This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Undergraduate Handbook 2006-2007 (archived)
Module BIOL2251: FIELD AND EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
Department: Biological and Biomedical Sciences
BIOL2251: FIELD AND EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 2 | 20 | Available in 2006/2007 | None. | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- Introduction to Whole Organisms and the Environment (BIOL1082).
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- 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 | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% | 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.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.