Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2006-2007 (archived)

Module BIOL2251: FIELD AND EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

Department: BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

BIOL2251: FIELD AND EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY

Type	Open	Level	2	Credits	20	Availability	Available in 2006/07	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

Introduction to Whole Organisms and the Environment (BIOL1082).

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

To introduce some important experimental techniques and methods of interpretation that are regularly used in whole organism biology.

Content

Animal and Plant Diversity.
Lab practicals will be supported by field excursions where appropriate.
Invertebrates associated with paving stones.
Freshwater diversity.
Plant diversity on limestone grasslands.
Animal Physiology.
An invertebrate and vertebrate dissection.
Plant Physiology.
Ecophysiological techniques and woodland canopies.
Behavioural Ecology.
Insect behaviour and Ethograms.
Population Ecology.
Mark-recapture experiments and the demographic structure of human populations.
Experimental Design and Statistics.
A series of lectures and workshops to teach good experimental design and statistical analysis.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

By the end of this module each student should be familiar with: Several different taxonomic groups, and ways to assess biodiversity.
A range of approaches in population biology, behavioural ecology and animal and plant physiology.

Subject-specific Skills:

By the end of this module students should be able to: Design and interpret experiments in whole organism biology and present the results effectively.
Conduct experimental tests in whole organism biology that involve a range of different skills.

Key Skills:

Employ a number of techniques that are regularly used by field biologists.

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

Teaching and learning in this component will be through lectures, practicals, workshops and field trips.
Knowledge, understanding and interpretation will be formatively assessed through practical reports and statistical exercises.
Knowledge, understanding and interpretation will be summatively assessed through practical reports (20%), field trip reports (30%), statistical exercises (20%) and statistics exam (30%).

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	10	0.75/week	1 hour	10
Tutorials	1		1 hour	1
Practicals	8	0.4/week	3 hours	24
Fieldwork	4	0.2/week	6 hours	24
Other (Workshop)	3	0.35/week	3 hours	9
Preparation and Reading				132
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework		Component Weighting: 100%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
practical and fieldwork reports		80%
statistics exam		20%

Formative Assessment:

Formative assessment will be based on practical reports and exercises in the use of statistics.

■ 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