Instead of lecturing from slides every class, like my professors in North Carolina do, my two biology professors here in Santiago spend most of the time having us analyze scientific articles, written by real biologists in the field and published in official science magazines. These articles may not be quite as complex (scientifically) as some of the more advanced studies I've read at my school in the States, but they are written by the biologists themselves. That means that instead of simply hearing a summarized version of the information from our professors, we are forced to analyze and think about the topics presented and discuss what we think it means with our classmates.
This course is far more interactive than the beginning courses I've taken in North Carolina. In fact, it reminds me of an advanced seminar course I took last year about coral reef conservation. The difference between a seminar and a lecture is that a seminar course is usually more interactive and discussion-based, with a small group of students who work together on projects or group analysis. Lectures are larger and traditionally feature the professor simply talking (lecturing) at the students to deliver the information.
My UDP biology course feels more like a seminar, but my beginning biology courses at my home university have always been lectures, often with a separate laboratory class where we would work on more practical experiments and demonstrations. I miss these lab classes, which were a great opportunity for me to practically apply the concepts learned about in the lecture. My lab experience from introductory biology courses was especially important for me when I had the opportunity to work in a real lab last summer.
