During this ten week self-paced course, students will be introduced to neuroscience. Over a ten week time period, students will work to define neuroscience and gain knowledge of the different principles within the field. By the end of the course, students will have developed a basic understanding of neuroscience. No background knowledge is required, just an eagerness to learn. The brain is so amazing and fun to learn about! 

Overview: During this course, students will develop a basic understanding of neuroscience and how our amazing brain works. Throughout this course, we will explore different aspects of neuroscience from neurons and cell networks to the anatomy of the brain. We will also discuss learning mechanisms, reinforcements, attention, perception, motor control, language, and executive functioning. By the end of the class, students will have an understanding of how the brain works down to a cellular level. 

Methodology: Students will be provided with a course syllabus that contains step by step instructions for completing the class. Each week, the students will view a recorded presentation that incorporates multiple modalities (text, video, audio, etc.).  The handouts for the presentation will be made available for you to print (printing is optional). After viewing the presentation, students will respond to discussion posts in the classroom that are related to the weekly topic. Students will engage in on-topic discussions with their instructor and/or peers by using the discussion board(s). Students will be offered the opportunity to ask questions, as well as opportunities to further explore the material through brief weekly assignments. These assignments will also provide students an opportunity to improve their research and/or presentation skills. 

Weeks 1-9 will have a very brief homework assignment. Each week, students will present their homework findings in a manner of their choosing by posting the results to the classroom wall. Students may choose to write out their results, post a video, post a drawing or sketch, etc. The homework assignments generally will not take longer than 30 minutes to complete. Homework is used to extend learning and to allow for practice of research and/or presentation skills. Students will have one week from the date of the assignment to complete and submit their homework. Feedback will be given on homework assignments on a weekly basis.  

Learner Time: This is a flexible schedule course so there are 0 live minutes per week in class. Students will spend approximately 1 hour per week viewing recordings, and an estimate of 0-1 hours per week outside of class to complete assignments.