Teaching methodology of the course

LECTURES:

The topics included in the different blocks will be taught in approximately 30 sessions. Some of these sessions will be delivered by invited lecturers and specialists in the clinical research field of diseases caused by pathogens. The theoretical content of the course programme will be delivered by the course coordinator in the form of lectures supported by audiovisual material. The presentations used in class by the lecturer will be made available in advance on the course Virtual Campus. The course coordinator will always be present in the classroom, regardless of whether the session is delivered by the coordinator or by an invited lecturer. In the case of sessions delivered by invited lecturers, the course coordinator will briefly introduce the speaker and moderate the subsequent discussion.

AUTONOMOUS LEARNING:

Autonomous learning will be based on achieving the specific learning competences that will be presented at the beginning of each block into which the course programme is divided. Students are advised to regularly consult the books, articles, and videos recommended in class or listed in the bibliography section of this teaching guide, in order to consolidate and clarify, if necessary, the contents explained in class.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING:

Cooperative learning sessions will be scheduled as classroom practical sessions. Students will be divided into groups, and each group will work on a specific topic. The tasks of each group will be:

1. To prepare an oral presentation: selecting the key aspects of the topic and presenting them to the rest of the class.
2. In connection with the oral presentation, to prepare an infographic accompanied by a descriptive summary.

Details of the assignment will be provided during the course presentation.

Attendance at the cooperative learning sessions is compulsory. There will be a maximum of 10 classroom practical sessions during the course. Attendance will be monitored. A maximum of two absences will be allowed, provided that they are duly justified; supporting documentation will be required.

CLASS ATTENDANCE:

This is an on-site course. This means that the course is designed for students to attend all classes in person. Classroom attendance facilitates understanding of the content and helps students distinguish which information in the supporting slides is essential and which is complementary.

However, attendance will not be monitored during the lectures. Therefore, strictly speaking, attendance is not compulsory, although it is highly recommended.

As explained above, attendance at the classroom practical sessions is compulsory.

USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) BY STUDENTS:

Following the recommendations of the UAB, the model for the use of AI in this course is detailed below. This course follows a model in which restricted use of AI by students is permitted. This restricted use consists of the following: for this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted for supporting tasks related to the preparation of classroom practical sessions, such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction or translation, and image generation. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools have influenced the process and the final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in this assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic honesty and may result in a partial or total penalty in the grade for the activity.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

The assessment of the course will be individual and continuous, through activities that will evaluate:

• The student’s individual learning through partial exams.
• Cooperative learning through the training activities scheduled in the classroom practical sessions, including the oral presentation of a topic in accordance with the course competences.

The assessment activities scheduled for the course Immunology of Infectious Diseases are as follows:

Partial exams: two partial exams. Each exam will account for 35% of the final grade, representing 70% of the final grade between the two partial exams. These will be multiple-choice exams with a minimum of 30 questions, each with 5 options and only one correct answer. In the correction, 1/5 of the value of each question will be deducted for each incorrect answer. To pass this part of the course, the average grade of the two partial exams must be equal to or higher than 5. Students must obtain a minimum grade of 4 in each partial exam in order for the two exams to be averaged.

Cooperative learning: this will be organised as cooperative group work in groups of 3–6 students. The aim is for students to develop their self-learning skills, their ability to search for and select information, and, ultimately, their ability to synthesize information and communicate orally and in writing. The ability to work in a group will also be assessed.

The assessment of cooperative learning will represent 30% of the final grade for the course. The grade for the group work will take into account the content of the work, its format, the oral presentation, and the subsequent discussion.

To pass this part of the course, the cooperative learning grade must be equal to or higher than 5.

The final grade for the course will consist of the score obtained in the two partial exams (70% of the grade) plus the score obtained in the cooperative learning assignment (30% of the grade).

OBSERVATIONS:

• If a student does not pass one of the partial exams, or wishes to improve their grade, they will have the option of taking a final exam organised by partial exam sections. In other words, the student may choose to take only one of the partial exam sections or both, as appropriate. The format of the resit exam may be multiple-choice and/or short-answer questions. The format of the resit exam will be announced in advance.
• Taking the exam in order to improve a grade implies waiving the previous grade.
• Failure to attend any of the assessment activities must be justified. Failure to attend any of the partial exams, regardless of the reason, even if justified, means that the student will have to retake that partial exam during the final/resit exam.
• In order to be eligible for the resit exam, students must have previously been assessed in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to at least two thirds of the total grade for the course. Therefore, students will receive a grade of “Not Assessable” when the assessment activities completed account for less than 67% of the final grade.
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SINGLE ASSESSMENT:

Students have the option to request single assessment. Single assessment consists of the following:

• Students waive the option of taking the two partial exams separately and will instead take a single exam (single assessment exam) on the same date as the second partial exam. This exam will cover the content of the entire course and will represent 70% of the final grade. To pass this part of the course, the grade of the single assessment exam must be equal to or higher than 5. The format of the exam may be multiple-choice and/or short-answer questions. The format of the single assessment exam will be announced in advance.
• RESIT: the same resit system as for continuous assessment will apply.
• Students who choose single assessment must also complete the cooperative learning component, which represents 30% of the final grade, and must attend the classroom practical sessions, which are compulsory for all students.
• Students who choose single assessment must inform the course coordinator before the end of September.

IMPORTANT: Any irregularity committed during an assessment activity (such as academic fraud, plagiarism, or the improper use of AI, unless such use is expressly authorised in the course guide) that may lead to a significant change in the grade will result in that assessment activity being awarded a grade of 0. If the course guide establishes that obtaining a minimum grade in that assessment activity is an essential requirement for passing the course, or if several irregularities occur in assessment activities within the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0. In addition, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against any student who commits any of these irregularities.