https://courseoutline.auckland.ac.nz/dco/course/MEDSCI/738/1255

MEDSCI 738 : Biological Clocks

Medical and Health Sciences

2025 Semester Two (1255) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Chronobiology – the study of biological rhythms and the clocks that control them. Theory, anatomical location and molecular machinery of biological clocks will be covered, as will the control of rhythms of different time scales from days (circadian rhythms) to years (circannual rhythms). The influence the human circadian clock has on physiology and drug efficacy, and the effect hospitalisation has on the control of sleep cycles will be given special attention.

Course Overview

This is a masters level paper aimed to provide an introduction to chronobiology- the study of biological rhythms and the clocks that control them. Theory, anatomical location and molecular machinery of biological clocks will be covered, as will the control of rhythms of different time scales from days (circadian rhythms) to years (circannual rhythms). The influence the human circadian clock has on physiology and drug efficacy, and the effect hospitalisation has on the control of sleep cycles will be given special attention. Each weekly staff-led session will be followed by a student-led session in which students will present critical analysis of papers which extend the learning taught in the staff-led session.  Each student will be required to present on one occasion (with marks contributing 15% of the final mark for the course).

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Course Contacts

Course Director
Guy Warman g.warman@auckland.ac.nz
Course Coordinator
James Cheeseman j.cheeseman@auckland.ac.nz

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Master of Biomedical Science

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Recognise and describe the ubiquity and importance of biological clocks and their relevance for human health and animal behaviour (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
  2. Understand, recognise and explain the anatomical location and molecular basis of rhythm generation (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
  3. Identify the importance of clocks for human health (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
  4. Identify, explain and evaluate how disruption of clocks can lead to disease (Capability 1.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
  5. Communicate to the class about a clocks related topic of interest and/or relevance to future research (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
  6. Analyse rhythms in data using the appropriate time series approaches (Capability 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 5.2)
  7. Recognise and describe the importance of non-circadian rhythms in the timing of complex behaviour and physiology on different timescales from tidal to annual (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1 and 8.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Essay 30% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 40% Individual Examination
Presentation 15% Individual Coursework
Mock Grant Application 15% Individual Coursework
4 types 100%
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Essay
Final Exam
Presentation
Mock Grant Application

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures,  4-5 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 3-4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including lectures and student seminars to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including student seminars and tutorials will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events.
Attendance on campus is required for the exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Course guide
Recommended readings (papers and text books available in the Philson Library or online)

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

The experience of the overseas students was not positive.  We do not believe this course can deliver content well to overseas students (particularly with ongoing issues with LTMU around room scheduling and lecture recordings).  Thus we will not be enrolling overseas students into the course in 2022.
We have changed the assessments and student involvement in 2022 in line with student feedback in 2020 and 2021 and also in line with the fact that as of 2021 we are teaching biological clocks content into stage 3 (MEDSCI317) and thus students will have a foundation for 738.
each weekly staff-led session will be followed by a student-led session in which each student will present a paper which extends the learning taught in the staff led session.  Each student will be expected to present on two different ocassions (with marks for the two sessions totally 30% of the final mark for the course).
Given this modification of student led content it makes "campus experience" essential to delivery of this course.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Medsci 738 includes two written assignments. The students are expected to engage with literature and synthesize written components of the related assessment independently, and adhere to the academic integrity standards set by the University of Auckland Student Academic Conduct Statute.
GenAI
We do not allow the use of AI in creating any written assessment because:
1. All our written assessments are intended to upskill you in academic writing (in addition to understanding the topic), which will be hindered with the use of AI.
2. It does not demonstrate your ability to communicate scientific ideas clearly, logically, and concisely within the field of chronobiology, and claiming it as your own is academically dishonest.
If you choose to use GenAI to assist you during the semester, please ensure that it is limited to the planning or information gathering stages of your assessments. It is your responsibility to verify any information (and their sources) to ensure they are accurate. Any writing submitted for assessment must be written independently by you, in your own words.
Paraphrasing tools
Improving your academic writing is one of the learning outcomes of this course. Paraphrasing tools such as Grammarly can be a useful resource for learning about writing, though it may not always align with scientific writing styles. If you choose to use such a tool, ensure you are:
1. Still creating your own thoughts and writing
2. Thinking critically about any suggested changes
3. Learning from any suggestions made by the tool so you can improve your writing skills, rather than simply using the suggestions in your assessments.
4. Not using it to re-write full paragraphs of text and claiming it as your own writing.
If your assessment appears to use GenAI platforms in its final product, you will be asked to have a meeting with teaching staff, and a formal academic misconduct process may be initiated.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.