Course Essentials
Congratulations and a warm welcome to Biomedical Science at Canterbury Christ Church University. My name is James O’Connor, and I am the Course Director for Biomedical Science. I will be working closely with you throughout your academic journey at CCCU. I look forward to meeting you at the “Welcome to Biomedical Science” session during Welcome Week.
James O'Connor
Course Director
Your Teaching Timetable
To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.
View your first semester teaching timetable.
On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.
If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.
Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.
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Your Semester 1 Modules |
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The Big Picture* |
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Behaviour, Body and Biology |
*All Foundation Year students take The Big Picture during Semester 1. The module includes shared lectures and smaller seminar and pastoral groups.
Seminar groups are arranged broadly by subject area so that discussions, examples, and activities can connect to your intended degree course.
The Unitimetables page shows an overview of all scheduled teaching for the module. You will not be expected to attend every seminar shown there.
Your confirmed lecture, seminar, and pastoral group will be available in MyTimetable once course registration and group allocations have been completed.
Key dates
Academic Calendar: Semesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome
Welcome Week for Biomedical Science will take place from 14–19 September. Your Biomedical Science and Human Biology welcome session will be held at 10am on the 15th of September in the laboratories on the third floor of the Verena Holmes building. The Head of Subject, the core course team, and I will be there to welcome you.
There will also be a Natural Sciences Subject Welcome on Friday 19 September at 11am (room to be confirmed). This session will give you the opportunity to meet students from other courses within the department, as well as additional members of staff, in a relaxed and informal setting.
You can view the locations for these sessions in your course welcome timetable in the Welcome & Induction box at the top of this page.
In your first few weeks, you will be assigned a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT). Your PAT will play an important role in supporting you throughout your university journey—providing guidance on your academic progress, helping you develop effective study skills, and offering advice on any personal or professional challenges that may affect your learning. Regular meetings with your tutor will give you the opportunity to reflect on your progress, set goals, and access further university support where needed.
I look forward to working with you and meeting you during Welcome Week.
Getting started
Your Course
You will begin your Foundation Year in Semester 1 by studying two core modules:
- The Big Picture
- Behaviour, Body and Biology
In Semester 2, you will study:
- 3 x Success Modules of your choice
- Interdisciplinary Communication Skills
- Foundations of Science.
Teaching
Teaching across both semesters will include a combination of in-person lectures, seminars, workshops, and practical sessions on the Canterbury campus.
In the first few weeks, you can expect a structured introduction to your modules, including support with key academic skills, opportunities to engage with different areas of science, and activities designed to build your confidence as an independent learner.
A key focus of the Foundation Year is to help you develop the academic, practical, and communication skills needed for progression onto your chosen degree programme.
You will be supported in building your scientific understanding, as well as essential skills such as critical thinking, data interpretation, and effective communication.
Blackboard
Your learning will be supported by CCCU’s virtual learning environment, Blackboard. Here, you will find lecture materials, key resources, links to further reading, and essential module information.
Blackboard is accessible via your laptop or through a mobile app, allowing you to engage with your studies flexibly.
To help you prepare
We recommend that you complete the “Time Management”, “Academic Integrity and Plagiarism”, and “Generative AI Guidance” modules available on the Learning Skills Hub before teaching begins, as these will help you prepare for university-level study.
All necessary equipment for your sessions will be provided where required. You are encouraged to bring a notepad or similar to sessions so you can take notes and help orientate yourself during the early weeks of the course.
Your Must Do Tasks
Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student.
Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.
Pre-course reading
Please ensure to review the Biomedical Science pages on the CCCU website and visit the IBMS website..
A full reading list will be provided for each module in the first week of academic content.
International student success programme
International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.
Contact details
Have a question?