. As a distance learner you will rely solely on QMPlus for your course materials and communications.

Hardware requirements
QMplus is accessible to both PC and Apple Macintosh computers. That said, it is assumed that you will have a relatively up to date computer. For PC users, this should be running at least Windows XP and for Apple Macintosh users, Mac OS X. Many of the learning activities are lectures to watch – make sure you are planning to use a computer with speakers or that you have headphones and a headphone jack to plug them in.

Internet connection

You will require a broadband connection to the internet. Your course contains multimedia materials which, by their nature, have relatively large file sizes. A fast internet connection is therefore required to be able to access these materials.
As well as having an internet connection, you will also have to ensure that you can connect to the systems at Queen Mary. This means ensuring that there are no firewall restrictions on your internet connection that will prevent you from connecting to Queen Mary systems.

Software

If you are a regular internet user then it is likely that you will already have many of the necessary software components installed on your computer. You may, however, have to change configurations or perhaps even install some new software to allow you to access your course content. To do this you will require administrator access to your computer. This shouldn't be an issue if you are using your own computer but if you are using a computer supplied by your place of work, you may have to negotiate with your technical support to ensure that your computer can be appropriately configured. As well as having access to an appropriate browser, you will also have to ensure that the browser is configured appropriately to use Blackboard.

Web browser

Blackboard is a web-based system which means that you access it using a standard web browser. However, there are a large number of web browsers available and Blackboard is not compatible with all of them. The recommended browsers are:

For Windows users:
Internet Explorer Version 7 or 8
Firefox

For Apple Macintosh users:
Safari
Firefox

Please note, in particular, the Google Chrome browser is not compatible with Blackboard.

As well as having access to an appropriate browser, you will also have to ensure that the browser is configured appropriately to use Blackboard. You will find a browser checker on the entry page of Blackboard which will check your browser configuration and give details of what you need to do to configure your browser appropriately.

Java

The Blackboard virtual learning environment requires Java to be installed on your machine. The browser checker mentioned above will check for a Java installation on your computer. If you do not have Java, it can be downloaded for free from:
http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Please note that Java is different from Javascript.

Course content

The previous section outlined the requirements for accessing the Blackboard system itself. Your course contains a variety of different types of course material which are delivered in a variety of formats.

Adobe Flash Player

You will also need Adobe Flash Player installed. It will be helpful if you can have access to the most up to date version of the Flash player.
http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

PDF Reader

You will need a PDF Reader , such as the Acrobat PDF reader which you can download for free from the Adobe website and you will need Microsoft office or compatible software such as Microsoft Word or Powerpoint.

Office software

Some documents may be made available to you in Microsoft Office formats either Microsoft Word or Powerpoint.

Getting started

Only once you have enrolled on the course will access to the virtual learning environment be arranged for you. At that point you will also receive some instructions by email on how to get started with using 'Blackboard' and there will be some online technical help available for you if you need it.