Course Objective

The course Academic Core is created to prepare you for the transition
from student to scientific researcher. The course will focus on the
skills and knowledge which you are not able to learn from a textbook but
need to be practiced, experiences, discussed etc. Some of the Academic
Core themes will be integrated within the compulsory courses others will
be emphasized during interactive workshops, network meetings, seminars
etc. Topics that will be addressed are: planning your study program,
presenting in English, self-reflection, sharing experiences and future
career choices with a mentor and preparing for a future job as a
researcher.

Course Content

The Academic Core spreads out over the two years of the master program
and consists of the following modules
- Presenting in English
- Debating
- Ethics and legislation
- Networking
- Research orientation
- Career orientation
- Career tracking
- Mentor contact

Teaching Methods

There will be classes and interactive workshops organized during the
whole master program with Academic Core themes. Part of these will be
organized within other compulsory courses such as e.g. writing a
research proposal or doing a debating club. Other themes will be
scheduled as Academic Core classes and supported by assignments. A large
part of the Academic Core will be independent learning of competences
obtained during assignments and workshops.

Method of Assessment

The course will be concluded with a portfolio containing all the
assignments and documents collected during the year. The academic core
coordinator will assess if the portfolio meets the criteria at the end
of the first year and the academic core will assess the whole portfolio
after the second year. Only when the first and second year module of the
course has been successfully assessed by the academic core examiner, the
student will obtain the credits for this course.

Target Audience

This course is one of the compulsory courses for the master program in
Oncology and an essential part of the program.

Custom Course Registration

Students will be automatically registered for the first year module of the course (A). Students can register for the second year module (B) through vunet.vu.nl (under My study, register for courses and exams). The first year needs to be successfully completed to register and take part in second year activities. The general VU registration rules apply. Information on registration deadlines can be found in VUnet. Please note that the general VU rules are strict, both for booking of the classes and (resit-)exams.