LSC-20097 - Environmental Biology

Coordinator: David R Hulse Room: HUX204B Tel: +44 1782 7 33640

Lecture Time: See Timetable...

Level: Level 5

Credits: 15

Study Hours: 150

School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

Aims

To enable students to experience various types of fieldwork, undertake data collection and analysis, execute and write up a project, and understand how life can live in hostile environment of the intertidal zone.

Intended Learning Outcomes

identify and classify, with and without keys, a range of organisms in the lab and in-situ in their respective habitats: 1,3
identify and assess the ethical considerations and hazards associated with field work: 2,3
work in a team to formulate a research hypothesis, carry out a field investigation to test this hypothesis, and communicate the results: 2,3
describe, assess and compare the abundance and distribution of organisms based on field observations within a range of habitats and relate them to the abiotic and biotic factors that influence their distributions: 1,3
compare and contrast a variety of adaptations that enable resident organisms to survive in a range of environments: 1,3

Study hours

8 hours lectures
45 hours labs/field/travel (field course)
3 hours tutorials (semester)
1 hour lab exam (field course)
93 hours private study

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Mixed Exam weighted 30%
1 hour Field course exam
Unseen 1 hour lab test composed of a mix of MCQ and short questions, data handling as well as identification of key plant and animal species

2: Competence weighted 20%
Professional Practical Skills assessment
Professional skills assessment. Marks are awarded to each student based on a range of professional skills that the student is able to demonstrate across the project. Skills include: awareness of and compliance with health and safety; ethics; time keeping; organisation; independence; preparation; technical competence; working in a group; problem-solving and communication skills.

3: Individual Report weighted 50%
Field course project report
Individual write-up of the group project undertaken on the field course. The report's word count is 2,500 words. The report will be written in the professional scientific report format. Group sizes on the field course are typically 12-15 students.

LSC-20097 - Module Specification School of Life Sciences Faculty of Natural Sciences

LSC-20097 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences