Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2005-2006 (archived)

Module BIOL1082: INTRODUCTION TO WHOLE ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Department: BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

BIOL1082: INTRODUCTION TO WHOLE ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Type	Open	Level	1	Credits	40	Availability	Available in 2005/06	Module Cap	240.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

A level Biology.

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

To consolidate, correct and fill gaps in the knowledge of introductory Animal and Plant Physiology, Behaviour and Ecology resulting from the diversity of pre-University course syllabuses relating to different School Examination Boards.
and to extend coverage of these areas of biology to provide a firm foundation for specialisation at level 2 and level 3 in Honours Degrees offered by the School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences.

Content

Introduction to Ecology: The physical environment.
The organism and its environment.
Biogeography.
Biomes.
Population ecology.
Population interactions.
Landscape ecology.
Community dynamics.
Ecosystems.
Human impacts.
Evolution & Adaptation: Introduction to evolution.
Introduction to taxonomy & nomenclature.
Diversity of life.
Comparative physiology of plants and animals.
Life cycles.
Evolution of behaviour.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

On completion of this module students should have: An introductory level of knowledge of Animal and Plant Physiology, Ecosystems, Behaviour, Pollution and Statistics.

Subject-specific Skills:

They should be familiar with basic experimental, field and safety procedures applicable to modern whole organism biology and ecology.

Key Skills:

Students should be able to demonstrate an ability to handle and interpret simple experimental data.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Theoretical knowledge will be delivered in lectures, practical classes, field excursions and tutorials.
Learning, knowledge and understanding will be assessed by practical reports, MCQs and end of year examinations.
The ability to hand and interpret data will be assessed in practical reports and data handling exercises.
Familiarity with experimental techniques and safety procedures will be acquired during practical classes.
The variety of methods of teaching and assessment will contribute to learning by providing detailed and rapid feedback.
They are considered the most appropriate at this level in order to build a firm foundation for level 2 and level 3 where more individual initiative is expected.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	80	4 per week	1 hour	80
Tutorials	4	2 per term	1 hour	4
Practicals	15		3 hours	45
Fieldwork	1		6 hours	6
Preparation and Reading				265
Total				400

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination		Component Weighting: 50%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Unseen examination	2 hours	100%
Component: Departmental test and Assessed practical reports		Component Weighting: 50%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
1 hour departmental test at the end of Michaelmas Term, Assessed practical reports form continuous assessment component		100%

Formative Assessment:

Essays, problem questions and oral presentations may be required as part of tutorial teaching.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University