Module manager: Matthew Cotterill
Email: m.cotterill@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
See Programme Entry Requirements
This module is not approved as an Elective
The Advanced ART (Assisted Reproduction Technology) Practice module offers an in-depth exploration of essential clinical and operational practices in ART, equipping students with advanced knowledge for designing and managing fertility clinics. Through topics such as fertility clinic layout, reproductive rights, and ART-specific legal frameworks, students will learn to integrate best practices and align clinic design with technical and ethical standards. Management and quality assurance protocols, including validation, accreditation, and traceability, will be covered to ensure that students understand the highest standards of patient safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. The module also emphasises sensitive communication, specifically in delivering difficult news to patients, teaching empathy and professionalism in emotionally charged situations. A focus on horizon scanning introduces students to emerging ART technologies and trends, preparing them for the future evolution of ART practices. The module concludes with a comparative analysis of international ART practices, offering a global perspective and reinforcing foundational ART concepts. Students will be invited to discuss and reflect on issues related to cultural differences in patient facing fertility treatment, experiences that are relevant to the internationally mobile workforce in embryology.
Objectives:
1. Designing Fertility Clinics: This module aims to equip you with the skills to design comprehensive and regulatory-compliant fertility clinic layouts, optimising space and functionality to meet ART procedural requirements.
2. Reproductive Rights and Legal Frameworks in ART: You will develop an in-depth understanding of legal and ethical frameworks in ART, including the roles of regulatory bodies and the implications of reproductive rights, ensuring a foundation for ethical practice.
3. Management and Quality Assurance: This module aims to impart knowledge of quality management systems specific to ART clinics, with an emphasis on implementing and monitoring protocols to maintain high standards of patient care and laboratory efficiency.
4. Validation, Accreditation, and Traceability in ART Clinics: You will gain proficiency in validation and accreditation processes critical to ART, understanding the importance of traceability systems in protecting patient safety and maintaining clinic credibility.
5. Effective Communication in ART: This module aims to develop your communication skills for sensitive situations, particularly when delivering difficult news to patients, focusing on empathy and professionalism essential to ART practice.
6. Horizon Scanning in ART: You will learn to identify and critically assess emerging technologies and trends in ART, such as artificial intelligence and automation, gaining insight into potential future developments in the field.
7. International IVF Practices and Fundamentals: This module provides a global perspective on ART, comparing international IVF practices and reviewing foundational ART concepts, preparing you to adapt core competencies within diverse clinical and regulatory environments.
Teaching Methods and Learning Activities
Teaching:
You will access the online learning material for this module in addition to other university resources using Minerva. This module is delivered via a combination of online module materials, including interactive learning material, online media, self-test questions and other forms of interactive online content relevant to the module learning objectives. You will also engage with asynchronous formative learning tasks within the module material that can be performed at a time that suits you. As a unique feature of this module, you will also undertake group work, working online with your fellow students and under the guidance of your module manager on an ART laboratory design project. Your learning journey on this module is supported by the module manager and other tutors with whom you will interact during a series of synchronous online sessions.
How It Achieves the Objectives:
The online resources offer multiple avenues for in-depth explanation and demonstration and will provide a foundational understanding of key concepts and techniques related to the module objectives, allowing you to study in an engaging way. You are expected to engage in self-directed learning by utilising online materials to build your knowledge, enabling you to understand core concepts, evaluate complex ethical frameworks, and understand innovative design principles in ART clinic environments. Group work and interactive discussions will enhance your ability to collaborate and critically analyse real-world ART scenarios.
Synchronous online sessions offer a time for real-time interactions with the module tutors and with your fellow students. These sessions are used to consolidate learning, answer questions, identify matters for immediate clarification or discuss specific points in detail, reinforcing your learning with activity-based approaches.
Asynchronous tasks drive engagement via formative tasks that can be performed at a time that suits you.
During self-directed independent study time you will engage in wider reading in preparation for summative assessments.
UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:
1. Design and Manage Fertility Clinics: Develop a comprehensive fertility clinic layout that complies with regulatory standards, optimises space and workflow, incorporates appropriate equipment and procedures, and includes efficient staffing schedules to enhance operations and patient care.
2. Implement Quality Assurance and Regulatory Frameworks: Understand principles of quality management, validation, accreditation, and traceability to ensure clinic efficiency, patient safety, and compliance with national and international ART regulatory standards.
3. Communicate Effectively and Navigate Sensitive Clinical Situation: Understand how to develop professional communication strategies to address complex or emotionally sensitive scenarios, such as delivering difficult news to patients, while maintaining empathy, professionalism, and patient trust.
4. Evaluate Emerging Technologies and Global Practices in ART: Critically assess emerging ART technologies and international regulatory frameworks to inform strategic planning, improve clinic practices, and adapt to evolving patient needs and global standards.
UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO:
1. Academic Skills: Critically evaluate regulatory frameworks, quality management practices, and emerging ART technologies, understanding evidence-based reasoning that inform ethical, compliant, and innovative clinical decisions.
2. Digital Skills: Utilise digital tools for designing clinic layouts, conducting data analysis, and collaborating on projects, effectively communicating findings in formats suitable for academic, clinical, and operational contexts.
3. Work-Ready Skills: Communicate complex and sensitive information clearly and professionally to diverse audiences, demonstrating resilience, time management, and independent learning in handling project-based and clinical tasks.
4. Enterprise and Sustainability Skills: Design practical, innovative solutions to challenges in ART clinic operations, integrating sustainable practices to reduce environmental impact while maintaining clinical efficiency and patient care standards.
This module provides a comprehensive exploration of advanced clinical and operational practices in ART, focusing on designing regulatory-compliant fertility clinics, implementing quality management protocols, and navigating legal and ethical frameworks. Students will learn to optimise clinic functionality and patient care by integrating principles of space design, equipment selection, and staff scheduling with technical and ethical standards. Core topics include validation, accreditation, and traceability processes, ensuring patient safety and operational credibility in ART settings.
In addition to technical knowledge, the module emphasises essential communication skills for managing sensitive patient interactions, particularly when delivering difficult news with empathy and professionalism. Students will critically assess emerging ART technologies and evaluate their impact on clinical practices. A global perspective is provided through an analysis of international ART practices and foundational concepts, equipping students with the adaptability needed to succeed in diverse clinical environments. Teaching is delivered through lectures, seminars, and practical activities, with formative assessments supporting progression towards summative evaluations.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-line Learning | 12 | 3.5 | 42 |
| Drop-in Session | 4 | 1.5 | 6 |
| Seminar | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Seminar | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Independent online learning hours | 68 | ||
| Private study hours | 178 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 54 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 300 | ||
Formative Feedback Opportunities
A variety of formative feedback methods will be used to support your learning throughout the module providing you with continuous insights into your progress and helping to identify any areas for improvement. Each student is assigned an academic personal tutor, who in conjunction with the module manager will review progress on completed tasks in the online module material, the synchronous tasks, asynchronous tasks in order to identify cases where additional support is required.
1. Formative tasks in online module material: Formative assessment is included on the module via in-built questions, such as short answer questions (SAQs) or multiple-choice questions (MCQs) that are built into the online module material. These are a way of assessing your progress and development on the module. Formative MCQs and SAQs and other question types support the development of your understanding of the wider module content and are used for scaffolding your development towards the summative assessments, by driving learning across the breadth of the module.
2. Formative tasks and feedback in asynchronous activities: These include interaction with Minerva tools such as asynchronous discussion board tasks, debates, blogs, and forms of questioning and quizzes, which will be used to drive learning in specific areas of the module and to drive engagement with the online learning material. During these asynchronous tasks, your contributions will be reviewed by module tutors who will provide comments, ideas and feedback to help drive learning. Your module tutors will use these asynchronous tasks to assess your comprehension, identify learning needs, and track academic progress during the progression of the module. Collectively, these tasks provide formative support and development towards the summative assessments.
3. Formative tasks and feedback in synchronous (live, online) sessions: Online sessions will be scheduled throughout the module. These sessions will facilitate group-based discussions and offer opportunities for individual questions. For this module, these sessions serve as a collaborative platform for you to present and refine your clinic design concepts while receiving constructive feedback from both peers and instructors. This format encourages innovation, critical thinking, and supports effective design planning. In these online sessions, you will also analyse and discuss various scenarios and questions related to the module content, and undertake formative tasks, providing an opportunity to assess and deepen your understanding via structured online discussions. Students will be encouraged to raise questions and participate in interactive discussions on the module content. Your contributions to online discussions will be noted for the purpose of encouraging regular engagement with the module material. These sessions provide formative support by consolidating academic skills in preparation for the summative assessments. These sessions will be delivered via real-time communication software applications.
4. Formative assessment scaffolding for preparation of written assessed course work
Formative support and feedback will be provided during written coursework preparation in addition to the comprehensive feedback after submission. A key formative feedback opportunity in the module involves scaffolding the assessment process through early-stage guidance. This opportunity for formative feedback during written coursework preparation will be provided via methods including online whiteboard sessions on Minerva and/or feedback on a draft/outline of the essay as examples. This allows you to discuss the coursework question topics, to aid preparation, to contextualise the essay and for you to ask questions related to preparation. This early engagement allows tutors to offer advice on the relevant literature and areas of relevance, helping students align their work with module assessment expectations.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Coursework - Examine theoretical competence and understanding of module material | 50 |
| Coursework | Presentation - Clinic Design | 50 |
| Coursework | Formative preparation of coursework - Formative tasks for preparation of coursework | 0 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
In the event of a resit for the presentation a 2000-word essay will be required. There is no compensation between elements of summative assessment; each element must be passed. In the event of failure of one or more elements, the module mark will be capped at 50 on successful resit of the failed element(s).
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 28/03/2025
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