This course is offered in two delivery modes:

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including all teaching sessions.

Lectures will be available as recordings. 

Attendance on campus is not required for the exam.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Online

Attendance on campus is not required for the exam.
Where possible, study material will be released progressively throughout the course.
This course runs to the University semester/quarter timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply.

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.

There is no textbook specific for MEDSCI 713; all resources will be provided on Canvas and as reading lists.

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.

MEDSCI 302 Cancer Biology course is recommended but not an absolute prerequisite for this course. The following textbooks, available in the library, can be used to access background information if required: Tannock et al. (eds.) The Basic Science of Oncology and Weinberg et al. (eds.) The Biology of Cancer.

This course is designed to work in parallel with Medsci714. That course focuses on the biological basis of cancer and Medsci713 focusses on how we use that information to develop effective treatments for this disease. All of the lecturers in Medsci713 are directly involved in developing new anti-cancer drugs themselves or in treating cancer.

In the past there were 12 individual lectures in the course but  it will now be delivered 5 main blocks of 2 lectures each.  Each block will also be delivered by 2 lecturers to provide maximum levels of continuity and cohesion of course content and to provide extra levels of backup and support for students as we deal with the possibilities of fluctuations in course delivery modes due to COVID

1. Precision medicine in cancer therapy using small molecule drugs including protein kinase inhibitors as modulators of signal transduction.

Professor Peter Shepherd and A/Prof Jeffrey Smaill

2. Hypoxia in tumours and impacts for small molecule therapies and radiation therapy

A/Prof Adam Patterson and Dr Benjamin Dickson

3. Antibodies and other biological drugs in treating cancer

Professor Peter Shepherd and Dr Moana Tercel

4. Targeting the tumour microenvironment including the immune system to improve cancer therapy response

Dr Kimi Henare and Dr Petr Tomek

5. Treating haematologic malignancies including cellular therapies and modulation of the bone marrow microenvironment

Dr Maggie Kalev and Dr Andrew Wood

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.

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.

In 2023 SET Evaluations, the overall level of student satisfaction with this course was very high. The final score for the course was above the average of other postgraduate courses in the Faculty and the University. Students indicated high level of satisfaction with the course content, structure and organisation. 
This is what students said they liked about MedSci 713:Students enjoyed the interactive lecture style broken down into small activities. The learning objectives were laid out clearly; references given for the essay made the writing process easier; all lecturers were approachable. The great majority of students found teaching in small groups helpful, the course intellectually stimulating with useful assessments, and they enjoyed the course. Students appreciated that the first round of seminars were group activities, which facilitated steady practice of presentation skills and research analysis. 
This is what students suggested to change:Students asked if we could increase value of the coursework relative to the exam, which we thought was appropriate. In 2021 the exam percentage will be reduced from 45% to 40%.

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.