Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | 4 x 1 hour seminars to introduce study site and to identify environmental management issues. |
| Practical | 2 x 6 hour fieldwork sessions |
| Practical | 3 x 3 hour laboratory sessions |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | "Scoping" report. | 20% |
| Semester Assessment | Assessment of environmental management problems. | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Group report. Evaluating investigation approach and allocation of resources against project brief. | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Students must take elements of assessment equivalent to those that led to failure of the module. | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
* Identify key sampling issues in a contextual setting related to environmental managing problems.
* Establish "best practice" solutions to assess environmental management problems
* Demonstrate their understanding of practical solutions to the problems identified.
Brief description
Key investigative approaches and sampling techniques are explored. The module covers a range of sampling and assessment issues in coastal, estuarine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. Students will evaluate the use of "appropriate technology" to solve environmental management issues in a variety of contextual settings, from the laboratory to the field.
Content
The study site and its conservation management issues are introduced. Once key management issues have been identified, consideration is then given as to how information related to these issues might be collected; this process identifies specific research questions and the process of collecting evidence that addresses these questions within time and resource constraints. After completion of the practical work and collation of findings, the group of students involved then have to assess whether their approach was 'fit for purpose'. Finally, the outcomes of the investigation are used to assess the extent of the management problems identified and measures to mitigate these problems.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Required for the analysis and synthesis of data obtained in the practical sessions and incorporated into the reports. |
| Communication | Academic and consultancy writing skills will be developed. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Feedback on reports will allow development of report writing skills. |
| Information Technology | Storage and retrieval of data. Report writing. Presentation of data in reports. Use of electronic journals and databases. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will gain confidence in their ability to plan, perform, evaluate and report on environmental investigations. |
| Problem solving | Students will participate in a problem-driven environmental management topic and through exploring potential solutions, develop competency in dealing with practical environmental problems. |
| Research skills | Through the practical sessions and tutorials, students will gain research skills required to provide a practical solution to their chosen environmental management problem. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Generic and pathway specific fieldwork, report writing and data gathering skills. |
| Team work | Students will be involved in the planning of both the practical and written elements of the investigation. Effective team-building, management and communication skills will be developed. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7