Stag beetle. The world of Insects, Introductory Course attracts many applicants. Photo: Margareta Ohné

Orientation courses are courses that only require a basic qualification and whose main purpose is to spread knowledge to the public. Our faculty has a large range of such courses, but in recent years' quality reviews of main areas, the orientation courses have sort of "disappeared"; the focus has instead been on courses included in the bachelor's and master's programmes.

But now that will change! The board of science (ON) decided in December 2022 to carry out a special review of the orientation courses. The purpose of the review is to examine how orientation courses are used and how they are taught and examined. In this way, it is hoped to be able to capture both good examples and potential problems.

Simplified review

As usual, the work process means that the departments submit evaluation reports which are then scrutinized by a review group. It in turn issues a report, after which ON makes a decision on possible measures. The review of orientation courses is, however, simplified compared to the reviews of main areas in that there will be a single review group that assesses all of the faculty's orientation courses. The template for the evaluation reports is also simplified; it only covers the headings Prerequisites, Research Connection, Implementation and Examination, Follow-up and Development Work and Main Strengths and Areas of Improvement.

At the end of April, BIG submitted its evaluation report. It has been prepared by Björn Birgersson and here follows a short summary of the report.

BIG's orientation courses

For the past three academic years, BIG has offered six orientation courses: Systematics, Ecology and Behaviour of Birds; The Evolution, Genetics and Behaviour of the Dog; World of insects; Biology of contagious diseases, Garden Biology and Perspectives on Sustainable Development. All courses comprise 7.5 credits and are given at quarter speed in the evening. The range of courses is based on a thorough investigation, which was carried out a few years ago. It concluded that BIG's orientation courses should focus on narrow but popular areas for the general public, while the content should be strongly research-related. There is currently no reason to change this course offering.

Prerequisites: who are the students?

The search pressure for the six courses varies, both from course to course and from year to year, but in general it is satisfactory. What affects the number of applicants the most is whether a course is taught remotely or on campus; distance courses attract many more applicants. Not unexpectedly, however, retention is higher on campus courses. During the last three academic years, number of applicants has been highest for the insect course.

The course participants are a motley mix. Young people who want to test whether biology studies are something for them take the courses, but also students who are already studying biology but want to broaden or deepen their knowledge. For professionals in school or care, orientation courses can be relevant continuing education, while, for example, retirees can follow the courses purely out of desire and interest.

Teaching and examination

The teaching on BIG's orientation courses is mostly traditional lectures, supplemented by discussions and seminars. The bird course also includes a weekend at the Tovetorp field station. Almost all teachers are active researchers in the subject area of ​​the respective course. On some courses, experts from authorities or industry organizations also participate as guest lecturers.

The forms of examination vary greatly between different courses, from written classroom exams to essays and oral presentations.

Strengths and areas for improvement

In the education report, the strong research connection is stated as the main strength, and this applies to all six courses. Something that could be improved is the information to prospective students; especially the campus courses would benefit from more applicants.

Something that needs to be discussed more is how the courses are examined. The fact that today there are large variations between the courses in this regard means that there is a good basis for the exchange of experiences. In light of the rapid development of AI chatbots, the examination forms also need to be reviewed so that they are both expedient and legally secure.

What happens now?

Currently, the departments' education reports are reviewed by ON's review group. It is expected to submit a proposal for a decision on measures before the summer. The proposal will then be discussed in the Basic Education Committee in August and ON is expected to decide on measures in early September.