Facilitator’s Page for the Business Concepts for Life Sciences Course
Welcome to the facilitator’s pages for Business Concepts for Life Scientists. Our goal was to create materials to help facilitators prepare for and lead the small group discussions.The facilitator guides are designed to aid non-expert individuals in delivering the course. Training materials include:
- Questions commonly asked by participants paired with possible technical answers
- Tips on effectively leading the interactive discussions
- Rubrics to ensure participants are learning the course objectives
Preparing to Lead Group Discussion
These packets includes the workshop schedule, sample posters, rubric, and sample questions you may be asked during the discussion. To use each component:
Workshop set up, suggested schedule and/or lesson plan:
Keep the class on track during the session. Facilitators may find these notes informative to understand the basic workshop structure, and what to expect for timing the small group discussions and poster presentations.
Sample posters:
There’s no right way to present the information, but we include sample posters from the session held at UCSF in March 2016 and other campus examples.
Rubric for strategy concepts:
To help the participants master the concepts covered in the videos, some packets have a table of concepts to determine mastery at basic and advanced levels. Use these criteria to evaluate if the group is progressing on the case, to provide focused direction and clarify expectations for the assignment.
Sample questions:
Preview types of questions that may arise during the small group discussions. Use this list of questions to prompt the conversation and get participants thinking more deeply about the topics. We created this list from participants’ questions during previously held workshops.
Past facilitators have noted that it takes 2 to 4 hours to prepare for the workshop, including viewing the lectures and browsing the case notes. Facilitators leading an industry case have found it helpful to browse the website beforehand. The information below in the Case examples section.
Facilitator Packets
| Title | Resource |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Strategy Facilitator’s Packet | Download |
| Business Development Facilitator’s Packet | Download |
| Strategy Toolkits Facilitator’s Packet | Download |
| Finance Basics Facilitator’s Packet | Download |
General Case Information
This workshop is was designed as a flipped classroom – participants are instructed to watch the videos before the class and prepare to discuss the cases in class.
For the in-person case discussion, the class will break into groups of 5 or 7 individuals and determine a company’s strategy from their website. Facilitators will lead the discussion for one company.
Lecture videos can be found on the main BCLS educator resources page
Note: For the Introduction to Strategy module, participants will learn how to Identify Strategy from a Company’s Website via this narrated, instructional video.
Case examples
We list examples picked by the facilitators during the pilot workshop. As the facilitator, you are not limited to these cases. The notes provide general questions about strategy and can be adapted for any company. The notes are included in the facilitator packets.
Please note: the materials were generated in 2016 and intended to provide general information about identifying a company’s strategy, even if company information has likely changed.
Leading the discussion
Start the discussion by introducing yourself and asking the participants what they want to get out the discussion. Next, introduce all the questions the group will answer during the activity. This is a critical step to get everyone on the same page before getting started. Then, get started with the discussion. Don’t forget to engage the quiet participants, too.
Questions or comments
Want additional resources or advice to help you prepare, but don’t see it here? Let us know! Please email courses@ibiology.org
Course funding
Course development was possible thanks to funding by a Career Guidance for Trainees Award by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and a T32 Administrative Supplement by NIH.
