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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2019/2020

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Geosciences : Earth Science

Undergraduate Course: Introduction to the Geological Record (EASC08017)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Geosciences CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is ONLY available to students taking:
GEOLOGY BSc AND MEarthSci
GEOLOGY AND PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY BSc & MEarthSci
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE BSc
GEOPHYSICS & GEOLOGY BSc

Compulsory fieldtrip to the Lake District in either April or late May for 1 week.
Students will be allocated onto one of these trips in Semester 1.
Anticipated cost of the trip is around £160.
Course description The course will teach 3D mapping and cross-section skills, as well as 4D-thinking abilities - areas highlighted by both a recent external Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) and Industry as being a vital skill. These will be taught via integration of maps with rock identification in a way not previously achieved. The course will also introduce the application of online digital databases (BGS and USGS maps; Digital Elevation Models; radar interferometry; remote sensing; imagery) in solving global geological problems. The course will logically follow the core course Earth Dynamics (Semester 1), and prepare students for mapping fieldwork at the beginning of year 2.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Earth Dynamics (EASC08001)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs Anticipated approximate £160 cost for residential fieldtrip.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2019/20, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  86
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 16, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20, Fieldwork Hours 50, Summative Assessment Hours 3, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 107 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 40 %, Coursework 60 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Written Exam: 40%, Course Work: 60 %, Practical Exam: 0%.

Exam: students will annotate a geological map and produce a cross-section and a geological history in three hours (50 % map + cross-section, 50 % geological history).

Course work:
¿ Two practicals will be assessed, representing 10 % of the final mark each (20% total); students will hand in the material they produced at the end of the practical.
¿ Three multiple choice quizzes. Two to be held randomly in any of the sixteen lectures given in this course in weeks one to nine. These quizzes will only be accessible during the lecture period that the quiz is given in, unless special circumstances are submitted. The third will be completed during the students¿ own time between weeks one and eight. Each quiz is worth 3.333% and together 10% of the total course mark.
¿ 10% for Lake District notebook
¿ 20% for map and cross section completed during the Lake District field trip.

Students are required to attend and participate in all aspects of the programme of study, including teaching sessions, assessments and examinations. Therefore, may we please take this opportunity to remind you that all course work assignments fall under the same rules as examinations. If you miss an assessed piece of coursework for any reason, you will need to submit special circumstances via your PT and/or Student Support Coordinator. Therefore please do check the timetable carefully. Assessed practical will not be rearranged on a bespoke basis for individual students, unless special circumstances are submitted and approved. The University expect all student to be autonomous learners and active participants in their own education.

To pass the course, students need to obtain at least 40% FOR BOTH COURSEWORK AND EXAM INDEPENDENTLY. If they do not achieve this at the first attempt, the following will apply:
- If they have failed the exam component but passed the coursework component, they will resit the exam in August.
- If they have failed the coursework component but passed the exam component, their exam mark will be carried forward and they will have the opportunity to resit coursework over the summer.
- If they have failed both components, they will resit the exam in August and coursework over the Summer.
Feedback Students will have the opportunity to receive feedback in the following instances:
- Personal 1-to-1 feedback during the practicals, as students progress on the exercises (once a week); feedback will be provided by demonstrators and teaching staff.
- Feedback on exam map practice during Innovative Learning Week: students will complete a cross-section on previous year¿s exam map under the guidance of teaching staff and demonstrators. The cross-section will then be marked and feedback provided.
- Personal 1-to-1 feedback during the Lake District field trip as students progress on producing the material that will ultimately be assessed (notebook, map, cross-sections); feedback will be provided by demonstrators and teaching staff.
-
Examples of feedback can be found here:
http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/geosciences/teaching-organisation/staff/feedback-and-marking

Taught Assessment Regulations can be found here: https://www.ed.ac.uk/files/atoms/files/tar18-19.pdf

All details related to extensions procedures and late penalties can be found in the School of GeoSciences General Information Handbook 2018-19.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)Introduction to the Geological Record3:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)Introduction to the Geological Record3:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. apply knowledge and techniques that are necessary to understand and interpret the Earth's surface as expressed in maps and other 2/3D data.
  2. apply knowledge of the fundamentals of the analysis and critical interpretation of geological maps.
  3. to evaluate geological maps and the history they record and apply field mapping skills in diverse geological settings.
  4. use modern remote sensing techniques to complement the geological information recorded at the surface of the Earth.
Reading List
Essential Reading
Bennison, G.M. (2011) An introduction to geological structures and maps. Hodder Education.

Recommended
Coe, A.L. (2010) Geological field techniques. The Open University; Wiley-Blackwell.
Stow, D.A.V. (2005) Sedimentary rocks in the field: a colour guide. Manson.

The Geological Society of London Handbook Series
McClay, K.R. (1991) The mapping of geological structures. J. Wiley.
Jerram, D. (2011) The field description of igneous rocks. Wiley-Blackwell.
Fry, N. (1984) The field description of metamorphic rocks. Open University Press.
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.drps.ed.ac.uk/18-19/dpt/cxeasc08017.htm
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information Semester 2

Lectures: Tuesdays 9-10 am
Wednesdays 9-10am
Practical class: Thursdays 9-11am
Computer Workshop: Thursday 9-11am week 7
KeywordsIGR
Contacts
Course organiserDr Kate Saunders
Tel: (0131 6)50 2544
Email:
Course secretaryMrs Nicola Clark
Tel: (0131 6)50 4842
Email:
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