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ESC-10094 - Module Specification
School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2023/24 Last Updated: 13 February 2024

ESC-10094 - Academic, Fieldwork and Employability Skills
Coordinator: Mark Lucherini Tel: +44 1782 7 32866
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733615

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2023/24

This module introduces students to a core set of essential techniques and basic study skills. It provides hands-on experience in a series of skills such as statistics, Geographical Information Science, programming, research ethics and data collection in both laboratory and field-based environments. As such, the module is intended to equip students with the appropriate skills and expertise to enable real world problems to be approached with confidence and practical competence. Depending on their degree routes and interests, students will follow different learning experiences throughout the module.

Aims
This module aims to develop an appreciation and understanding of both the general study skills and subject-specific practical skills required in the study and practice of Geography, Geology and the Environment, including fieldwork. These include transferable skills such as writing skills, research ethics, environmental ethics, communication skills, and health and safety as well as practical skills such as information acquisition; techniques of data capture, manipulation, analysis and visualization; cartographic representation; and field observation and interpretation. There will be parallel sessions (mostly in semester 2) to reflect the different degree routes within GGE and the priority learning areas for each.

Intended Learning Outcomes

practice the essential skills expected of students within GGE, including ethical and respectful conduct, information literacy and writing skills: 1,2,3,4,5
describe, evaluate and use a range of specialised techniques and a variety of computer software packages for the management, manipulation and visualisation of information, statistics and spatial data: 2,4,5
1,2,3,4,5
work effectively to complete set tasks within the framework of good professional conduct set out in the course materials, including a professional and reflective approach, responsibility, personal integrity, respect for others, ethics, safety, accountability and time management: 2,4,5
apply appropriate techniques of topographic, geological, environmental and social survey to capture information in the field and put into practice analytical and presentation skills already learned in the laboratory
:

Study hours

Active Learning Hours:
40 hours of in-situ learning sessions on campus
2 hours in-situ academic mentoring tutorials
15 hours of structured engagement with online resources to prepare for in-situ campus learning sessions
32 hours fieldcourses (approx 4 days, 8 hours a day)
Independent Study Hours:
10 hours preparation for assignment 1 (essay)
10 hours preparation for assignment 2 (ethics poster)
15 hours preparation for assignment 3 (GIS, stats, programming report)
35 hours preparation for assignment 4 (fieldcourse portfolio)
2 hours preparation for assignment 5 (health and safety, pass/fail)
139 hours of other independent study

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Essay weighted 15%
Essay
Students will be required to provide an answer to one of four essay questions based on four different disciplinary routes in GGE (Human Geography, Physical Geography, Environment, Geology). The essay answer must include references provided (4) and relevant additional references (2-4). Presentation, citing and referencing, writing style all crucial marking criteria. This essay will be marked by academic mentors and be followed by a mentee group meeting led by the academic mentor who will provide general feedback. The deadline and group meeting will be towards the beginning of Semester 1 so that students can develop good practice early on.

2: Coursework weighted 15%
Ethics Poster
Student will be expected to produce an individual poster outlining a key ethical issue in their programme/field of study. The poster should be produced on powerpoint and be submitted as a single poster to the KLE turnitin. Posters should be professionally produced and contain images, references, and approximately 500 words commentary. Students will not be asked to present their posters.

3: Competence weighted 0%
Pass/Fail components
All students are required to complete some components of the module that, while they are not assessed with a mark, are of paramount importance for the module and their degree. An example is Health and Safety, as the module includes fieldwork and for the students' wellbeing they must complete the component.

4: Individual Report weighted 20%
GIS, statistics and programming report
Students will be required to complete a report of 1,500 words or equivalent, on a series of set tasks relating to the use of GIS, statistics and programming as they are relevant for GGE programmes and fields of study.

5: Portfolio weighted 50%
Fieldwork Portfolio
Students will be expected to complete a portfolio of work (3,000 words or equivalent) covered during their time in the field, to show their awareness of the local environment and to work with data captured by during field work. Geology students will be asked to complete a report pertaining to the Pembrokeshire residential fieldcourse. All other students will complete an individual portfolio reporting on the four, one-day fieldcourses. All students are expected to attend all relevant fieldcourses for their degree programme. If students cannot attend a fieldcourse for a legitimate reason they will be provided with an alternative task for the portfolio, however, they will still need to engage with all other sessions in semester 2 (including fieldcourse preparation sessions) in order to complete this.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 13 February 2024