Online

Overview
Academic
Sample Tutor
Our Alumni Says
Activities
Platform
Modules

Home » Combined Sciences Online Courses » Online Insights

Online

13-18

years old

Combined Sciences

online insights

2 day intensive | 1 week | 2 week | 10 week • Winter, Spring & Summer 2023

The Online Insights course transforms the highlights of our programmes in Oxford and Cambridge University onto an easy-to-use virtual platform.

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Small group classes taught by expert tutors

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Gain expert insights in an online summer school in Combined Sciences

Our online combined sciences courses offer students an opportunity to explore the subject of science in many areas at an advanced level, through carefully designed programmes that are taught by expert tutors from world-leading universities.

By the end of the programme, participants will have a good understanding, not only of university-level content but also of the variety of degree programmes available in subjects related to biological, chemical and physical sciences. Beyond this, participants will also explore the career opportunities available to progress in these fields.

Overview

Academic

About Online Insights

Over the course of this programme, participants will take part in virtual seminars, future skills workshops, one-to-one tutorials, as well as group social activities led by current Oxbridge undergraduates.

Students receive a combination of subject-based tuition, one-to-one tutorials, future skills workshops and social activities with students from around the world.

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brochure

Average Class Size Of 5

Maximum 10 students
1:1 Tutorials

2 x 30-minute sessions each week
Oxbridge Academics

Tutors from Oxford and Cambridge University
Future Skills Workshops

Develop key attributes such as personal branding, interview skills and academic writing

For students of all time zones

As there are participants joining from around the globe, Online Insights offers two “streams” – Stream A and Stream B.

Stream A starts in the morning whilst Stream B’s classes take place in the afternoon.

Note – as our faculty are all based in Oxford & Cambridge, all times communicated are in UK time.

To see how the Online Insights programme is structured, please view the timetable.

Stream A

09:00 - 15:00 (UK time)
Stream B

14:00 - 20:00 (UK time)

Example tutor:

Filip C

Filip is a PhD Candidate at the Mitochondrial Biology Unit at University of Cambridge. In his doctoral thesis he is investigating the interplay between redox biology, signalling and mitochondrial dysfunction. Previously, he has read Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Oxford, as well as undergone a research internship at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Filip has been teaching Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry (GCSE, A Levels and university applications) as a tutor at British Education (BE) for the last 3 years. Furthermore, during his PhD he has been tutoring undergraduate courses in Biochemistry at Trinity Hall College, University of Cambridge.

Sample Tutor

Testimonials

The Online Insights programme has exposed me to a lot of knowledge I don’t think I would have learned, especially not in school. It was very in-depth and progressed towards cell biology, which I find particularly exciting.

I feel that this course has prepared me for higher education by teaching me the knowledge that I would be taught at university-level.

I’m planning on pursuing medicine and cell biology at university, so the programme showed me how it would be taught at a higher level.

I found classes online especially interesting. I thought it would be difficult to cope with, and I thought I might not be able to ask what I needed, but I actually found it very surprising how helpful and accommodating my tutors were. They explained a lot of things over and over, and especially in the one-to-one sessions beforehand, I had quite a bit of time to ask them questions about what I didn’t understand.

Shrada G

Attended Immerse in 2022

Online Insights: Medicine Participant

5/5

Network with like-minded individuals

Daily social activities with participants around the world

Students can connect with like-minded individuals from around the world, and are encouraged to socialise and make friends through daily activities and games after classes finish.

Activities include virtual college tours, murder mystery parties and a ‘University Challenge’-style quiz.

These sessions are led by Oxbridge undergraduates who act as Mentors for Online Insights participants. This is a fantastic opportunity for participants to hear from students at Oxford and Cambridge University, and receive guidance and advice on studying at one of the world’s top universities.

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Network with like-minded individuals

Activities

Online Learning Platform

Virtual Classrooms

All sessions are delivered on Zoom’s education platform – the world’s leading virtual classroom software.

Before the course begins, all students will receive a welcome pack that includes information about their tutors, mentors, guest speakers, as well as their programme overview.

Students will also receive an interactive timetable with links to each of their classes.

We offer 2-day intensives, 1-week, 2-week and 10-week programmes so that you can learn at a time and duration that fits your current activities.

Platform

Sample Combined Sciences Modules

To see how the Online Insights programme is structured, please view the timetable.

Module 1 - Macromolecules of Life (Biology)

This session explores some key biological macromolecules and examines their role in living systems. Participants learn about the structure of biological membranes by consideration of lipid molecules (phospholipids and cholesterol) and introduce the idea of the membrane being a dynamic structure rather than a passive boundary between intracellular and extracellular compartments. This necessarily requires the introduction of concepts of membrane transport, cell signalling and cell-cell recognition. Participants explore the importance of proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids in biology and briefly discuss how these polymeric structures are constructed from simpler components.
Module 2 - Introduction to Kinematics (Physics)

All experts in the field of physics have a firm understanding of Newton’s Laws of Motion as well as his Universal Law of Gravitation. It’s also important to understand the conservation laws of physics, the laws of electricity (e.g. Coulomb’s and Ohm’s Laws) and magnetism, which is why in this module you will explore all of these topics and their relevance in physics studies. What you learn in this module will set the foundation for further exploration into these subjects in other topics explored in the physics course.
Module 3 - Atomic Structure and Periodicity (Chemistry)

In the first part of the course, participants take a closer look at the atom, discussing some of the earlier models of atomic structure. These seminal works, and others, led to the discovery of subatomic particles (protons, neutrons and electrons), and their corresponding properties. The class defines key terms relating to the atom, which form the foundation of the chemistry course. The tutor also introduces the mole concept and participants use it to perform important chemical calculations. Finally, participants analyse the modern periodic table (a concise arrangement of chemical elements based on their atomic structure) and discuss the trends that arise from this ordering.
Module 4 - Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution (Biology)

In this session, participants will explore in broad terms the theory of evolution as expounded by Charles Darwin and aim to understand the terms variation, competition, fitness (adaptations and exaptations) and selection. We will look at the sources of genetic variation with reference to mutations, genetic drift, gene flow and natural selection. We will discuss the emerging science of epigenetics – the study of heritable changes in the absence of changes in DNA sequence. We will also briefly discuss some works and views of Richard Dawkins, a leading evolutionary biologist.
Module 5 - Physics Practicals (Physics)

The experiments and practicals aspect of this course allows you to take part in laboratory practice and laboratory record-keeping. Some of the experiments we will explore include a deep dive into mechanical resonance, latent heat and gas heat, conservation of momentum and the AM radio. This component of the programme allows participants to apply theoretical knowledge and best research practices to real-world experiments.
Module 6 - Organic Chemistry & Bonding (Chemistry)

Participants explore covalent bonding in more detail and define key terms, such as electronegativity. The resonance structures of covalent bonds in molecules and polar covalent bonds are discussed.