Timeline and Previously Completed Materials

Timeline

Prior to setting the topics for the three exercises, the student confers with their supervisor(s) about possible topics for each exercises.

Setting of topics: The student presents the possible topics for the exercises to the advisory committee, modifications made if necessary, and the final topics are approved. These discussions could be held in a dedicated meeting or incorporated into a previously scheduled advisory committee meeting. For MD/PhD students, students that have rolled over into their PhD, or students with a MSc, the topics for the comprehensive milestones should be discussed at the end of their second PhD advisory committee meeting. For direct-entry PhD students, the topics for the comprehensive milestones should be discussed at the end of their third or fourth advisory committee meeting. Once the topics are established, a date for a Comprehensive Assessment meeting is set 3-4 months in the future.

Comprehensive Assessment meeting: A 1.5 hr meeting with the advisory committee is scheduled within 3-4 months of approval of the topics. Final drafts of Exercises 1 and 2 must be submitted to the advisory committee 1 week in advance of this meeting. In this meeting, the student gives the chalk talk (prepared for 30 minutes, capped at 45 min total with interactive questions).

Once completed, the student leaves the room, and the advisory committee confers about the feedback provided on all three exercises. This is then conveyed to the student in both written and verbal form. Further work on or modifications of any of the three exercises may be required if the advisory committee feels that the student requires further development, and subsequent meeting(s) may be required.

Once the advisory committee is satisfied with the student’s progress, the chair of the advisory committee informs the Neuroscience Office so that the milestone can be listed as complete on the student’s transcript.

Consideration of previously completed materials
In rare circumstances, students may request that materials completed before the Comprehensive Assessment process (e.g., an already published review or journal club article) be considered as fulfilling one of the written Exercises. To make this request, the student provides their work to the advisory committee, and discussions are had in the “Setting of Topics” meeting as to whether the previously completed work fulfills the intended requirements of a particular exercise. The written exercises are intended to provide an opportunity to evaluate the student’s independent writing skills, so the advisory committee must be convinced that the student was the main author of the previously completed work, and that the work demonstrates a depth and breadth of knowledge within the domain of study.