Dive deep into topics of special interest with the personalised attention of expert academics, study among like-minded students from across the world, and gain an edge for your academic and professional future.
First-class teaching is at the heart of an LMH Summer Programme.
In a series of thought-provoking lectures and lively seminar discussions you will learn about cutting-edge research, expand your core knowledge, and explore new ideas and concepts among peers with diverse international perspectives and academic backgrounds.
Tutorials, the conclusion of each week’s study, are an intellectual thrill. They are a unique opportunity for focused and personalised attention from an expert academic and a space for enthusiastic debate of important ideas. Alongside no more than two to three other students, you will present and discuss your work, accept constructive criticism, and engage with the ideas of your fellow students. These rigorous academic discussions help develop and facilitate learning in a way that cannot be done with lectures alone.
The co-curricular programme provides an especially enriching learning experience beyond the classroom. Skills sessions help you to develop your personal and academic abilities, from note-taking and active reading to public-speaking and presentation skills, and guest speakers join us to provoke cross-disciplinary discussion and debate.
Read on below to find out more about the teaching and learning on an LMH Summer Programme.
LMH Summer Programmes are designed and delivered by experienced academics and experts from Lady Margaret Hall and across the University of Oxford, and are taught using the Oxford teaching model, which emphasises personalised small-group learning. Each week you will take part in a range of class types, including lectures, seminars, and tutorials.
You will attend lectures alongside all others studying your chosen subject. Lectures are where the core syllabus material is covered, and are primarily an opportunity for the lecturer to impart knowledge, so come ready to take notes and think deeply about what you hear. Each lecture lasts 90 minutes, and you will attend four lectures each week.
Seminars take place in smaller groups. Seminars offer space to discuss and debate, to dig deeper into difficult concepts, and to explore your own ideas. Student contribution to seminars is vital, and the tutor will ensure everyone takes part in discussions. Seminars last 2 hours, with a short break halfway through, and you will take part in two seminars each week.
Independent study is a crucial part of an LMH Summer Programme and of the Oxford teaching model. Your tutors will recommend important reading to do between lectures and seminars that will enable you to come to class equipped to understand the information presented and prepared to take part in discussion and debate. Each week you will also have an assignment of work to complete on your own and submit to your tutor in advance of your tutorial. Depending on your subject area, this may be an essay, a mathematical problem sheet, or another kind of application of new knowledge. There is an appropriate amount of space in the timetable for you to complete the necessary reading and your assignments. You should expect to do around 40 hours of independent study each week.
Tutorials are sometimes known as the “jewel in the crown” of an Oxford education, and are central to the teaching methods used by the University of Oxford and on LMH Summer Programmes. A tutorial is a very small-group class, typically including only 2-4 students. Guided by your tutor, you will receive feedback on your assignments, be challenged to defend, justify, or even rethink your ideas and arguments, and be invited to dig deeper into your chosen subject than ever before. Tutorials last 1 hour, and you will have a tutorial each week.
Lectures: 18 Hours
Seminars: 12 Hours
Tutorials: 3 Hours
Independent Study: c.120 Hours
Assessment
On a three-week LMH Summer Programme students produce one piece of assessed work every week, which is submitted to the tutor and then discussed in a tutorial. At the end of each week you will receive a percentage grade for your submitted work. Each week’s work counts for a third of your final percentage grade, so your final grade is an average of the mark received for each piece of work. Students who stay for six or nine weeks will receive a separate grade for each 3-week course.
Academic Credit
Lady Margaret Hall will provide a transcript of your assessed work, and can send this directly to your home institution if required. LMH Summer Programmes are designed to be eligible for academic credit, and we will communicate with your home institution to facilitate this as needed. As a guide, we recommend the award of 15 CATS / 7.5 ECTS / 4 US Credits for each 3-week course.
Alongside the core academic programme you will also take part in a co-curricular programme of enriching activities and events.
Skills Sessions explore a variety of topics, from study skills such as time organisation, exam techniques, and stress management, to personal transferable skills like public-speaking, leadership, and teamwork.
“In Conversation” is a lecture series attended by all LMH Summer Programme students together. On each occasion, a special guest is invited to give a presentation introducing themselves, their work, and a particular project that is the focus of their passion. A programme tutor leading the evening will engage the guest “in conversation”, and invite students to ask their own questions to the guest about their work and the topics they have introduced. From vaccine scientists combatting Covid-19, or climatologists tackling global warming, to lawyers investigating human rights abuses, the “In Conversation” series brings in a range of speakers and topics to interest students of all subjects.
