New curriculum design model for bioinformatics postgraduate program using systems biology approach.

Ragunath, P.K.; Venkatesan, P.; Ravimohan, R.

Journal of Computer Science & Systems Biology; 2009; 2; 300-305.

Abstract: Bioinformatics is the application of information technology to the field of molecular biology. In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. Curriculum design should take into account intentions and outcomes. It should encourage students to make choices and explore their consequences. Hence, the need arises for developing a new method for curriculum development for a course in Bioinformatics (which is a truly interdisciplinary in nature). Systems Biology Approach is a biology-based inter-disciplinary study field that focuses on the systematic study of complex interactions in biological systems, thus using a new perspective (holism instead of reduction) to study them. We have evolved a new curriculum design using the System Biology Approach (SRU Model) for the M.Sc. bioinformatics course in the Department of Bioinformatics in Sri Ramachandra University , India . The curriculum is designed to follow the three tier architecture model. The results have been very encouraging and this Curriculum Design model is portable for any other courses and the details are discussed.

Keywords: Systems biology; Curriculum design; Bioinformatics; SRU model; Three tier architecture; Syllabus; Curriculum development; Postgraduate program

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