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

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including 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.

For each lecture we have provided specific course objectives to help focus your study. We have a recommended text to assist in revision of basic biophysics and physiology. If this text does not work for you, the library holds many more that may better suit. The more detailed knowledge required for the course will be found in specialist literature: books, reviews and original scientific papers. A list of starter references are provided for each lecture or module, but students are expected to read more widely. 
ResourcesRecommended Text for Medsci 309 is: Principles of Neural Science. By: Eric R. Kandel, James H. Schwartz, Thomas M. Jessell, Steven A. Siegelbaum, A.J. Hudspeth (5th edition, 2012 or earlier) but we highly recommend reading scientific papers presented during the lectures or suggested in the readings. You will have a much better outcome if you expand from what is presented in the Medsci 309 lectures.

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

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 course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

We have designed the MEDSCI 309 lecture series in specific modules, which allow you to focus on specific learning objectives for that module.
Module A: Membrane and action potentialsModule B: Neuromuscular and synaptic transmissionModule C: Muscle structure and functionModule D: Striated and smooth muscleModule E: Thermodynamics of contraction 
However, each module provides important information which can be incorporated into your study of the other modules. This enables you to  build a stronger understanding of the biophysics of excitable cells.

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework 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. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

• Honesty - in all aspects of research work
• Accountability - in the conduct of research
• Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
• Good stewardship – on behalf of others
• Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
• Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. Further information can be obtained from: http://www.auckland.ac.nz/teachingandlearning/ (Students - Plagiarism and Cheating section).If you are under pressure or stressed by deadlines, discuss this with the Course co-ordinators. We are here to help you.
Medsci 309 laboratories include practical group work in order to obtain raw data. The analysis, data presentation, and written components of the related assessments must be completed independently by each student, 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 biophysics, 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.

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester 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. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Students requested more assistance with Laboratory report writing in the SET. We are developing targeted help with writing workshops integrated into data analysis modules.

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.

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

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.

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

If your ability to complete assessed work 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. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

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.

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.