Experimental Teaching Center for Basic Medical Sciences

To satisfy the demand of training high-level medical talents with the ability of innovation in the 21st century, approved by Nankai University, the School of Medicine established the Experimental Teaching Center for Basic Medical Sciences, including the Anatomy Laboratory, Functional Experiment Laboratory, Micromorphology Laboratory, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Pathogenic Biology Laboratory and Immunology Laboratory. In 2001, the Center passed the assessment for BMS Teaching Laboratories organized by the Educational Committee of Tianjin. In 2004, the Center achieved the Second Award for Laboratory Management of Nankai University. In 2006, the Center was selected as the Excellent Teaching Laboratory of Institutes of Higher Education in Tianjin. In December, 2012, the Center was approved as the Demonstration Teaching Laboratory of Institutes of Higher Education in Tianjin.

In 2016, the Center was integrally moved to the Jinan Campus thanks to the completion of the new School of Medicine building. In the new building, the total teaching space and hardware environment has been significantly improved. Meanwhile, new laboratories have been founded in this Center including the Pathogenic Biology Laboratory, Cellular Biology Laboratory, Medical Ethics Laboratory and Medical Informatics Laboratory.

The Center is independently organized by the School of Medicine while being supervised by the University. The Center is managed by one director and a deputy-director assigned by the University, and undertakes the experimental modules of basic medical sciences for undergraduate and postgraduate students in clinical medicine, stomatology, pharmacy etc. as well as the Innovation Research Project for College Students.The faculty team at this Center consists of professors, who are in charge of experimental courses, and supporting technicians. There are a total of 16 full-time staff members (nine with Master’s degrees or above) working at this Center, including two full professors. Our teaching team, with rich teaching experience, proficient laboratory skills, sense of responsibility and diversified educational background, is organized in a reasonable age structure while most of them are young or middle aged teachers. Our teaching team has been taking an active part in the teaching reform and has so far compiled 14 self-designed and 20 co-designed experimental teaching materials. They have also published 14 research articles in experimental teaching.

The management and allocation of teaching fund, staff members, laboratories, instruments and courses are integrally organized by the Center. Meanwhile, the Center has assigned persons to manage large instruments such that those instruments can be reserved online 24/7 and used round-the-clock. The Center is now undertaking experimental teaching tasks for undergraduates from different schools, including 248 laboratory projects in 22 experimental modules (150 projects for basic experiments and 98 projects for innovative experiments). The website of the Center also provides abundant online resources for teachers and students. In the last five years, the total financial support for this Center has reached 15.5 million RMB while there are altogether 737 instruments (all in good conditions) worth 11.2 million RMB.

In the last few years, the Center has redesigned the experimental teaching system of basic medical sciences in the teaching reform and practice. The new system aims to train medical talents with innovation abilities. Guided by the principles of systematicness, fundamentality, comprehensiveness and innovation, traditional experimental courses were rearranged and improved., Now, the experimental is organized following the routine of “basic medical experiment, comprehensive medical experiment and innovative and research experiment” to gradually add increase the depth of students’ knowledge.

In the last five years, our students have achieved a few Second Awards in the National Clinical Skills Competition for Medical Schools. Over 200 undergraduate students participated in the One Hundred Innovation Research Project of Nankai University and achieved more than 30 awards and published about 20 research articles in SCI and China Core Journals.