Grace is the subject of our case study during the course. Whilst Grace is completing an internship programme during her summer break from university she is introduced to the work of Dr Michael Merzenich, professor emeritus neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco. The internship experience is a profound one for Grace because the subject matter of her first assignment has personal resonance that eventually diverts her life trajectory and career choice.

The course is split across three lessons with each one offering a different perspective on the subject matter. Within each lesson, we ask you a series of questions where you will have some research to do using the links provided. These articles, videoclips and websites are accessed using the “Materials” tab which you will see above the scenario details and also above the assessment questions.

These resources will not hand you the assessment answers immediately. You will need to read and digest them to find the specific pieces of information needed to answer the questions. This will have the effect of cementing the learning in your memory as you use what learning psychologists call “active processing” to understand the materials and extract the information you need. If you get an answer wrong, don’t despair; go back and look again. All the information you need is there to be found. Remember that one or more of the options may be correct for each assessment question. Select as many of the options as you think are applicable.