Studying in the UK
The education system in the UK and the way you are taught here may be totally different from the way it is in your home country. Most of our taught programmes are delivered through a combination of lectures and tutorials and in some cases, labs. You will also be expected to undertake a large amount of independent study. You will be given a timetable during induction that will contain information about the lectures, tutorials or labs that you must attend.
Lectures: A lecture is a talk given by an academic member of staff. The class can be quite big and you will be expected to listen and take notes. There may be an opportunity at the end of the lecture to raise any questions. Lectures can run for anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours and you won't normally be expected to participate in discussion unless invited to do so by the lecturer.
Tutorials: A tutorial (or seminar as they are sometimes known) gives students the opportunity to discuss topics that were taught during a lecture, and to look into these in more detail. In these sessions you will be expected to participate in discussions and will normally be asked to prepare some work beforehand.
Labs: This is normally a small class that takes place in a laboratory and gives you the opportunity to do hands on experiments dealing with the practical applications of what you have been taught in your lectures and tutorials. A lab can be run by an academic or may in some cases be run by PhD students.