Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2014-2015 (archived)
Module BIOL3161: FIELD COURSE
Department: Biological and Biomedical Sciences
BIOL3161: FIELD COURSE
| Type | Tied | Level | 3 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2014/15 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Durham |
|---|
| Tied to | C100 and C105 |
|---|
Prerequisites
- Level 2 Ecology (BIOL2461)
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combination of Modules
- Level 3 Workshop (BIOLXXXX)
Aims
- To allow students to undertake a series of practical exercises to investigate the influence of the environment on the distribution, adaptations and behaviour of plants and animals.
Content
- Field investigations of the impacts of a range of environmental parameters upon the distribution, adaptations and behaviour of plants and animals in their natural environment.
- Training in application of data field-based techniques underpinning the above.
- Field-application of organism identification and classification.
- Analysis and interpretation of data collected in the field.
- Training in health and safety aspects of fieldwork.
- Project design and execution in a field environment.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Knowledge of the application of a variety of fieldwork methods to investigate ecology and behaviour of plants and animals.
- Knowledge of the role of the environment in determining the patterns of distribution of plants and animals, including organismal interactions and community structure.
- Understanding of key issues related to the role of the environment in the adaptions and behaviour exhibited by plants and animals.
Subject-specific Skills:
- Ability to undertake supervised field-based research and appreciate the importance of safe working practice in field environments.
Key Skills:
- Literacy, in being able to consult and extract information from printed and on-line archives.
- Data analysis, in interpreting the patterns of distribution and abundance of species, species’ ecology and behaviour, and the structure and composition of communities.
- Communication skills, in presenting oral and written report.
- Team work, in carrying out practical work in the field.
- Self-motivation, in independent work on report.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Field Courses: extended experimental work in an area of biological sciences in which the student works as a member of a team. The course involves practically-based training in a residential setting. These courses are taught to smaller groups. The student is given the opportunity to gain experience of a range of practical techniques, often involving the use of state of the art equipment, and is required to produce an extended report involving data analysis.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fieldwork | 1 | 100 | ■ | ||
| Tutorial | 1 | 1 hour | 1 | ||
| Preparation & Reading | 99 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Continuous Assessment | Component Weighting: 100% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Field note book | 10% | No | |
| Field skills test | 15% | No | |
| Fieldwork report | 40% | No | |
| Unseen exam | 35% | No | |
Formative Assessment:
Oral presentation of aspects of work undertaken during each day of the field course period, plus oral presentation of the findings of the group project undertaken.
■ 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